Textiles Trader Registration Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

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

Ref : GL 60/3/1

9 August 2003

Dear Sirs,

Further to Textiles Trader Registration Circulars No. 12/2003 and 16/2003 of 12 and 28 May 2003 respectively, informing traders and carriers about the launch of electronic service for textiles notifications as from 30 May 2003, this circular reminds carriers that under the electronic system, they may receive, in electronic form, or in paper form (computer printout), notification information which traders have delivered to the Director-General of Trade and Industry (the Director) via the electronic service. Registered traders under the Textiles Trader Registration Scheme (TTRS) are further reminded to return to us the authorisation forms to enable the transfer of necessary information of their registration to Tradelink Electronic Commerce Limited (Tradelink) before they may make use of the electronic service.

Delivery of Electronic Textiles Notifications from Traders to Carriers

2. Under the electronic system, registered textiles traders are required to deliver to the carriers, in electronic form or in paper form, notification information that has been successfully delivered to the Director by specified timeframes.^Note Carriers are reminded that they may receive, in electronic form or in paper form, notification information which traders have delivered to the Director. Details of the delivery of textiles notifications under the electronic system is at Appendix I to the Textiles Trader Registration Circular No. 12/2003.
   
   

3. To fulfill the requirement of delivering the textiles notification to his carrier in electronic form or in paper form, a registered textiles trader may make use of the electronic service provided by Tradelink, the provider of the electronic service for textiles notifications, to conveniently send the notification electronically to his carrier if the carrier is also registered for use of the electronic service. If the carrier is not registered for the electronic service, the trader may print out a copy of the notification from his customer software and send, say, by fax, to the carrier. A sample of the printout is at Annex A (pdf format) for reference. The sample is an Export Notification II generated from the customer software. Printouts of other types of textiles notifications are similar in format with slight difference in the information contained. Tradelink is further enhancing the printouts to make it more trade facilitating. Further updates of the printouts will be circulated for reference.
   
   

4. Registered textiles traders are reminded that only electronic textiles notifications that have been successfully delivered to the Director and to which the Director has assigned a Unique Textiles Notification Reference Number (UTR) are valid to cover import and export of the textiles falling under the scope of the TTRS. The printout should not bear the wording "DRAFT" on the top right corner which represents that the notification has not yet been successfully delivered to the Director.
   
   

5. Carriers are further reminded that they are required to quote the UTR of the textiles notifications in their paper or electronic manifests delivered to the Director. This would facilitate efficient clearance especially in the case of import and export via the road boundary control points.

Return of Authorisation Form for the Release of Registration Information

6. With the launch of the electronic service for textiles notifications on 30 May 2003, it is to the advantage of registered textiles traders to make use of the service early. In this connection, traders who have not yet returned the authorisation form to enable the transfer of necessary information of their registration under the TTRS to Tradelink for validation purpose are urged to complete and return the forms to us early. Traders who wish to make use of the electronic service will not be able to do so until they have returned to us their duly completed authorisation forms. To facilitate traders' completion of the authorisation forms, the signatory requirement in the case of sole proprietorship and partnership has been further streamlined. The sole proprietor, one of the partners or a responsible person authorised in writing by the sole-proprietor or the partners may sign the authorisation form. The following new Authorisation Forms are attached at Annexes B and C (pdf format).

Annex B : Applicable to registered textiles traders who do not operate branches for the same entity or their branches are not going to make use of the same TTR registration to lodge textiles notifications by electronic service.

Annex C : Applicable to registered textiles traders who operate branches for the same entity and wish to allow any of the branches to make use of the same TTRS registration in lodging textiles notifications by electronic service.

7. The Department takes a serious view on textiles traders breaching any of the conditions of exemption under the TTRS or committing an offence under the Import and Export Ordinance, Cap 60. Traders are reminded to refer to the details of the offences, penalties and the administrative actions that the Director may take against a registered textiles trader set out in Textiles Trader Registration Circulars No. 12/2003 and 16/2003.

8. For any enquiries in relation to the content of this circular, please contact :

Traders who wish to make use of the electronic service for textiles notifications or have any enquiries in relation to the electronic service provided by Tradelink may wish to contact Tradelink direct at 2599 1700.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Judy Ting)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

To : All traders registered under the Textiles Trader Registration Scheme

Shipping companies, airline companies, transportation companies and freight forwarders known to the Trade and Industry Department

Trade and Industrial Associations

Note : A registered textiles trader is required to deliver to the carrier, in electronic form or in paper form, the following :

1. the reference number assigned to the textiles notification by the Director before the textiles are imported or exported, together with an indication to the carrier that it is the reference number so assigned by the Director; and
   
   

2. all the particulars contained in the textiles notification that he has delivered to the Director before he takes possession of the textiles imported or before the textiles are exported, together with an indication to the carrier that they are the particulars so delivered to the Director.