Export. What, Where, Who and How?

What is an Export? An export is any item that is sent from the United States to a foreign country is considered an export. "Items" include commodities, software or technology, such as clothing, building material, circuit boards, automotive parts, blue prints, design plans and technical information. How do you determine if an export license is required? There are four questions that you must ask. What are you exporting? Where is the ultimate destination? Who will be the end user? How will the item be used? One of the ways we determine if an export license it needed is knowing whether the item you are intending to export has a specific Export Control Classification Number (ECCN). The ECCN number is what describes the particular type of item that you intend to export. The ECCN number is alpha numeric, and shows the controls placed on that specific item. All of the ECCN's can be located in the Commerce Control List (CCL). You can obtain the information on the Government Printing Office Web site. Look for more export information in my next blog!