Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 230/2

17 April 2009

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 199/2009

European Union (EU)* : Requirement to Lodge Pre-arrival Information for Goods Entering into the Community Customs Territory

Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 12/2009 of 6 January 2009, the European Commission (the Commission) has adopted a Regulation introducing a transitional period for the lodgement of entry summary declaration on the imports of goods to the customs authorities of the EU. Details are set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No. 273/2009 (the Regulation), which can be accessed through the following link: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:091:0014:0015:EN:PDF

DETAILS

1.  
2. Regulation (EC) No. 1875/2006 introduced an obligation to provide pre-arrival information for goods entering into the customs territory of the European Community starting from 1 July 2009. Such information should be submitted electronically under an "entry summary declaration". Due to the complexity of the processes, unanticipated delays have occurred in the implementation that not all economic operators are in a position to use information technology and computer networks for the aforementioned purpose by 1 July 2009. In this regard, a transitional period from 1 July 2009 to 31 December 2010 is introduced, during which the lodgement of entry summary declaration shall not be mandatory. Nevertheless, the entry summary declaration can still be lodged on a voluntary basis. 

ENQUIRIES

3. For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5556.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Peggy LEUNG)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.