New Zealand — Hong Kong, China Closer Economic Partnership (NZHKCEP)

by Press Release on 2010-12-17

This new free-trade agreement (FTA) enters into force on 1 January 2011. A brief summary of requirements is given below; for detailed information on the agreement click here.

For exporters
Hong Kong, China already provides tariff-free access for New Zealand goods so processes for exporting goods will not change under the FTA.

For importers
The agreement has the same tariff reduction schedule as the
New Zealand – China FTA. This means preference in areas such as apparel and footwear is generally available from 1 January 2011. To claim preference, for all goods except those classified in chapters 61 and 62 of the Customs Tariff, importers should hold satisfactory evidence to substantiate a claim for preference.

Importers claiming preference on clothing and clothing accessories classified in chapters 61 and 62 of the Customs Tariff must hold a valid certificate of origin issued by the Trade and Industry Department of Hong Kong, China or by a Government Approved Certification Organisation in Hong Kong, China. It is a requirement under the CEP that the producer or exporter in Hong Kong, China applies for a certificate of origin for any good classified in chapter 61 and 62 where it is intended that preferential tariff treatment will be claimed.

Certificates of origin will not need to be presented to the New Zealand Customs Service at time of importation. Instead the following details should be entered in the Other Information section of the import entry; the code COO should be shown in the code field and the eleven-character certificate number entered in the data field. Please note that certificates of origin should be retained by the importer for a period of seven years as with other business records.

The fact sheet for this agreement will be published soon on the Customs website