Frequently Asked Questions – International Trade

There are numerous U.S. and foreign government agencies and contacts involved in the international trade process. Good sources for these contacts include:

U.S. and foreign tariffs, taxes, duties and customs information (including the Harmonized Tariff Schedule) can be obtained via several sources.

For further information, see:

The main source for information on export licensing and controls is the Bureau of Industry and Security at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Useful sources at the U.S. Department of Commerce include:

Also informative are these links within the U.S. Small Business Administration International Trade Program:

An Export license gives permission to conduct an export transaction. The license is granted after it is reviewed by a licensing agency specific to the product being exported. Only a few exports actually require a license. To determine whether or not a product needs an export license, contact the Bureau of Industry and or see the U.S. Commercial Service Exporting Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Exporting

The World Trade Center fo Northern California also has a variety of resources for export documention.

Chambers of commerce traditionally have issued Certificates of Origin on behalf of U.S. exporters who are required to provide assurances to foreign buyers that the goods they are purchasing originated in the United States. The California Chamber of Commerce does not issue Certificates of Origin; however, many local chambers throughout the state provide this service. Note: There is no single authority in the United States supervising compliance of the international rules regarding certificates of origin.

For further information, see:

Established by the International Chamber of Commerce in 1936, and revised frequently since then, incoterms are industry-defined standard trade definitions used in international contracts. You can find information on “incoterms” from the:

The U.S. Department of Commerce has created a website to assist US businesses with internet exporting. The site provides practical advice, information on e-commerce, and a host of resources for small and medium sized businesses interested in “e-exporting.”

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) promotes the development of standardization and related activities in the world with regard to the international exchange of goods and services.


The U.S. Customs & Border Control website, www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/home.xml, is a great resource for new and established importers alike. CBP also posts all of its Informed Compliance Publications here, including information on recordkeeping, reasonable care, rules of origin, fines, seizures, penalties, etc., as well as papers on specific types of products.

The U.S. Customs & Border Control have information on Basic Importing & Exporting which includes a published a document, titled Importing Into the United States, which explains the process of importing goods into the U.S., including informed compliance, invoices, duty assessments, classification and value, marking requirements, etc.

Information on Importing into the US

Tips for New Importers and Exporters

Additional Importing Requirements for California’s Prop. 65
http://oehha.ca.gov/prop65/background/p65plain.html

Trade statistics can be obtained at the state, federal and worldwide levels from a number of sources, including:

Goods sold to the resident of a foreign country will, in general, only owe California sales tax if the buyer receives the items in the state of California or if the products are used before they are shipped abroad.

For further information, please see the Board of Equalization article Sales to Residents of Other Countries.

The U.S. Department of Commerce / International Trade Administration has an Invest in America initiative to manage foreign direct investment promotion. Please visit the website to learn more about investing and about the impacts of FDI on the US economy.

U.S. Department of Commerce: www.trade.gov/selectusa

CalChamber – Foreign Direct Investment

There are several sources:

U.S. Department of State Office of Protocol, www.state.gov/s/cpr

United Nations, Protocol and Liaison Service, www.un.int/protocol/

Protocol (Protocol: The Complete Handbook of Diplomatic, Official & Social Usage
by Mary Jane McCaffree and Paulien Innis

The U.S. Department of State maintains the Diplomatic List. For more information, please see their website at: U.S. Department of State

A Certificate of Free Sale is an export document required by some countries as evidence that the goods are normally sold on the open market and approved by the regulatory authorities in the country of origin. There are several types of Certificates of Free Sale, also called Export Certificates, issued by the California Department of Health Services: California Department of Public Health regarding product exports. The US Food and Drug Administration also issues certificates. Please see: US Food and Drug Administration Guidance Documents and the FDA Export Certificates for detailed information about certificates issued at the Federal level.

The California Free Trade Alliance also has one here.

The federally issued certificate of free sale confirms that the product is in compliance with the federal regulations necessary to sell the product is in the United States. The California issued Certificate is more specific, validating that the product is in compliance with the requirements necessary to sell the product in California. Both are legal documents. The government or importer requesting the Certificate will specify which they require.

The CCC-Certificate, stands for China Compulsory Certificate, is China’s most widely used certification for product quality and safety of imported as well as domestic goods. The recent reforms to the CCC-Certificate were implemented to minimize transaction costs in the Chinese market.

A certificate of good standing certifies that a company is properly registered with the state, is up to date on all state registration fees and required document filings, and is legally permitted to engage in business activities in the state. In some states, it is called a certificate of status or certificate of existence.

