Notice to Service Suppliers

Ref: CR TID/CEPA 7/7

18 February 2008

Dear Sirs,

Notice to Service Suppliers No. 1/2008

Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA)

Hong Kong Service Supplier (HKSS) Certification Scheme:
Implementation of New Fee Levels on 27 March 2008

Hong Kong service suppliers and the trade have earlier been informed, vide Notice to Service Suppliers (NSS) No. 2/2007 dated 30 November 2007, that new fee levels in respect of a number of services provided under the HKSS Certification Scheme will be introduced by the Department in the first quarter of 2008. This circular informs the trade of the implementation timetable of the new fee levels and related implementation arrangement.

2. The new fee levels for services provided under the HKSS Certification Scheme, as set out at Annex, will be implemented with effect from 27 March 2008 (Thursday). Applications received on or before the close of play 26 March 2008 (Wednesday), and are duly completed and supported by the requisite supporting documents, will be processed under the current fee structure. Fees for applications lodged with date of receipt of 27 March 2008 (Thursday) and thereafter will be charged at the new levels.
   
   
3. The application procedures for the various types of HKSS certificate application as set out in NSS No. 1/2007 (for fresh application), NSS No. 1/2005 (for renewal application) and NSS No. 2/2004 (for auxiliary services including certificate replacement and Certified True Copy (CTC) certificate) remain unchanged. The only new change is that successful applicant relating to fresh and renewal application will now also receive a payment notice, in addition to a written notification notifying the result of its application. The applicant should present the payment notice and pay the specified amount of fee at the Department's Collection Office (Room 104, Trade and Industry Department Tower, 700 Nathan Road, Kowloon). Following payment, the applicant should then hand in both the payment receipt and the Department's written notification at the Hong Kong Service Supplier Certification Section for collection of HKSS certificate.
   
   

4. If you have any enquiry on the content of this circular, please contact the Hong Kong Service Supplier Certification Section at :

Yours faithfully,

(Ms Alice KWAN)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

Note: In case of discrepancies between the English and Chinese texts of this Notice, the Chinese text shall for all purposes be conclusive.