Ref : GL 60/3/1

15 October 2004

Dear Sirs,

Registration and Renewal of Registration 
under the Textiles Trader Registration Scheme (TTRS) before End 2004

INTRODUCTION

This circular informs traders that the Import and Export (General) (Amendment) Regulation 2004 has been gazetted on 15 October 2004. Subject to the approval of the Legislative Council, the TTRS will be maintained after 31 December 2004 but the scope thereof will be different from the current one as a result of the modified licensing/notification arrangements for post-2004 after the global elimination of quotas. Traders are reminded to take into account the modified scope of the TTRS when they are about to register for it or renew their existing registration between now and end 2004. Alternatively, traders may apply for individual import and export licences as appropriate from the Department to cover their textiles imports and exports.

MODIFIED SCOPE OF TTRS AFTER 2004

2. Following the global elimination of all quantitative restrictions on textiles and clothing products on 1 January 2005 pursuant to the World Trade Organization Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, the licensing arrangements to cover textiles imports and exports will be suitably modified. Insofar as the TTRS (Note) is concerned, we are proposing that the Scheme will cover imports and exports belonging to the following categories :

1. all textiles imports from and exports to the Mainland;
   
   
2. exports to those economies which have invoked safeguard measures against the Mainland, currently the USA; and
   
   
3. all transshipment cargo of textiles to or from any country or place.
   

Textiles imports and exports involving other economies will be excluded from the scope of the TTRS and come under the new Comprehensive Import Licence and Comprehensive Export Licence. Details of the post-2004 licensing arrangements will be announced separately.

3. Subject to the passage of the legislative amendments to bring into effect the post-2004 licensing/notification arrangements, the modified arrangements including the revised scope of the TTRS will take effect from 1 January 2005 to tie in with the elimination of textiles quotas.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO APPLICANTS FOR REGISTRATION AND
RENEWED REGISTRATION AS TEXTILES TRADER UNDER TTRS

4. Against this background, traders are reminded to take note of the proposed modification to the scope of the TTRS in paragraph 2 above when they apply for registration or renew their existing registration under the TTRS between now and end 2004. Traders who wish to apply for individual import and export licences as appropriate to cover non-restrained textiles shipments in 2004 may apply for the Import Licence (Textiles) Form 7 (TRA 23) or the Export Licence (Textiles) Form 4 (TIC 353). The application fee for Form 7 is $40 and that for Form 4 is $56. Licence applications have to be made in person to the Textiles Import/Export Licensing Unit on 1/F, Trade and Industry Department Tower, 700 Nathan Road, Kowloon. Under normal circumstances, licences are ready for collection one clear working day after the date of lodgement.
   

ENQUIRIES

5. For enquiries on the contents of this circular, please contact : 

Yours faithfully,





( C S Lau )

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

(Note)  At present, the TTRS covers imports, re-exports, transshipment of textiles, export of Hong Kong origin textiles to non-restrained markets and exports of certain textiles samples to the USA.

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