[Note: this text-only version of this publication does not include charts, illustrations, photographs, or tabular matter.]


Trade Compliance Center - TCC

Does Your Company Face Trade Barriers When Exporting?
The Trade Compliance Center Can Help.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
Market Access and Compliance
www.export.gov/tcc




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What is the TCC?
The Trade Compliance Center (TCC) is part of the Market Access and Compliance unit within the U.S. Commerce Department's International Trade Administration.
It helps U.S. exporters receive the full benefits of trade agreements. There are more than 300 U.S. trade agreements that open up foreign markets to U.S. goods and services. The TCC works with large and small businesses when they are not receiving the full benefits of these agreements. 

How can the TCC help you? 
If your company encounters a trade barrier that limits your ability to sell or invest overseas, the TCC can help. 
Sending a fax, an e-mail, or making one call gains your company access to the entire trade expertise of the U.S. government, including:
• Commerce Department
• International Trade Administration
• Patent and Trademark Office
• National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Office of the U.S. Trade Representative 
• Department of State
• Department of Agriculture
• Department of the Treasury
• U.S. embassies around the world
Our team of experts is committed to working with foreign governments to ensure that you get the full rights the U.S. government bargained for in its trade agreements.

Examples of assistance 
• Helped a small U.S. exporter of compressed air cylinders get its products approved in 
 Japan.
• Ensured that Mexican port restrictions did not hold up U.S. textile and apparel exports.
• Helped a small U.S. manufacturer of agricultural equipment export to Canada, opening the
 door for others.

How do I use the TCC?
The fastest way to report a trade barrier is on-line at www.export.gov/tcc. You can also e-mail the TCC at tcc@ita.doc.gov, call us at (202) 482-1191, or fax us at (202) 482-6097. 

Use the TCC On-line
• Read or download the searchable text of 300 U.S. trade agreements.
• Use the TCC hotline to complain about a trade problem.
• Receive "Export Alert!" updates so you can review and comment on proposed foreign 
 technical regulations that may affect your business.
• Join the TCC mailing list to get up-to-date news on changes in foreign standards, 
 government procurement practices, and more.
• Use "how-to" guides that show how trade agreements can help you, how to use them, and 
 what to do if you have a problem.
• Get market access reports with information on foreign trade policies and regulations.
• Our Internet services are FREE of charge!
All at . . . www.export.gov/tcc


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"We could not have resolved our export difficulties to a key overseas market without the TCC's help."
-Val Twomey Hoyle
    Burley Design Cooperative 
    Eugene, Ore.

The TCC knows that nearly 97 percent of all exporters are small to medium-sized businesses and it is geared toward serving this critical segment of the economy. 

 "The Commerce Department played an important role preventing Pakistan from overvaluing our goods at customs. This allowed us to keep our prices at competitive levels."
-Scott Phipps, Caterpillar Inc.




The International Trade Administration (ITA) has as its mission the creation of economic opportunity for U.S. workers and firms by promoting international trade, opening foreign markets, ensuring compliance with trade laws and agreements, and supporting U.S. commercial interests at home and abroad. To learn more about the ITA, contact: International Trade Administration, Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230, or visit the ITA on-line at www.export.gov.


April 2003