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24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

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

Ref. : TID CL 5-40/3

10 May 2006

Dear Sirs,

Notice to Exporters

Series 1 (USA) No. 4/2006

Series 2 (EU) No. 7/2006

Series 3 (Countries other than USA & EU) No. 4/2006

Certificate of Origin Circular No. 6/2006

Import Licensing (Textiles) Circular No. 4/2006

Textiles Trader Registration Circular No. 4/2006

Implementation of Five-day Week in Trade and Industry Department

 

Introduction

 

In January 2006, the Chief Executive announced the plan to introduce five-day week in the civil service with effect from 1 July 2006. In general, all Government offices and services should operate on a five-day pattern, i.e. Monday to Friday, with the exception of essential services that must be provided on Saturday or emergency services which operate round-the-clock.

2. In response to the Chief Executive's announcement, the Department has examined the possibility of introducing five-day week for the services provided to the trade. After careful consideration and consultation with representatives of the trade, the Department has decided to implement five-day week with effect from 1 July 2006. Starting from 1 July 2006, all public counters in the Department will be closed on Saturdays. The service hours currently available on Saturdays will be fully compensated by longer opening hours during the weekdays.

 

New Opening Hours

 

3. Taking into account the comments from the trade, we have decided that, starting from 1 July 2006, the service hours of the public counters providing textiles licensing and certification services will be extended by 30 minutes from Tuesdays to Thursdays, while the service hours on Mondays and Fridays will be extended by one hour to cater for the increased demand immediately before and after the weekend. The new service hours of the public counters are as follows:
   
   

   Office	Location	New Opening Hours
   Customer Service Centre of the Origin Certification and Textiles Licensing Branch	2/F	Monday and Friday 8:30 am-12:30 pm & 1:30 pm-5:45 pm Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 8:45 am-12:30 pm & 1:30 pm-5:30 pm
   Customer Service Centre of the Factory Registration and CO(CEPA) Branch	3/F
   Textiles Import and Export Licensing Unit	2/F
   Central Registration Office	1/F

 

Impact on Traders

 

4. Despite the closure of public counters on Saturdays, traders are assured that the delivery of most certification and textiles-related services would not be adversely affected as they can be delivered through alternative means as follows: 

1. electronic services are available for most of the services round-the-clock, e.g. obtaining Comprehensive Licence (Textiles), lodgement of production notifications, application for certificates of origin (COs), and lodgement of textile notifications under the Textiles Trader Registration Scheme (TTRS);
    
2. for CO applications, traders may obtain services provided by the Government Approved Certification Organisations (GACOs)¹ which will continue to operate on Saturdays; and 
    
3. for textile licensing services, traders may lodge textile notifications under TTRS for textile shipments involving sensitive markets or take out a Comprehensive Licence for shipments involving non-sensitive markets, which are available electronically round-the-clock, as an alternative to applying for consignment-specific export and import licences (i.e. Form 4 and Form 7 licences).

 

Performance

Pledge

 

5. Traders should note that with effect from 1 July 2006, Saturday will no longer be counted as a working day for performance pledge purpose. Traders are advised to take this into account in making business plans, including scheduling shipments, and submit applications to the Department well in advance where possible. In genuinely urgent and well-justified cases, the Department would expedite the processing of applications as far as practicable. 

 

Enquiries

 

6. If you have any enquiries on the textiles licensing and certification services arising from the implementation of five-day week, please contact the following offices:

Yours faithfully,

　

(Leonard LAM)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry

¹ The GACOs include the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce; Federation of Hong Kong Industries; the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong.