After over 15 years of maintaining the same fee structure for International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) registration, the U.S. State Department has proposed amendments to increase the fees required for Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) enrollment. As a reminder, the export regulations require registration for those engaged in manufacturing, exporting, temporarily importing, or brokering of…
In the world of international shipping and e-commerce, the term “Section 321” has gained significance, especially among those importing goods into the United States. Under this provision of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, shipments valued at $800 or less can enter the country duty-free and without formal entry requirements. However, the…
Two Russia-born U.S. citizens, Sergey Nefedov from Anchorage, Alaska, and Mark Shumovich from Bellevue, Washington, were arrested for allegedly operating a scheme to illegally export nearly half a million dollars’ worth of snowmachines and associated parts from the United States to Russia without the required export authorization and approvals through the company Absolut Auto Sales…
In September 2021, the announcement of the AUKUS pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States sent shockwaves through the international community. This trilateral security partnership, aimed at enhancing maritime security, emerging technologies, and defense capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region, has since captured global attention. In response to this significant development, the U.S….
In The Matrix, a computer hacker named Neo takes a red pill that unlocks a hidden world – one where he has tremendous superpowers and vision into the true nature of reality. In trade compliance, unfortunately, there are no magic red pills. But if you want to get down to the truth, there is a…
Believe it or not, most exports from the United States do not require an export license to ship internationally. (Ninety-five percent, according to the Department of Commerce.) This is great news for most companies, but what if your item or technology falls in the other five percent? Let’s go through some of the considerations and…
Adding to a list of seemingly never-ending problems, the Boeing Company recently agreed to pay a $51 million civil penalty for violating U.S. export regulations, specifically the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Arms Export Control Act (AECA). The company also agreed to remedial compliance measures and entered into a Consent Agreement with the…
Shipping goods into the United States isn’t always a seamless process. At some point, almost every U.S. importer will experience a clearance delay getting their goods through U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP). What does this mean? In a nutshell, a clearance delay means your shipment hasn’t cleared Customs and is still in their possession. …
Years ago, I heard an enforcement official describe deemed exports like “hugging a cloud.” As soon as you had your arms around a situation, it would dissipate – evaporating into mist, expanding, visibly there, but at the same time, somehow, not there. Fast forward to today, and the same government agency is trying to get…
What does your export compliance program look like? When was the last time you looked at it? Let’s back up further. Do you even have a compliance program? Answers to these questions are going to play a critical role for many companies this year. That’s because 2024 is shaping up to be a year of…