ELVIS COMES TO THE PHILIPPINES

ELVIS COMES TO THE PHILIPPINES    The U.S. government announced that it would allow the elimination of paper visas for imported textiles and apparel from the Philippines.
   In a 1979 textile agreement, the Philippine government was required to provide paper visas to the U.S. government with each inbound textile and apparel shipment. The information from the visas helped the U.S. government regulate the level of textiles against quotas.
To eliminate this document, the U.S. government developed the Electronic Visa Information System (ELVIS) to allow certain foreign governments to electronically transfer visas for textile shipments to Customs.
   In August 2001, the U.S. Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) authorized a test of ELVIS in the Philippines.
   In May, the U.S. and Philippine governments signed an ELVIS arrangement. “Under this arrangement, a paper visa is no longer required, as an electronic transmission certifies the country of origin and authorizes the shipments to be charged against any applicable quota,” CITA said.
   Acting CITA Chairman William J. Dulka said in a letter to Customs that visas for textiles shipments produced in the Philippines and exported to the United States after Sept. 15 may be filed through ELVIS.