The World Trade Center Harrisburg is the regional liaison for connecting businesses to the Commonwealth’s free export assistance program. Services include a network of overseas trade offices, PA sponsored trade show exhibits and trade missions as well as a small grant program which offsets costs associated with international market expansion.
The State of Pennsylvania has 13 overseas trade offices, covering 44 countries, that provide very customized assistance at no cost for PA companies.
Current PA Trade Offices:
• Australia & New Zealand
• Canada
• Central & Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine)
• China
• Germany (Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland)
• India
• Middle East Region (Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Turkey)
• Mexico
• Netherlands and Belgium
• Singapore (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam)
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• United Kingdom (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom)
Overseas Offices’ Services:
• Market and competitive intelligence
• Identification of overseas partners, agents or distributors; pre-screened per company’s criteria.
• Regulatory information on products, tariffs, and duty rates
• Foreign company background checks to ensure legitimacy
• Logistical issues such as in-country transportation and arrangement of appointments with potential customers or distributors
• Trade show support
Additional Partnerships:
In addition, Pennsylvania trade officials partner with other state and regional offices that offer assistance with trade in the Arab/Gulf region, Africa, Caribbean and South America.
Throughout the year, the State’s Center for Trade Development organizes PA Pavilions at major international trade shows and leads trade missions to various countries.
The Global Access Program (GAP) reimburses up to $3500 of eligible expenses per company per federal fiscal year (fiscal year ends Sept 30, 2022). Please contact us for more information.
The Pennsylvania International Trade Guide website was created to teach the basics of exporting to Pennsylvania companies. The site provides export tutorials, frequently asked questions, an Export Readiness Assessment, and a statewide calendar of export-related events. Click here to be directed to the website.