The physical movement of any goods (e.g. lab equipment, biological materials, laptops, etc.) outside of the United States is considered an export and must be done so in compliance with U.S. export laws. This includes goods that you hand carry out of the United States in the course of international travel.
It is strongly recommended to have any exports reviewed in advance by the Office of Export Controls prior to shipment. OEC will review to ensure proper licensing and compliance practices are in place. All military goods (including those produced through DARPA funding) and items qualified for operation in outer space will require a license to be exported, as will various commercial grade products. Click here to submit an export classification request to OEC.
Any export to one of the following embargoed countries must be reviewed by OEC well in advance as it will likely require a license (regardless of commodity):
- Cuba
- Iran
- North Korea
- Syria
Exports valued at more than $2,500.00 must be reported to the US government through an EEI (Electronic Export Information) submission, formerly known as Shipper's Export Declaration (SED), regardless of whether or not a license is required.
See here for further info on license applications and EEI filings.
Export Shipping Paperwork
Export laws require that all shipping documents (Customs Invoices, Packing Lists, Export Licenses, Purchase Orders, emails, etc.) be kept for a minimum of five years from the time of export.
Any controlled export will require a Destination Control Statement (see below) noted on the customs invoice to combat re-exports. This statement is often pre-printed on international shipping labels (e.g., FedEx) but it is the responsibility of the shipper to ensure that it's also on their invoice:
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These items are controlled by the U.S. government and authorized for export only to the country of ultimate destination for use by the ultimate consignee or end-user(s) herein identified. They may not be resold, transferred, or otherwise disposed of, to any other country or to any person other than the authorized ultimate consignee or end-user(s), either in their original form or after being incorporated into other items, without first obtaining approval from the U.S. government or as otherwise authorized by U.S. law and regulations. |
To ensure compliance with this requirement it is recommended that this statement appear on all export customs invoices (regardless of commodity/destination/end-use) as a standard data element. You may wish to use the below template for all international shipping activity:
