Includes the U.S. government export controls that companies need to abide by when exporting to this country.
Last Published: 8/5/2019

An export license grants permission to conduct a certain type of export transaction. Most export transactions do not require specific approval in the form of licenses from the U.S. Government. It is up to the exporter to determine whether the product requires a license and to research the end use of the product.

Department of State

The U.S. Government views the sale, export, and retransfer of defense articles and defense services as an integral part of safeguarding U.S. national security and furthering U.S. foreign policy objectives. The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) control the export and temporary import of defense articles and defense services covered by the United States Munitions List (USML).

Department of Commerce

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) deals with items involving national security and high technology that are not covered by ITAR.  BIS's activities include regulating the export of sensitive goods and dual-use technologies along with a range of other activities. Items on the Commerce Control List (CCL) - which includes many sensitive goods and technologies such as encryption software - require a permit from the Department of Commerce before they can be exported. To determine whether an export permit is required, an Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) is used:

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has responsibility for licensing the export of nuclear materials and equipment.
Department of Energy
The Office of Imports and Exports, under the Office of Fossil Energy in the Department of Energy, regulates the export of natural gas and electric power:

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of International Programs provides exporters with an interpretation and understanding of the implementation of the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), which relates to the safety of food, drugs, and cosmetics:

Department of Agriculture

The Food Safety and Inspection Service at USDA guides exporters in exporting meat, poultry, and egg products, including packaging, labeling and other special conditions:
Re-exports from the UK and the activities of UK-based subsidiaries are subject not only to ITAR but also to UK export controls. These are managed by the Export Control Organisation (ECO), an office of the UK Department for International Trade. U.S. companies supplying certain restricted items appearing on the UK Military List, including missile and long-range UAV technology, are encouraged to consult guidance available from the ECO website.

The Consolidated Screening List (CSL) is a list of parties for which the United States Government maintains restrictions on certain exports, reexports or transfers of items. On the link provided, under “Tools” are links to the CSL search engine, downloadable CSL files, and the CSL Application Programming Interface (API), all consisting of the consolidation of multiple export screening lists of the Departments of Commerce, State and the Treasury.
 

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.