Convention on Temporary Admission ^[*]

"temporary admission" means:

the Customs procedure under which certain goods (including means of transport) can be brought into a Customs territory conditionally relieved from payment of import duties and taxes and without application of import prohibitions or restrictions of economic character; such goods (including means of transport) must be imported for a specific purpose and must be intended for re-exportation within a specified period and without having undergone any change except normal depreciation due to the use made of them;

"import duties and taxes" means:

Customs duties and all other duties, taxes, fees or other charges which are collected on or in connection with the importation of goods (including means of transport), but not including fees and charges which are limited in amount to the approximate cost of services rendered;

"security" means:

that which ensures to the satisfaction of the Customs that an obligation to the Customs will be fulfilled. Security is described as "general" when it ensures that the obligations arising from several operations will be fulfilled;

"temporary admission papers" means:

the international Customs document accepted as a Customs declaration which makes it possible to identify goods (including means of transport) and which incorporates an internationally valid guarantee to cover import duties and taxes;

"Customs or Economic Union" means:

a Union constituted by, and composed of Members, as referred to in Article 24, paragraph 1, of this Convention, which has competence to adopt its own legislation that is binding on its Members, in respect of matters governed by this Convention, and has competence to decide, in accordance with its internal procedures, to sign, ratify or accede to this Convention;

"person" means:

both natural and legal persons, unless the context otherwise requires;

"the Council" means:

the Organization set up by the Convention establishing a Customs Co-operation Council, Brussels, 15 December 1950;

"ratification" means:

ratification, acceptance or approval.

Each Contracting Party undertakes to grant temporary admission, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, to the goods (including means of transport) specified in the Annexes to this Convention.

Without prejudice to the provisions of Annex E, temporary admission shall be granted with total conditional relief from import duties and taxes and without application of import restrictions or prohibitions of economic character.

definitions of the main Customs terms used in the Annex;

special provisions applicable to the goods (including means of transport) which form the subject of the Annex.

Unless otherwise provided for in an Annex, each Contracting Party shall have the right to make the temporary admission of goods (including means of transport) subject to the production of a Customs document and provision of security.

Where (under paragraph 1 above) security is required, persons who regularly use the temporary admission procedure may be authorized to provide general security.

Unless otherwise provided for in an Annex, the amount of security shall not exceed the amount of the import duties and taxes from which the goods (including means of transport) are conditionally relieved.

For goods (including means of transport) subject to import prohibitions or restrictions under national legislation, an additional security may be required under the provisions laid down in national legislation.

Goods (including means of transport) granted temporary admission shall be re-exported within a given period considered sufficient to achieve the object of temporary admission. Such a period is laid down separately in each Annex.

The Customs authorities may either grant a longer period than that provided for in each Annex, or extend the initial period.

When the goods (including means of transport) granted temporary admission cannot be reexported as a result of a seizure other than a seizure made at the suit of private persons, the requirement of re-exportation shall be suspended for the duration of the seizure.

satisfies the conditions laid down in this Convention; and

accepts the obligations of the first beneficiary of the temporary admission procedure.

Temporary admission may be terminated where goods (including means of transport) have been seriously damaged by accident or force majeure and are, as the Customs authorities may decide:

Temporary admission may also be terminated where, at the request of the person concerned, the goods (including means of transport) are disposed of in one of the ways provided for in paragraph 1 (b) or (c) above, as the Customs authorities may decide.

Temporary admission may also be terminated at the request of the person concerned where that person satisfies the Customs authorities of the destruction or total loss of the goods (including means of transport) by accident or force majeure. In that case, the person benefiting from temporary admission shall be free of payment of import duties and taxes.

When temporary admission is subject to prior authorization, this shall be granted by the competent Customs office as soon as possible.

When, in exceptional cases, non-Customs authorization is required, this shall be granted as soon as possible.

For the purpose of this Convention, the territories of Contracting Parties which form a Customs or Economic Union may be taken to be a single territory.

Nothing in this Convention shall prevent Contracting Parties which form a Customs or Economic Union from enacting special provisions applicable to temporary admission operations in the territory of that Union, provided those provisions do not reduce the facilities provided for by this Convention.

Any breach of the provisions of this Convention shall render the offender liable in the territory of the Contracting Party where the offence was committed to the penalties prescribed by the legislation of that Contracting Party.

When it is not possible to establish in which territory an irregularity occurred, it shall be deemed to have been committed in the territory of the Contracting Party where it is detected.

There shall be established an Administrative Committee to consider the implementation of this Convention, any measures to secure uniformity in the interpretation and application thereof, and any amendments proposed thereto. The Administrative Committee shall decide upon the incorporation of new Annexes to this Convention.

