How can I receive information on foreign regulations, standards, or certification requirements for my product?

Contact the Trade Information Center (1-800-USA-TRAD(E)) and speak with an international trade specialist, who, along with industry specialists in the Department of Commerce, maintain information on foreign country regulations, standards, and certification systems or have lists of organizations that can help you obtain such information. Country-specific information is also available on the Export.gov website.

Country Commercial Guides (CCG) examine each country's trade regulations and investment practices, and present a comprehensive look at the commercial environment in various countries through economic, political and market analyses. Most CCGs are also available free of charge through the Market Research section of the website. First click on "Market Research Library” (found within the text of the Market Research webpage) and then selecting the desired country in the <country> field and “country commercial guide” in the <report type> field of the search engine.

The National Center for Standards and Certification Information (NCSCI) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the Department of Commerce provides information on U.S. and foreign standards, technical regulations, and conformity assessment procedures for non-agricultural products. NCSCI staff responds to requests for information by identifying relevant standards and regulations, and by referral to the appropriate standards-developers or private-sector organizations. Under copyright restrictions, NCSCI cannot provide copies of the standards, but NCSCI does provide sources for accessing the standards.

In addition, U.S. exporters and other stakeholders can register for the "Notify U.S." service to learn about and comment on proposed changes to foreign standards, technical regulations, and conformity assessment procedures that may affect U.S. access to global markets.

For more information, please contact NCSCI at (301) 975-4040 or visit their websites at http://www.nist.gov/ncsci/ and http://www.nist.gov/notifyus/.

Visit the NIST website at http://www.nist.gov

Additional national and international standards-related information is available on the following Internet websites:

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) at http://www.ansi.org/

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) at http://www.iso.org

For further assistance, please contact the Trade Information Center:

Tel: 1-800-USA-TRAD(E) (1-800-872-8723)

Fax: (202) 482-4473

E-mail: tic@mail.doc.gov

Internet: http://www.export.gov