RECOMMENDATION OF THE CUSTOMS CO-OPERATION COUNCIL
CONCERNING THE FREE ADMISSION OF GIFT CONSIGNMENTS
(11th JUNE 1968, T2-4106)
THE CUSTOMS CO-OPERATION COUNCIL,
CONSIDERING that the continuing expansion of international tourism, of international cultural relations and exchanges, and of international movements of workers has given rise to personal ties between private individuals living in different countries, in particular when there are family relationships involved, and thus caused a steady increase in exchange of gifts;
CONSIDERING that it is in the interests of States to encourage such personal relations which help to strengthen understanding and friendship between peoples;
CONSIDERING that the harmonization and relaxation of the Customs provisions concerning the importation of gifts would serve this end and enable the Customs to expedite the clearance of such consignments;
RECOMMENDS that Members of the Council and members of the United Nations Organization or its specialized agencies, and Customs or Economic Unions, should :
1. grant admission free of import duties and taxes and free of economic import prohibitions or restrictions in respect of consignments containing only gifts the aggregate value of which, determined on the basis of the retail prices in the country of dispatch, does not exceed 30 SDRs. Where several consignments are dispatched at the same time by the same sender to the same addressee, the aggregate value shall be taken to be the total value of all those consignments.
Free admission may be made subject to the condition that at importation it shall be established to the
satisfaction of the Customs authorities that the consignment :
(a) is sent to a private person by or on behalf of another private person resident abroad;
(b) is occasional; and
(c) consists only of goods for personal use by the addressee or his family, and that the nature and quantity of the goods imported are such that the consignment is not of a commercial nature;
2. ensure that the formalities for obtaining free admission are as simple as possible;
POINTS OUT that :
1. these facilities shall be available irrespective of the means of transport used to bring the consignment to the country of importation;
2. to facilitate the speedy clearance of gift consignments at importation, the sender should indicate on the package or in the accompanying documents that the consignment is a gift, and state its value and its contents;
3. the facilities provided for in this Recommendation shall not preclude the application of prohibitions or restrictions imposed under national laws and regulations on grounds of public morality or order, public security, public hygiene or health or based on veterinary or phytopathological considerations.
4. the provisions of this Recommendation shall not preclude the application of prohibitions or restrictions imposed under national laws and regulations on grounds of public morality or order, public security, public hygiene or health or based on veterinary or phytopathological considerations.
STRESSES that this Recommendation does not relate to gifts carried in travellers' baggage and does not prevent the application of greater facilities which certain Members grant or may grant in future by unilateral provisions or by virtue of bilateral or multilateral agreements.
REQUESTS Members of the Council and members of the United Nations Organization or its specialized agencies, and Customs or Economic Unions which accept this Recommendation to notify the Secretary General of the Council of the date from which they will apply the Recommendation and of the conditions of its application. The Secretary General will transmit this information to the Customs administrations of all Members of the Council. He will also transmit it to the Customs administrations of the Members of the United Nations Organization or its specialized agencies and to Customs or Economic Unions which have accepted this Recommendation.
1 The original value of 15 US dollars was raised successively to 25 dollars by a Council decision of 14 June 1978
(Doc. 24.361 - Minutes of the Council's 51st/52nd Sessions) and to 30 SDRs by Council Decision No. 241 of 15 June 1983
(61st/62nd Sessions).
* The Customs Co-operation Council is the official name of the World Customs Organization.