The Contracting Parties shall be members of the Administrative Committee. The Committee may decide that the competent administration of any Member, State or Customs territory referred to in Article 24 of this Convention which are not Contracting Parties, or representatives of international organizations may, for questions which interest them, attend the sessions of the Committee as observers.

The Council shall provide the Committee with Secretariat services.

The Committee shall, on the occasion of every session, elect a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman.

The competent administrations of the Contracting Parties shall communicate to the Council proposals for amendments to this Convention and the reasons therefore, together with any requests for the inclusion of items on the Agenda of the sessions of the Committee. The Council shall bring them to the attention of the competent administrations of the Contracting Parties and of the Members, States or Customs territories referred to in Article 24 of this Convention which are not Contracting Parties.

The Council shall convene the Committee at a time fixed by the Committee and also at the request of the competent administrations of at least two Contracting Parties. It shall circulate the draft Agenda to the competent administrations of the Contracting Parties and of the Members, States or Customs territories referred to in Article 24 of this Convention which are not Contracting Parties, at least six weeks before the Committee meets.

On the decision of the Committee, taken by virtue of the provisions of paragraph 2 of this Article, the Council shall invite the competent administrations of the Members, States or Customs territories referred to in Article 24 of this Convention which are not Contracting Parties and the international organizations concerned to be represented by observers at the sessions of the Committee.

Proposals shall be put to the vote. Each Contracting Party represented at the meeting shall have one vote. Proposals other than proposals for amendments to this Convention shall be adopted by the Committee by a majority of Members present and voting. Proposals for amendments to this Convention shall be adopted by a two-thirds majority of Members present and voting.

Where Article 24, paragraph 7 of this Convention applies, the Customs or Economic Unions Parties to this Convention shall have, in case of voting, only a number of votes equal to the total votes allotted to their Members which are Contracting Parties to this Convention.

Before the closure of its session, the Committee shall adopt a report.

In the absence of relevant provisions in this Article, the Rules of Procedure of the Council shall be applicable unless the Committee decides otherwise.

Any dispute between two or more Contracting Parties concerning the interpretation or application of this Convention shall so far as possible be settled by negotiation between them.

Any dispute which is not settled by negotiation shall be referred by the Contracting Parties in dispute to the Administrative Committee which shall thereupon consider the dispute and make recommendations for its settlement.

The Contracting Parties in dispute may agree in advance to accept the recommendations of the Administrative Committee as binding.

Any Member of the Council and any Member of the United Nations or its specialized agencies may become a Contracting Party to this Convention:

This Convention shall be open for signature by the Members referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, either at the Council Sessions at which it is adopted, or, thereafter at the Headquarters of the Council in Brussels until 30 June 1991. After that date, it shall be open for accession by such Members.

Any State, or Government of any separate Customs territory which is proposed by a Contracting Party having responsibility for the formal conduct of its diplomatic relations but which is autonomous in the conduct of its commercial relations, not being a Member of the Organizations referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, to which an invitation to that effect has been addressed by the depositary at the request of the Administrative Committee, may become a Contracting Party to this Convention by acceding thereto after its entry into force.

Any Member, State or Customs territory referred to in paragraph 1 or 3 of this Article shall at the time of signing without reservation of ratification, ratifying or acceding to this Convention specify the Annexes it accepts, it being necessary to accept Annex A and at least one other Annex. It may subsequently notify the depositary that it accepts one or more further Annexes.

Contracting Parties accepting any new Annex which the Administrative Committee decides to incorporate in this Convention shall notify the depositary in accordance with paragraph 4 of this Article.

Contracting Parties shall communicate to the depositary the conditions of application of or the information required under Article 8 and Article 24, paragraph 7 of this Convention; Annex A, Article 2, paragraphs 2 and 3; Annex E, Article 4. They shall also communicate any changes in the application of those provisions.

Any Customs or Economic Union may become, in accordance with paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 of this Article, a Contracting Party to this Convention. Such Customs or Economic Union shall inform the depositary of its competence with respect to the matters governed by this Convention. The Customs or Economic Union which is a Contracting Party to this Convention shall, for the matters within its competence, exercise in its own name the rights, and fulfil the responsibilities, which this Convention confers on its Members which are Contracting Parties to this Convention. In such case, these Members shall not be entitled to individually exercise these rights, including the right to vote.

This Convention, all signatures with or without reservation of ratification and all instruments of ratification or accession shall be deposited with the Secretary General of the Council.

