International Trade Law News

Published by Jacobson Burton Kelley PLLC

In preparation for the elimination of textile quotas for WTO member countries on January 1, 2005, the U.S. Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) published in the December 17, 2004 Federal Register the text of a letter to the Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) advising of the cancellation of visa requirements for WTO member countries. Specifically, CITA instructed CBP to cancel all requirements for visas, Electronic Visa Information System (ELVIS), Guaranteed Access Level (GAL) Certification and exempt certifications, for goods that are the product of WTO members exported from the country of origin on or after January 1, 2005. The notice also indicates that the U.S. has informed its trading partners that textile visa arrangements will be terminated and will not apply to goods exported from the country of origin on and after January 1, 2005.

The entire text of the letter issued by CITA to CBP is as follows:

"Dear Commissioner: This directive cancels all previous directives concerning requirements for visa, ELVIS transmissions, Guaranteed Access Level (GAL) Certifications, and Exempt Certifications, issued to you by the Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, for the following countries, covering cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk blend and non-cotton vegetable fiber textile and textile products subject to the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, effective for goods exported from those countries on and after January 1, 2005: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Macedonia, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, UAE, and Uruguay."