Term | Definition | For More Information |
ACE | Automated Commercial Environment. | https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/aes/aesdirect/AESDirect-User-Guide.pdf |
AES | Automated Export System | https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/aes/gettingstarted/overview.html#WhatisAES |
Agricultural Commodities | Agricultural commodities, as determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are derived from farming or the cultivating of the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock. | |
Air Exports | The value of goods that leave the country by aircraft. Excludes low value shipments, mail and parcel shipments, and aircraft flown out of the United States. |
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BOL | Bill of Lading A bill of lading is a document issued by a carrier to acknowledge receipt of cargo for shipment. In British English, the term relates to ship transport only, and in American English, to any type of transportation of goods. |
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BOM | Bill of Materials A bill of materials or product structure is a list of the raw materials, sub-assemblies, intermediate assemblies, sub-components, parts, and the quantities of each needed to manufacture a product. |
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Brexit | Brexit is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. | |
CBP | U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) | |
COO/Certificate of origin | A certificate of origin is a document declaring in which country a commodity or good was manufactured. |
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Commercial invoice | a Commercial Invoice is a document between the seller and the buyer that describes the sold goods, and the amount that the customer must pay. This is one of the main documents used by Customs authorities when they determine duties and taxes. |
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Customs brokers | A customs broker is defined as a private individual, partnership, association or corporation licensed, regulated and empowered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to assist importers and exporters in meeting U.S. government requirements governing imports and exports. |
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Dangerous goods | Articles or substances which are capable of posing a significant risk to health, safety, or property when transported by air and which are classified according to the most current edition of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) | |
Dangerous Goods Declaration | Shippers of dangerous goods are required to declare them to carriers per the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and any applicable additional local regulations. | |
Deemed Export | The deemed export rule is the release of controlled technology and information to a non-U.S. person regardless of where the export takes place. ... Once the technology is released to the foreign national, the U.S. government considers it “deemed” to be an export to the individual's home country |
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DPS | Denied Parties Screening/Restricted Parties Denied trade screening is the process of screening parties involved in an export transaction for complying with the safety standards of the U.S. Government. Effective trade screening not only includes denied parties but also controlled products and embargoed or sanctioned countries. | https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/policy-guidance/lists-of-parties-of-concern/denied-persons-list |
EAR | Export Administration Regulations | |
EAR99 | EAR99 is a classification for an item. It indicates that an item is subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), but not specifically described by an Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) on the Commerce Control List (CCL). Items that fall under the jurisdiction of the EAR but are not found on the Commerce Control List (CCL) | |
ECCN | Export Control Classification Number | |
EEI | Electronic Export Information is required documentation when the value of the commodity classified under each individual Schedule B number is over $2,500 or if a validated export license is required to export the commodity. | |
Export | A shipment of products or goods leaving the United States for another country. |
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Export Declaration | An export declaration is a form that is submitted by an exporter at the port of export. It provides information about the goods being shipped, including type, number, and value. This information is used by customs to control exports, in addition to compiling statistical information about a country’s foreign trade. | |
Export License | A government document granting the licensee the right to export a specific quantity of a commodity to a specified country. This license may be required in a few countries for most of all exports and in other countries only under special circumstances. | |
FCA | Free Carrier (named place of origin) The seller delivers the goods, cleared for export, at a named place (possibly including the seller's own premises). The goods can be delivered to a carrier nominated by the buyer, or to another party nominated by the buyer. |
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Freight Forwarder | Freight forwarders are defined as experts connected within the supply chain who concentrate on the logistics and physical transportation of cargo. They are in touch with any entity in the exporting process who handles or is aware of a shipment moving via truck, boat, plane or a combination thereof. Freight forwarders are in charge of assembling and completing a variety of documentation and compliance filings. |