The depositary shall:

In the event of any difference appearing between a Contracting Party and the depositary as to the performance of the latter's functions, the depositary or that Contracting Party shall bring the question to the attention of the other Contracting Parties and the signatories or, where appropriate, to the Council.

This Convention shall enter into force three months after five of the Members or Customs or Economic Unions referred to in Article 24, paragraphs 1 and 7, of this Convention have signed this Convention without reservation of ratification or have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession.

For any Contracting Party signing without reservation of ratification, ratifying or acceding to this Convention after five Members or Customs or Economic Unions have signed it without reservation of ratification or have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession, this Convention shall enter into force three months after the said Contracting Party has signed without reservation of ratification or deposited its instrument of ratification or accession.

Any Annex to this Convention shall enter into force three months after five Members or Customs or Economic Unions have accepted that Annex.

For any Contracting Party which accepts an Annex after five Members or Customs or Economic Unions have accepted it, that Annex shall enter into force three months after the said Contracting Party has notified its acceptance. No Annex shall, however, enter into force for a Contracting Party before this Convention has entered into force for that Contracting Party.

For the purposes of this Convention, any Annexes to which a Contracting Party is bound shall be construed to be an integral part of this Convention, and in relation to that Contracting Party any reference to this Convention shall be deemed to include a reference to such Annexes.

For the purposes of voting in the Administrative Committee, each Annex shall be taken to be a separate Convention.

Any Contracting Party which accepts an Annex shall be deemed to accept all the provisions therein, unless at the time of accepting the Annex or any time thereafter it notifies the depositary of the provisions in respect of which it enters reservations, insofar as this possibility is provided for in the Annex concerned, stating the differences existing between the provisions of its national legislation and the provisions concerned.

Each Contracting Party shall at least once every five years review the provisions in respect of which it has entered reservations, compare them with the provisions of its national legislation and notify the depositary of the results of that review.

Any Contracting Party which has entered reservations may withdraw them, in whole or in part, at any time, by notification to the depositary specifying the date on which such withdrawal takes effect.

Any Contracting Party may, at the time of signing this Convention without reservation of ratification or of depositing its instrument of ratification or accession, or at any time thereafter, declare by notification given to the depositary that this Convention shall extend to all or any of the territories for whose international relations it is responsible. Such notification shall take effect three months after the date of the receipt thereof by the depositary. However, this Convention shall not apply to the territories named in the notification before this Convention has entered into force for the Contracting Party concerned.

Any Contracting Party which has made a notification under paragraph 1 of this Article extending this Convention to any territory for whose international relations it is responsible may notify the depositary, under the procedure of Article 31 of this Convention, that the territory in question will no longer apply this Convention.

This Convention is of unlimited duration but any Contracting Party may denounce it at any time after the date of its entry into force under Article 26 of this Convention.

The denunciation shall be notified by an instrument in writing, deposited with the depositary.

The denunciation shall take effect six months after the receipt of the instrument of denunciation by the depositary.

The provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article shall also apply in respect of the Annexes to this Convention, any Contracting Party being entitled, at any time after the date of their entry into force under Article 26 of this Convention, to withdraw its acceptance of one or more Annexes. Any Contracting Party which withdraws its acceptance of all the Annexes shall be deemed to have denounced this Convention. Furthermore, a Contracting Party which withdraws its acceptance of Annex A, even though it continues to accept other Annexes, shall be deemed to have denounced this Convention.

The Administrative Committee, meeting in accordance with Article 22 of this Convention, may recommend amendments to this Convention and its Annexes.

The text of any amendment so recommended shall be communicated by the depositary to all Contracting Parties to this Convention, to the other signatories and to those Members of the Council that are not Contracting Parties to this Convention.

Any recommended amendment communicated in accordance with the preceding paragraph shall enter into force in respect of all Contracting Parties six months after the expiry of a period of twelve months following the date of communication of the recommended amendment if no objection to the recommended amendment has been notified during that period to the depositary by a Contracting Party.

If an objection to the recommended amendment has been notified to the depositary by a Contracting Party before the expiry of the period of twelve months specified in paragraph 3 of this Article, the amendment shall be deemed not to have been accepted and shall have no effect whatsoever.

For the purposes of notifying an objection, each Annex shall be taken to be a separate Convention.

Any Contracting Party which ratifies this Convention or accedes thereto shall be deemed to have accepted any amendments thereto which have entered into force at the date of deposit of its instrument of ratification or accession.

Any Contracting Party which accepts an Annex shall be deemed, unless it enters reservations under Article 29 of this Convention, to have accepted any amendments to that Annex which have entered into force at the date on which it notifies its acceptance to the depositary.