The purpose of this letter is to clarify the Foreign Trade Division's (FTD's) position on providing export classification assistance to exporters. The U.S. exporters are required to provide the Schedule B commodity number for all export shipments (excluding postal shipments) where the value of the commodity classified under each individual Schedule B number is $2,500 or more or for which a validated export license is required. Shipper's Export Declarations are not required for shipments originating in the United States where the country of ultimate destination is Canada.

The FTD is receiving an excessive number of requests for classification assistance from clients of many of the major couriers. Our policy is, and will continue to be, to assist exporters experiencing difficulty classifying their goods. The initial attempt at classification of the commodity must be made by the exporter. We ask that couriers and their brokers take an active role in working with their clients to classify the commodities being exported. To assist you in helping your clients, we have made the Schedule B, Statistical Classification of Domestic and Foreign Commodities Exported from the United States, available on the Internet (http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/) and on CD-ROM, in addition to the printed version available from the Government Printing Office. In situations where you encounter difficulty in determining the correct export classification number, the FTD will lend assistance.

In addition, we are not able to provide the import classifications and duty rates of foreign countries, other import requirements of foreign countries, U.S. licensing requirements, and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) eligibility determination. The following offices are able to provide assistance with these matters:

U.S. Licensing Requirements:
Office of Export Administration	(202) 482-4811 (East Coast)	(714) 660-0144 (West Coast)

NAFTA Eligibility & Customs NAFTA Procedures
NAFTA Center	(972) 574-4061	Fax (972) 574-4074
Automated Info line	(972) 574-1582

Basic Export Counseling and Information on Federal Export Assistance Program:
Trade Information Center	1-800-USA-TRADE	1-800-872-8723

Please note that the ability of each office to respond to inquiries is limited by the size of their staff. Every attempt should be taken within your organization to assist your clients before referring them to one of the above numbers.

We request that this notice be distributed to all field offices. Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions, please call the FTD on (30l) 457-3047.

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