INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW
International Trade Law Articles
Customs classification, export controls, sanctions, and the compliance work that keeps cross-border business moving.
426 articles
FDA Food Labeling & Packaging Checklist
An FDA-compliant food label must carry five required elements: a statement of identity, the net quantity of contents, an ingredient list, an allergen …
FDI vs. FPI: Key Differences and CFIUS Risk
Foreign direct investment (FDI) is money put into a business abroad to gain lasting control or influence; foreign portfolio investment (FPI) is money put into …
FOB vs CIF: Differences Every Importer Must Know
The core difference between FOB and CIF is cost, not risk: under FOB the buyer arranges and pays for ocean freight and insurance, while under CIF the seller …
Food Processing Regulation: An FDA Guide
The FDA is the primary regulator of food processing in the United States, and its authority runs on four pillars: facility registration, preventive controls, …
Forced Labor Import Bans: A Compliance Guide
U.S. law prohibits importing any product made, wholly or in part, with forced labor — and the importer bears the burden of proving its goods are clean. The rule …
Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZs): How They Save Duty
A U.S. foreign-trade zone (FTZ) is a secured area, legally treated as outside U.S. customs territory for duty purposes, where companies can bring in goods and …
GATT vs WTO: What's the Difference?
GATT and the WTO are related but not the same: GATT is an agreement; the WTO is an organization. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), signed in …
GSP vs. MFN: Tariff Preferences Explained
Most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment is the baseline tariff rate a country charges nearly all its trading partners; the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) …
Hazardous Materials Compliance Checklist
Hazardous materials compliance means meeting three overlapping federal regimes — OSHA’s rules for hazardous chemicals in the workplace, PHMSA’s …
How CBP Rulings Decide Import Classification
A CBP ruling is an official, binding decision on how a specific product should be classified, and it locks in the code before your goods ever reach the border. …
How Import Classification Codes Change Over Time
Import classification codes change on a predictable cycle: the World Customs Organization revises the Harmonized System about every five to six years, and the …
How International Trade Law Affects the Fashion Industry
International trade law hits fashion harder than almost any other consumer sector. Apparel carries some of the highest base tariff rates in the U.S. tariff …
How to Appeal a Customs Classification Decision
If CBP classifies your goods in a way you believe is wrong — and charges you more duty as a result — the formal way to challenge it is a protest under 19 U.S.C. …
How to Build a Trade Compliance Training Program
A trade compliance training program works when it teaches the specific employees who touch imports and exports the rules that apply to their actual jobs — not a …
How to Build an Import Compliance Program
An import compliance program is a written set of policies, controls, and records that shows your company exercises “reasonable care” on every …
How to Classify Dual-Use Goods for Export
A dual-use good is an item with both civilian and military or proliferation potential, and you classify it by finding its Export Control Classification Number …
How to Classify Imported Goods (HTS Guide)
Classifying imported goods means assigning each product its correct Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) code — the 10-digit number that determines the duty rate, …
How to Classify Imported Goods for Customs
To classify imported goods, you assign each product a code in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) by applying the General Rules of Interpretation, then confirm …
How to Classify Textile Goods for Import
Textiles are classified in Chapters 50–63 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, where the code turns on fiber content and how the fabric and garment are …
How to Classify Your Goods for Export
Classifying your goods for export means assigning each product the codes that decide how it is counted, taxed abroad, and controlled — chiefly a Schedule B …
