Exporting Alcohol Beverages from the U.S.
Export Documents/Certificates
We assist industry members seeking to export their products by providing various export certificates or documents that are often required in order for alcohol beverage products to be imported into a foreign market.
Industry members may request all the following certifications, or similar variations, through our International Trade Division in Washington, D.C.:
- Certificate of Free Sale
- Certificate of Origin and/or Age
- Certificate of Health
- Certificate of Sanitation
- Certificate of Authenticity
- Sanitary Statement/Certificate
- Certificate of Manufacturing Process
How to Request Your Export Certificates
By Email:
You can speed up the processing of your request by emailing these to exportcertificates@ttb.gov, with the completed certificate requests attached as PDF files.
Please submit two signed copies of your request(s); one should appear on your letterhead, and a second copy should appear on blank (e.g. non-letterhead) paper.
If you would like the certificate returned by express mail, please prepare an overnight bill from the commercial carrier of your choice, including your own billing/account information, and attach it to your email request. Otherwise, we will return the certificate through the U.S. Postal Service to the return address indicated on your request.
We also provide export certificate templates for wine and for malt beverages and spirits. Please note that you may need to edit these templates to meet the certificate requirements of the countries to which you wish to export.
By Mail:
You can also send export certificate requests by mail to the address below:
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
International Trade Division
Attn: Export Certificate Program
1310 G St. NW, Box 12
Washington, DC 20005
If you are submitting your export certificate requests through a commercial carrier (e.g., UPS, FedEx), use this address:
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
International Trade Division
Attn: Export Certificate Program
1310 G St. NW, Suite 400E
Washington, DC 20005
If you have any questions regarding the Export Certificate Program, please contact the International Trade Division by phone at (202) 453-2260, or by email at exportcertificates@ttb.gov.
Visit our Frequently Asked Questions and Answers page about the Export Certificate Program for more information.
VI1 Forms for Exporting Wine to the European Union
U.S. wine exported to European Union (EU) countries must be accompanied by a VI1 form, which certifies that the wine exported (1) complies with the conditions governing the production and entry into circulation applicable in the United States of America, (2) has been produced using oenological practices in accordance with the terms of the EC-U.S. Agreement on Trade in Wine, and (3) has been produced by a winery licensed by TTB for the production of grape wine.
We encourage you to use the new, self-certifying export certificate—accepted for use on April 1, 2007—as it does not require our (TTB's) approval. The self-certifying export certificate is a simplified version of previous certificates (VI1s) required by the EU.
TTB Industry Circular 2007-2 provides more information on this new certificate and includes an attachment of the form.
We have also posted the instructions for processing the two prior VI1 forms and attachments, which are still valid for use in exporting wine to EU countries.
As of July 1, 2007, the following countries are members of the European Community and accept the simplified export certificate.
Austria |
Germany |
Netherlands |
Belgium |
Greece |
Poland |
Bulgaria |
Hungary |
Portugal |
Cyprus |
Ireland |
Romania |
Czech Republic |
Italy |
Slovakia |
Denmark |
Latvia |
Slovenia |
Estonia |
Lithuania |
Spain |
Finland |
Luxembourg |
Sweden |
France |
Malta |
United Kingdom |
If you have any questions about the VI1/simplified export certificate, please contact the International Trade Division by phone at (202) 453-2260, or by email at exportcertificates@ttb.gov.
Page last updated/reviewed: 05/05/2012