U.S. GOVERMENT

One of the most powerful web sites in terms of accessing U.S. government agency information from local to federal levels is www.firstgov.gov

CUSTOMS

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cabinet-level department which combines the functions and resources of dozens of federal government agencies performing functions that relate to the security of the United States.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Utilizes the border protection and inspection functions of INS, Customs and APHIS, bringing together employees that focus exclusively on securing U.S. borders and facilitating the movement of legitimate trade and travelers. Includes valuable information, such as: Customs Forms

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Combines the investigative and enforcement duties of Customs, INS and the Federal Protective Service to bring together employees that focus exclusively on the criminal investigations and enforcement of the nation's immigration and customs laws throughout the United States, including locating and removing aliens who are in the United States illegally.

OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

APHIS (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture includes information on animal and plant importation restrictions and requirements.

U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Now in the Department of Justice. Law enforcement functions relating to firearms, explosives and arson. ATF also administers the U.S. Criminal Code provisions concerning alcohol and tobacco smuggling and diversion.

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) Administers and enforces Federal laws and tax code provisions related to the production and taxation of alcohol and tobacco products.

Bureau of Industry and Security (formerly Bureau of Export Administration export licensing and enforcement, defense trade advocacy and critical infrastructure protection.

Court of International Trade

The Convention on Int'l Trade In Endangered Species

U.S. Department of Commerce includes information on several different agency regulations, including Census, International Trade Commission and U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security.

Environmental Protection Agency includes information on U.S. government restrictions on pollutants, emissions and chemicals.

Export.gov

The CE Mark - Preparing Your Products for Europe The Commerce Department’s TIC and Office of European Union and Regional Affairs combined to produce CE Mark guides, providing step-by-step instructions to help U.S. exporters self-certify for three directives which cover a huge amount of products: the machine, low-voltage, and electromagnetic compatibility directives. The CE Mark shows that a company has met European health and safety requirements that are required for a product to be sold in Europe.

Food and Drug Administration includes information on food, medical product, radiation and pharmaceutical product safety issues and regulations.

Federal Trade Commission includes information on care label requirements for imported apparel, consumer protection and anti-dumping issues.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service includes information and restrictions on importing wildlife and endangered species.

International Trade Administration promoting trade and investment.

International Trade Commission includes U.S. and world trade guides and information. Also see ITC Dataweb, for direct access to trade data and customized reports.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Dept. of the Treasury

National Highway Transportation Safety Administration includes information on U.S. Department of Transportation regulations and transportation issues within the United States.

OTEXA (Office of Textiles & Apparel) of the U.S. Commerce Department's International Trade Administration includes information on trade agreements, quotas, policies and trade data for textile and apparel imports and exports.

U.S. Department of State - VISAS

U.S. Department of State - Information Agency includes material on trade-related speeches and publications from several government agencies.

Transportation Security Administration transportation security nationwide for all modes: air, land, water and rail.

U.S. Trade Representative includes information on U.S. trade policy issues.

ON-LINE GOVERNMENT INFORMATION: RULINGS, REGULATIONS, BILLS, LAWS

Legislative Information includes U.S. Congress and other government documents for researching current and past legislation.

Federal Register includes access to Federal Register notices, archives and other government documents through the U.S. Government Printing Office.

Government Printing Office (GPO)

Federal Regulations

U.S. Code (USC) provides a searchable database of the United States Code (USC) of Laws of the United States.

Title 19 CFR

HARMONIZED TARIFF of US

ISO Country Code List - see Annex B

ISO Standards Glossary - Anyone who's involved in foreign trade is affected by the International Standards Organization's classification system. The ISO has a set of international standards that can be used in any type of business and are accepted around the world as proof that a business can provide assured quality. There are thousands of ISO standards, and if you want to look up an ISO classification fast, the best place to do it is the ISO Standards Glossary  (http://www.standardsglossary.com). Simply click on an ISO number at the home page, and you'll see what products are covered by that number.

OTHER RELATED WEB LINKS

World Trade Organization

World Customs Organization

International Chamber of Commerce INCOTERMS, world business.

European Union Web Site

PORTALS TO THE WORLD In Internet jargon, a "portal" is a Web site that offers a large collection of links to a specific subject. Portals to the World is an amazing project from the Library of Congress, with content-rich links to countries of the world. The links were selected by Area Specialists and other Library staff, so the sites are all useful and reliable. Each country's section has a wide range of broad categories (Business, Culture, Genealogy, Media, National Security, Travel, etc.), to make it more comprehensive. Note: this project is not yet complete, and some portals have a higher quantity and quality of links than others. As an example, the portal for Brazil has dozens of links in the Business, Commerce, Economy category, while the portals for China and Canada have only three links in that category, and they're probably not the most useful ones available.

HEMISPHERIC DATABASE If you need to find out tariff information or trade statistics for countries in North or South America, the best place to go is the Hemispheric Database of the Free Trade Area of the Americas. There's a searchable database of information that's up to date and easy to navigate. There's even a handy User's Manual that will help you to get the most out of this useful site.

Top

© 2024 Leaphart + Associates - All Rights Reserved