Trade Agreements

What are Trade Agreements?

Trade between the U.S. and other countries is regulated through bilateral investment treaties and free trade agreements. Free trade agreements have the most significant impact on small and medium-sized businesses doing business abroad. A free trade agreement is a pact between two or more countries to eliminate tariff and nontariff barriers affecting trade among them. Each participating country applies its own independent schedule of tariffs to imports from countries that are not members. The United States has several free trade agreements with several countries and regions.

How Do I Report a Trade Barrier?

Trade agreements are meant to remove barriers to trade, and the success of your business dealings overseas depend on foreign governments and companies complying with their part of the agreement.

If you encounter barriers to doing business in foreign markets, the Trade Compliance Center provides a one-stop shop for getting U.S. government assistance in resolving trade barriers or unfair situations you encounter in foreign markets.

The Center's Report a Trade Barrier form allows businesses to report barriers and unfair situations over the web. For more information about trade barriers, visit the Trade Compliance Center FAQ page, which provides answers to frequent questions about filing trade complaints and finding help to resolve trade barriers.

More Information

Visit the following resources for more information on trade agreements:

• Export.gov - Free Trade Agreements
  Lean more about free trade agreements and how they can benefit your business.
• TradeAgreements.gov
  Read news and information about America's free trade agreements.