7
Article 12.
The documents known as "Consular invoices" will not be required, unless their production is necessary either to establish the origin of the goods imported in cases where the origin may affect the conditions under which the goods are admitted, or to ascertain the value of the latter in the case of an ad valorem tariff, for the application of which the commercial invoice would not suffice.
The form of Consular invoices shall be simplified so as to obviate any intricacies or diffi- culties and to facilitate the drawing up of these documents by the branch of trade concerned.
The cost of a visa for Consular invoices shall be a fixed charge, which should be as low as possible; the number of copies of any single invoice required shall not exceed three.
Article 13.
Where the régime applicable to any class of imported goods depends on the fulfilment of particular technical conditions as to their constitution, purity, quality, sanitary condition, district of production, or other similar matters, the Contracting States will endeavour to conclude agree- ments under which certificates, stamps or marks given or affixed in the exporting country to guarantee the satisfaction of the said conditions will be accepted without the goods being sub- jected to a second analysis or other test in the country of importation, subject to special gua- rantees to be taken where there is a presumption that the required conditions are not fulfilled. The importing State should be afforded every guarantee as to the authorities appointed to issue the certificates and the nature and standard of the tests applied in the exporting country. The Customs administrations of the importing State should also retain the right to make a second analysis whenever there are special reasons for doing so.
To facilitate the general adoption of such agreements, it would be useful that they should indicate:
(a) The methods to be uniformly adopted by all laboratories appointed to make analyses or other tests, these methods being open to revision from time to time at the request of one or more of the States parties to such agreements;
(b) The nature and standard of the tests to be carried out in each of the States parties to such agreements, due care being taken that the standard of purity required for the various products is fixed in such a way as not to be tantamount to virtual prohibition.
Article 14.
The Contracting States shall consider the most appropriate methods of simplifying and making more uniform and reasonable, whether by means of individual or concerted action, the formalities relating to the rapid passage of goods through the Customs, the examination of travellers' luggage, the system of goods in bond and warehousing charges, and the other matters dealt
with in the Annex to this Article.
In giving effect to this Article, the Contracting States will extend favourable consideration to the recommendations contained in that Annex.
Annex to Article 14.
A RAPID Passage of GOODS THROUGH THE CUSTOMS,
Organisation and working of the service.
I. In order to avoid congestion at certain frontier Customs Offices, it is desirable that the practice of clearing goods at inland offices or warehouses should be encouraged whenever domestic regulations, transport conditions and the nature of the goods permit of this being done.
2. It is desirable that, unless abuse is suspected, and subject to the rights of States under their own legislation, the lead or other Customs seals affixed by a State to goods which are in transit or on their way to warehouses should be recognised and respected by other States, apart from the right of the latter to affix new Customs marks in addition to the lead or other seals.
Passage of goods through the Customs.
3. It is desirable that the States should, as far as is possible, but without prejudice to their right to levy special charges:
(a) facilitate the clearing of perishable goods outside ordinary office hours and on days
other than working days;
(b) authorise, as far as their legislation permits, the lading and unlading of vessels and
boats outside the ordinary Customs-House working days and office hours.
!
:
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.