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FTA | Free Trade Agreement Treaty (such as FTAA or NAFTA/USMCA) between two or more countries to establish a free trade area where commerce in goods and services can be conducted across their common borders, without tariffs or hindrances but (in contrast to a common market) capital or labour may not move freely. Member countries usually impose a uniform tariff (called common external tariff) on trade with non-member countries |
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GATS | The General Agreement on Trade Services is a World Trade Organization agreement that is the first multilateral agreement provide legally enforceable rules covering all international trade services and investment in the service sector. | |
GATT | The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade is a multilateral trade agreement aimed at expanding international trade and the organization that oversees the agreement. The purpose of GATT organization, based in Geneva, is to provide a forum for discussion of world trade issues that allows for the disciplined resolution of trade disputes, based on the founding principles of the GATT which include nondiscrimination, transparency, an the most-favoured-nation (MFV) treatment. | https://www.globalnegotiator.com/international-trade/dictionary/gatt/ |
HTS | An HS code, HTS number, or HTS code stands for Harmonized System or Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The codes are used to classify and define internationally and for imported shipments. | |
ICPA | International Compliance Professionals Association | |
Import | A shipment of products or goods entering the United States from another country. |
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Incoterms | International Commercial Terms Specifies who is responsible for paying for and managing the shipment, insurance, documentation, customs clearance, and other logistical activities. |
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ITAR | International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) is a United States regulatory regime to restrict and control the export of defense and military-related technologies to safeguard U.S. national security and further U.S. foreign policy objectives. | https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/ddtc_public?id=ddtc_public_portal_itar_landing |
ITN | Internal Transaction Number The Internal Transaction Number (ITN) is the AES generated number assigned to a shipment confirming that the EEI was accepted and is on file in the AES. | https://www.census.gov/newsroom/blogs/global-reach/2019/05/filing_in_aesdirect.html |
Lot Number/Batch Number/Lot Code. | A lot number is a combination of numerical digits that are given to a group of products that have commonalities. Maybe they were manufactured in the same batch or contain a common material. Lot numbers are often assigned to groups of products from a manufacturer. |
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NAFTA | North American Free Trade Agreement. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement |
NAICS | North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy. | |
NLR | NLR: No License Required | https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/documents/pdfs/286-licensing-faq/file |
Packing list | A seller-prepared commercial document indicating the net and gross weights, dimensions and contents of all shipping pieces (boxes, crates, bundles, etc.) in a shipment. Each packing list should reference the shipment for which is made, and the line item totals should agree with the relevant commercial invoice. | |
Pallet | A shallow portable platform used to facilitate handling of goods by forklift trucks. Often, packages are packed together on a pallet and then over-packed or shrink-wrapped to form a unitized load. Pallets are commonly made of wood, plastics or fiberboard. | |
Pro forma invoice | A pro forma invoice is a preliminary bill of sale sent to buyers describing a shipment of goods in advance of its delivery. |
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Re-exports | Exports of foreign origin merchandise that had previously been imported. | |
Routed Transaction | A routed transaction is when the Foreign Principal Party in Interest (FPPI) directs the movement of the goods out of the U.S. and authorizes a U.S. agent to file the Electronic Export Information (EEI) on their behalf. | https://www.census.gov/newsroom/blogs/global-reach/2016/12/understanding_routed.html |
Schedule B Code/Number | A Schedule B Code/Number are codes used when exporting products from the U.S. These codes, administered by the U.S. Census Bureau, are used to complete shipping documentation, classify exported products and calculate U.S. export statistics. | https://www.census.gov/newsroom/blogs/global-reach/2017/12/finding-your-schedule-b-number.html |
Tariff | In customs, a schedule of duties or taxes assessed by a government for goods as they enter a country. Tariffs may be imposed to protect domestic industries from imported goods and/or to generate revenue. | |
USMCA | USMCA replaced NAFTA as of 7/1/2020. | https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/united-states-mexico-canada-agreement |
VSC/Voluntary Self-Disclosure | A narrative account with supporting documentation that sufficiently describes suspected violations of the Foreign Trade Regulations (FTR). A VSD reflects due diligence in detecting, and correcting potential violation(s) when required information was not reported or when incorrect information was provided that violates the FTR. | https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/enforcement/oee/voluntary-self-disclosure |
Waybill | A list of goods being carried on a method of transportation (plane, train, ship, truck). |
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