INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW
International Trade Law Articles
Customs classification, export controls, sanctions, and the compliance work that keeps cross-border business moving.
426 articles
Import and Export Regulations: A Compliance Guide
U.S. import and export regulations come down to two questions: on the way in, can this product enter and what do I owe; on the way out, am I allowed to ship …
Import Classification and Valuation: A Primer
Import classification and valuation are the two determinations that decide what you owe Customs on every shipment: classification fixes the duty rate, and …
Import Classification: Who Is Legally Responsible?
The importer of record is legally responsible for classifying imported goods, and U.S. law requires that importer to use “reasonable care” to get …
Import Compliance Cheat Sheet for U.S. Importers
Import compliance means using “reasonable care” to declare your goods to U.S. Customs correctly — the right classification, value, and country of …
Import Compliance Checklist for U.S. Importers
Import compliance means meeting U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) legal requirements on every entry — classifying goods correctly, declaring an …
Import Compliance for E-Commerce Sellers
For e-commerce sellers, import compliance got harder in 2025: the $800 “de minimis” exemption that let small parcels enter duty-free was suspended, …
Import Licensing: Which US Agencies Apply
There is no single, general “US import license” — instead, the specific federal agency that regulates your product decides whether you need a …
Import Recordkeeping Rules: What to Keep, How Long
U.S. importers must keep the records behind every import classification for five years from the date of entry and produce them whenever CBP demands. …
Import Restrictions and Bans: A U.S. Guide
A U.S. import restriction can mean a higher duty, a quota, a licensing requirement, or an outright ban — and the right response depends entirely on which legal …
Import Restrictions and Prohibitions Explained
Not everything can be freely imported into the United States, and the law draws a key line between restricted and prohibited goods. Restricted imports can …
Import vs Export Classification: HTS & Schedule B
Import and export classification start from the same six-digit international code, then split: imports into the United States use a 10-digit HTS number, while …
Importing Electronics: FCC, FDA & Customs Rules
Importing electronics into the United States usually means clearing more than one agency: the FCC for anything that emits or receives radio frequency energy, …
Importing Machinery: Classification & Compliance
Importing machinery into the United States is mostly a classification and standards exercise: getting the HTS code right (which sets the duty), and meeting any …
Importing Medical Devices: FDA Compliance Guide
To import a medical device into the U.S., the device must clear the FDA’s premarket requirements for its risk class, the establishments behind it must be …
Importing Pharmaceuticals: FDA Rules Explained
To import a prescription drug into the U.S., the drug generally must be FDA-approved, the establishments behind it registered and the product listed, and — once …
International Trade Compliance Program Checklist
An international trade compliance program is the written system a company uses to follow U.S. rules on what it imports and exports — export controls, sanctions, …
International Trade Law and Developing Countries
International trade law treats developing countries differently from wealthy ones — deliberately. Through special and differential treatment at the WTO and …
International Trade Law and Environmental Policy
Trade law and environmental policy meet wherever a country uses an environmental rule to restrict imports — and the central question is when that restriction is …
International Trade Law: The Basics for Businesses
International trade law is the body of treaties, domestic statutes, and agency regulations that controls how goods, services, and technology cross national …
IP Protection in International Trade Law
Intellectual property is protected in international trade through one global baseline and a set of border tools that enforce it — and for a U.S. business, the …
