INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW
International Trade Law Articles
Customs classification, export controls, sanctions, and the compliance work that keeps cross-border business moving.
426 articles
Country of Origin Cheat Sheet for Importers
Country of origin is the country where a good was made for legal purposes — and it controls how the good is marked, what duty rate applies, and whether it …
Country of Origin Marking Rules for Importers
U.S. law requires that nearly every imported article be marked, legibly, permanently, and conspicuously, with its country of origin so the ultimate purchaser in …
Cross-Border E-Commerce: The Legal Challenges
Selling across borders online turns every small parcel into an import, and that brings a stack of legal obligations many e-commerce sellers don’t see …
CTPAT Compliance Checklist: Requirements & Benefits
CTPAT is U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s voluntary supply-chain security program, and joining it means documenting that your company meets …
Customs Brokers and Import Classification
A customs broker is a CBP-licensed professional you can hire to prepare and file your import entries — including the all-important HTSUS classification — but …
Customs Classification: An HTS Code Cheat Sheet
Customs classification is the process of assigning every imported good a numeric code that determines its duty rate, its admissibility, and the regulations that …
Customs Duty vs. Excise Duty: What's the Difference?
Customs duty is a tax triggered when goods cross an international border; excise duty is a tax on specific goods — like alcohol, tobacco, and fuel — whether …
Customs Valuation 101: How Duty Is Calculated
Customs valuation is how the dutiable value of imported goods is determined — and it matters because duty is the value times the rate. Get the classification …
Customs Value and Import Duties Explained
Customs value is the dollar figure CBP uses to calculate ad valorem import duties, and U.S. law sets six valuation methods that must be applied in a fixed order …
ECCN Classification: A Step-by-Step Checklist
An Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) is the five-character code on the Commerce Control List that tells you whether your item needs a license to be …
ECCN Explained: Classifying Items Under the EAR
An Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) is a five-character code that tells you whether the U.S. Commerce Department controls your item for export and, …
Ethical Sourcing Compliance Checklist (UFLPA)
For a U.S. importer, ethical sourcing is now a legal requirement, not just a values statement — federal law bars goods made with forced labor from entering the …
Export Classification Recordkeeping: The 5-Year Rule
Under the Export Administration Regulations, you must keep your export and classification records for five years — and the clock usually starts at the export, …
Export Classification Rulings: CCATS & Advisory Opinions
An export-classification “ruling” is an official determination from the government that tells you how an item is controlled — and on the Commerce …
Export Classification: How to Get Your ECCN Right
Classifying an export means answering two separate questions, not one. The first is what the item is for trade statistics — its Schedule B or HTS number. The …
Export Classification: Who's Actually Responsible?
The exporter is legally responsible for classifying its own items — not the freight forwarder, the customs broker, or the supplier. Under the Export …
Export Credits vs Export Subsidies Explained
Export credits and export subsidies sound similar but sit on opposite sides of trade law. An export credit is financing — a loan, guarantee, or insurance that …
Export Restrictions and Embargoes: A Plain Guide
An export restriction limits specific goods or technologies; an embargo bans nearly all trade with an entire country. Both are tools of U.S. national security …
Export vs. Import: Key Differences Explained
Exporting is sending goods, technology, or services out of the United States; importing is bringing them in — and U.S. law treats the two as almost mirror-image …
FCPA Compliance Checklist for U.S. Businesses
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) makes it illegal for U.S. companies and individuals — and many foreign companies — to bribe foreign government …
