RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/LIC/N/3/TTO/1
16February 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-0621)
Original: English Committee onImport Licensing
REPLIES TOQUESTIONNAIRE ONIMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES
NOTIFICATION UNDER ARTICLE 7.3OFTHE
AGREEMENT ONIMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Thefollowingnotification,dated17January1996,hasbeenreceivedfromthePermanentMission
oftheRepublic ofTrinidad andTobago.
_______________
Outline ofSystem
1. Twosystems inoperation:
- Import Licensing System
- Applications areconsidered andlicences issued forgoods appearing ontheImport
Negative Listmaking itpossible forsuchgoods toenter intoTrinidad andTobago.
- Minister 'sLicence orDuty Relief System
- Manufacturers aregranted concessions bytheGovernment under (a)theFiscal Incentive
Act,and(b)Section 56oftheCustoms Act. These manufacturers areissued Duty
Relief Licences onrawmaterial inputs, andintermediate goods foruseinapproved
industry.
Purposes andCoverage ofLicensing
2. Import Licensing System
Grouping Products
Livestock Livepoultry (rearing orbreeding, livepoultry other
thanrearing orbreeding)
Meats Chicken parts
Turkey parts
Duck partsG/LIC/N/3/TTO/1
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Fish, crustaceans, molluscs Fresh, chilled, frozen
Fish
Shrimp
Lobster
Crabmeat
Sugar Cane sugar
Oilsandfats Coconuts inallforms including coconut seedlings,
copra, desiccated coconut, coconut milk, coconut
cream, butexcluding coconut oil
Oilseed cake, meal, vegetable oilresidues
Copra
Oilseeds, beans, nuts
Animal oils,fats,greases, unrefined vegetable fats
Motor vehicles (i)Left-hand drive, except those allowed under
Section 45(2) oftheCustoms ActChapter 78:01
(ii)Used right-hand drive vehicles
Paper andpaper products Paper forwrapping tobacco orcigarettes
Misc. manufactured products Ships andboats (under 250tonnes)
3. TheImport Licensing System applies togoods originating inandcoming fromallextra-regional
(outside Caricom) countries. Thesystem alsoapplies tothegrouping "Oils andFats" ofCaricom origin.
4. Thelicensing regime isintended tomonitor thequantity ofimports ofthose goods which are
manufactured locally.
Alternative methods havebeenintroduced insome cases; in1992several manufactured items
weredeleted fromtheImport Negative Listandhigher tariffs (surcharges) introduced. These surcharges
were gradually phased outoverathree-year period.
5. Licensing ismaintained under:
Import
- (Section 10)Trade ordinance No.19of1958
- Imports andExports Control Regulations 1941
Minister 'sLicence orDuty Relief System
- Legal Notice No.235dated 30December 1994 under Section 56oftheCustoms Act
Chapter 78:01
- (Section 10)Fiscal Incentive ActChapter 85:01
- Thelicensing isstatutorily required
- Thelegislation leaves designation ofproducts tobesubjected tolicensing to
administrative discretion
- Itisnotpossible fortheGovernment (ortheExecutive Branch) toabolish thesystem
without legislative approvalG/LIC/N/3/TTO/1
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Procedures
6. Products under restriction astoquantity orvalue ofimports etc.:
I. Information isnotpublished. Anyinformation onquota allocation isgiven totheindividual
importer. Information onformalities offiling applications forlicences (andonquotas) isdisseminated
byTrade Officers andInformation Clerks oftheMinistry ofTrade andIndustry.
II. Sizeofquota isdetermined onayearly basis.
Atpresent, quotas onlyapply tothecategory under livestock andquantities determined by
theMinistry ofAgriculture, Land andMarine Resources.
Because ofthenature oftheitemlicences aregranted onamonthly basis.
III. Usually licences arenotallotted todomestic producers oflikegoods. Quotas areissued for
aspecific period, andlicences issued accordingly. Unused allocations areadded toquotas fora
succeeding period. Anyrequest forinformation ofthenames ofimporters arereferred totheTrinidad
andTobago Chamber ofIndustry andCommerce.