A certificate of good standing may be obtained from the state agency your business is registered with, in California this would be the Secretary of State.

Foreign-trade zones are designated sites at which special Customs procedures may be used. Procedures allow domestic activity involving foreign items to take place as if it were outside U.S. Customs territory, thus offsetting Customs advantages available to overseas producers who export in competition with products made here.

For further information, see:

For further information on the Sister City program worldwide, please contact Sister Cities International.

For information about other California Sister City programs, as well as California Sister States, please contact the California Senate Office for International Relations.
There are numerous partnerships of this type throughout the world.

The European Commission describes the CE Mark (“Conformite Europeenne”) as a “passport” that allows manufacturers to circulate products freely within the European Union (EU). The Mark certifies that products have met EU health, safety and environmental requirements. It is required for electrical products, machinery, medical devices, radio and telecommunications equipment, etc. For a more detailed list of products requiring the CE Mark, please see: CE Marking

ATA Carnet, commonly referred to as the “Merchandise Passport” or “Passport for Goods”, is a unified customs document used by 80+ countries. The initials, ATA, are an acronym of the French and English words Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission. The ATA Carnet helps U.S. exporters of all sizes, in particular micro, small and medium size businesses (MSMEs), to explore new markets, promote their goods and services, and attend trade shows as well as conferences, and saves time and money in the process.

It simplifies customs procedures for the temporary movement of goods and allows goods to enter Customs territories of the ATA Carnet system free of customs duties and taxes for up to one year.

Designated by U.S. Treasury in 1969, United States Council for International Business (USCIB) is the National Guaranteeing Association (NGA) and Issuing Association (IA) for ATA Carnets in the United States (U.S.).

ATA Carnets cover virtually all types of merchandise for commercial use that fits into one or more of the three categories: Commercial Samples, Professional Equipment, Exhibitions and Fairs. and similar cultural events. However, it cannot be used for goods that will be consumed in another country such as handouts or pamphlets, food items, plants or other perishables.

For more information, please see the following links:

U.S. Council for International Business – ATA Carnet https://www.uscib.org/ata-carnet-export-service-ud-718/

See: The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GoBiz)

State of California – Invest in California

Also see the California Secretary of State Business Programs.

California welcomes foreign entrepreneurs. For those interested in expanding or moving a technology company to California the California Association of Local Economic Development has put together a California Foreign Direct Investment: Tech Guide for the best advice on navigating the business environment in California when considering such a move.

For additional resources see:

This was enacted in 1977 to halt the bribery of foreign officials and promote public confidence in the American business system domestically and abroad.

For further information see:

Intellectual Property and the rights associated with it, are defined by the US State Department as “creative ideas and expressions of the human mind that have commercial value and receive the legal protection of a property right. The major legal mechanisms for protecting intellectual property rights are copyrights, patents, and trademarks. Intellectual property rights enable owners to select who may access and use their property and to protect it from unauthorized use.”

The increasing trade in counterfeit goods is harmful to American competition and innovation. Both piracy and counterfeiting are considered crimes, but each refers to different acts of theft. Piracy is defined as the unlawful reproduction of a copyrighted product (movies/music/books). Counterfeiting is the creation of fake goods.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is helping businesses combat IP theft through the STOP! (Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy) Initiative.

Related sources for information about Intellectual Property Protection:
World Intellectual Property Organization
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
U.S. Copyright Office
European Patent Office

The Federal Trade Commission. See Complying with the Made in USA Standard for more information.

“Made in California" is a new statewide labeling and marketing program to empower California manufacturers to capitalize on the state's global reputation for quality. Manufacturers can add the valuable "Made in California" label to their products as long as they are substantially made in the Golden State. Interested manufacturers can apply for the program here

Pier Pass is an initiative designed to address congestion and pollution at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The program will facilitate the opening of coordinated, off-peak operations at international container terminals at the ports. Pier Pass will duplicate the dayside truck handling capacity of terminals at night and during weekends when trucks won’t compete with local commuters.

For further information on the Pier Pass Program: Pier Pass Program

Schedule a Demo

CalChamber is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, and we’ll only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the products and services you requested from us. From time to time, we would like to contact you about our products and services, as well as other content that may be of interest to you. If you consent to us contacting you for this purpose, please tick below to say how you would like us to contact you:

You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information on how to unsubscribe, our privacy practices, and how we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy.

By clicking Schedule my demo below, you consent to allow calchamber.com to store and process the personal information submitted above to provide you the content requested.

Website Feedback