Export FAQ

For food items, please contact the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Department, at (717) 787-4248.

If your product is not under FDA or US Department of Agriculture regulations, we can issue you a Certificate of Free Sale. Information is HERE (link to cert of free sale page).

Export Licensing and Export Controls

Relatively few exports require an export license. Licenses are required in certain situations involving national security, foreign policy, short-supply, nuclear non-proliferation, missile technology, chemical and biological weapons, regional stability, crime control, or terrorist concerns. License requirements are dependent upon an item’s technical characteristics, the destination, the end-use, and the end-user, and other activities of the end-user.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is responsible for implementing and enforcing the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), which regulate the export and re-export of most commercial items. BIS regulates “dual-use” items – items that have both commercial and military or proliferation applications – but purely commercial items without an obvious military use are also subject to the EAR. More information can be found on their .

The EAR do not control all goods, services, and technologies. Other U.S. government agencies regulate more specialized exports. The Energy Department controls nuclear technology and technical data for nuclear power. The Treasury Department is responsible for economic and trade sanctions against targeted foreign countries and their agents, terrorists and terrorism-sponsoring organizations, and international narcotics traffickers.

The U.S. Department of State has authority over defense articles and defense services through the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

Secretary of State (Pennsylvania) Certification

For documents that need to be authenticated by the Commonwealth’s Secretary of State, contact the Certification Section in Harrisburg, at (717) 787-5280 or by email: RA-CERTIFICATIONS@pa.gov.

An exporter must file the EEI for shipments in the following circumstances:

Shipments of commodities valued over $2,500 per Schedule B number transported by any means other than the postal service.
Postal shipments if the entire shipment is valued over $2,500 or if it requires an export license.
All shipments (regardless of value) that require an export license from any government agency, or that are subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, and all shipments to certain countries that are embargoed.

There are exceptions to the list above, please check the Census website. Learn more about the EEI and filing through Automated Export System (AES) here. (Link to https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/aes/index.html)

A Certificate of Origin is a document required by certain foreign countries for tariff purposes. Customs officials use the Certificate of Origin to determine whether a preferential duty rate can be applied to the imported products, due to trade agreements or preferential trading status for the country of origin. Even if your commercial invoice includes a statement of origin, some countries require that a separate certificate be completed. You may be able to utilize a generic form, however, some countries require specific Certificates of Origin, so double check requirements and check with your importer. While some countries require certificates for all products, others may only require them for certain types of products. For example, most Middle Eastern countries require Certificates of Origin for all shipments, most Latin American and European countries only require the certificate for certain products, such as textiles, and most Asian countries do not require Certificates of Origin at all.

Basic information needed for the Certificate of Origin include a description of the goods, the origin of the goods, gross and net weight of goods, number of packages, mode of transportation, date and origin of shipment, and an address for the seller and buyer. A sample copy of the generic Certificate of Origin can be found on the US Customs and Border Protection website.

Check with your bank’s Freight Forwarder

The following information comes from the US Census Bureau and from the US International Trade Commission:

All of the imports and export codes used by the United States are based on the Harmonized Tariff System (HTS). The Harmonized Schedule (HS) is an international system used by the United States and most of our trading partners as the basis for reporting statistics as well as the collection of import duties.

The HTS assigns 6-digit codes for general categories. Countries which use the HTS are allowed to define commodities at a more detailed level than 6-digits, but all definitions must be within that 6-digit framework.

The U.S. defines products using 10-digit HTS codes. Exports codes (which the U.S. calls Schedule B) are administered by the U.S. Census Bureau. Import codes are administered by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC).

Export codes, also known as Schedule B numbers, are administered by the U.S. Census Bureau. Schedule B is the Statistical Classification of Domestic and Foreign Commodities exported from the United States. The Schedule B contains approximately 8,000 individual 10-digit commodity numbers covering everything from live animals and food products to computers and aeroplanes, including a distinction between civilian and military aeroplanes. Every item being exported from the United States falls under a particular Schedule B number.

Export Codes: Schedule B, administered by U.S. Census
Import Codes: HTS, administered by USITC

Finding your correct code

One way to find your product’s Schedule B code is to search the Census site using keywords. Be creative in choosing key words and try several different ones.

Make sure that you are choosing the correct number, if there is any doubt, you can get an official ruling through U.S. Customs. You can also search rulings that Customs has already made.

Find out as quickly as possible what caused the delay with the import of your product. Goods that are delayed by customs are not stored for free and demurrage charges are usually paid by the seller or exporter.

Most Common Problems:
Misclassification
Improper documentation
Higher duties than expected
Labeling issues
Import/packaging regulations of the receiving country

Next Steps:
Get in touch with the buyer/importer. Chances are they are more familiar with the local practices and can find out what needs to be done.
Talk to your shipping company.
Contact the US Commercial Service office in the receiving country. (see export.gov for a listing)
Contact the foreign customs office.