V. Minimum length oftimeforprocessing application -oneday.
Maximum length oftimetwotothreeweeks depending ontheneedforreferral forviews and
recommendations ofother agencies.
VI. Importers canimport immediately upon being granted alicence.
VII. Consideration oflicence applications arenotalways effected byasingle administrative organ.
Depending ontheitem other Government Agencies may have tobeapproached for
views/recommendations. Theapproach tothedifferent Agencies isusually donebytheAdministrative
Organ receiving theapplications.
VIII. Ifthedemand forlicences cannot befullysatisfied, allocations toapplicants aremade onthe
basis ofpastperformance.
Aratiosystem isusedtodetermine amounts.
Asmall percentage oftheallocation isreserved fornewapplicants.
Once guidelines areinplace, applications areexamined onreceipt.
IX. Notinallcases.
X. Notapplicable.
XI. No-licences arenotgranted oncondition thatthegoods beexported andnotsoldinthedomestic
market.
7. Where thereisnoquantitative limitonimportation ofaproduct oronimports fromaparticular
country:
Inaccordance withtheImports andExports Regulations 1941, animport licence must first
beobtained before anyorder isplaced withthesupplier forthepurchase ofthegoods.G/LIC/N/3/TTO/1
Page4
(a) However goods arriving without alicence aregiven consideration andoncetheapplication
isapproved, alicence canbeobtained within theshortest possible time.
(b) Yes-where anapplicant satisfies thecriteria, alicence canbegranted immediately onrequest,
thatiswithin afewhours.
(c) There arenolimitations astoperiod oftheyearduring which applications forlicences may
bemade.
(d) Inmostinstances, consideration oflicence applications isaffected byasingle administrative
organ. Insome cases, however, theviews ofother organs must beobtained.
8. Licences canberefused ifthepolicy atthetimedoesnotallow orifthequota hasbeen
exhausted.
Reason(s) forrefusal aregiven toapplicant.
Incases where alicence isrefused, theapplicant canappeal against thedecision inwriting,
totheChief Trade Officer orthePermanent Secretary.
Eligibility ofImporters toApply forLicence
9. (a) No.
(b) No.
Theeligibility ofanindividual firmorinstitution toapply foranimport licence isdependent
upon theimported itemunder consideration. Relevant information ontheimporters canbeobtained
from theTrinidad andTobago Chamber ofIndustry andCommerce.
Documentational andOther Requirements forApplication forLicence
10. Information required onapplications asperattached sample form.
Documents importer isrequired tosupply withapplication:
- Board ofInland Revenue Certificate;
- Identification Card.
11. Upon actual importation documents required are:
- Invoice;
- BillofLading orAirway Bill;
- Certificate ofOrigin;
- Customs Entry;
- Import Licence, ifrequired;
- BillofSight, ifInvoice isnotavailable.
12. TT$1 worth instamps isrequired forlodging anapplication foranImport Licence.
TT$10 worth isinstamps isrequired forcollecting anImport Licence.
Nocharge isapplicable toaDuty Relief Licence.G/LIC/N/3/TTO/1
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13. Theonlyadvance payment requirement associated withtheissue ofImport Licence isthe$1
worth ofstamps forlodging (thatisacceptance oftheapplication bythestaffintheLicensing Division
oftheMinistry). Thisamount isnotrefundable.
Thisrequirement wasanattempt atrecovering some ofthecostincurred inissuing Import
Licences which arecomputerized.
Conditions ofLicensing
14. AnImport Licence isnormally valid uptotheendofthepresent calendar year.
Thevalidity canbeextended onrequest bysubmitting inwriting reasons andsupporting
documents where available, astowhytheextension isnecessary.
15. There isnopenalty fornon-utilization ofLicence, oraportion oftheLicence.
16. Licences arenottransferable between importers.
17. Conditions affixed tolicence ofquantitative restrictions:
- ForMotor Vehicles which istheonlygrouping applicable atthistimeareattached
atAnnex A.
- Forproducts notsubject toquantitative restrictions conditions attached atAnnex B.
Other Procedural Requirements
18. Notapplicable.
19. Foreign exchange isautomatically provided bythebanking authority onpresentation ofimport
documents.
Alicence isnotrequired asacondition ofobtaining foreign exchange.