Foreign Trade Regulations (FTR): Clarification of Filing Requirements Regarding In-Transit Shipments and Other FTR Provisions; Correction
On August 14, 2025, the Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) published a final rule in the Federal Register entitled "Foreign Trade Regulations (FTR): Clarification of Filing Re...
On August 14, 2025, the Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) published a final rule in the
Federal Register
entitled “Foreign Trade Regulations (FTR): Clarification of Filing Requirements Regarding In-Transit Shipments and Other FTR Provisions”, which became effective on September 15, 2025. Subsequent review of the final rule in the Code of Federal Regulations identified errors necessitating corrective action. Accordingly, this final rule issues non-substantive corrections to the FTR.
DATES:
This rule is effective May 26, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For additional information concerning this final rule, contact Kiesha Downs, Assistant Division Chief, Data User and Respondent Outreach, Economic Management Division, Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Washington, DC 20233-6010 by email at
gtmd.ftrnotices@census.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Census Bureau, as delegated by the Secretary of Commerce, is responsible for collecting, compiling, and publishing import and export trade statistics for the United States under the provisions of Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), Chapter 9, Section 301(a). Under 13 U.S.C. 302, the Secretary of Commerce is authorized to promulgate regulations necessary or proper to carry out the purposes of and prevent the circumvention of the requirements of Chapter 9 of Title 13. The Secretary also may promulgate regulations covering the confidentiality, publication, and disclosure of information collected under Chapter 9. Under the aforementioned authorities, the Census Bureau is issuing this final rule to correct two provisions of the FTR.
First, this action corrects Section 30.3(a). Due to a publication error, Section 30.3(a) contains duplicative text that is already identified in the subparagraphs of that section. Second, this action corrects Section 30.6(b)(13). Due to an oversight, the text “consumption or” was inadvertently included in the second sentence during the rule writing process.
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), the Department finds good cause to waive the prior notice and opportunity for public participation requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act for this final rule. The Department has determined that prior notice and opportunity for public participation is unnecessary because this rule only removes a redundancy in regulatory language as a result of a publication error and corrects an oversight that the public identified. The Department has also determined that delaying the removal of this regulatory language for the sake of carrying out the notice and comment process would be contrary to the public interest, as the language being removed no longer serves any meaningful function but does pose a risk of confusion and distraction. The Department therefore finds good cause to waive the public notice and comment period under 553(b)(B) and, for the same reason, to waive the 30-day delay in effectiveness under 553(d).
George M. Cook, Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, performing the non-exclusive functions
( printed page 30486)
and duties of the Director of the Census Bureau, approved the publication of this notice in the
Federal Register
.
Accordingly, for the reasons stated above, 15 CFR part 30 is corrected by making the following correcting amendment:
PART 30—FOREIGN TRADE REGULATIONS
1. The authority citation for 15 CFR part 30 continues to read as follows:
Authority:5 U.S.C. 301; 13 U.S.C. 301-307; Reorganization plan No. 5 of 1990 (3 CFR 1949-1953 Comp., p.1004); Department of Commerce Organization Order No. 35-2A, July 22, 1987, as amended and No. 35-2B, December 20, 1996, as amended; Public Law 107-228, 116 Stat. 1350.
2. Amend § 30.3 by revising paragraph (a) to read as follows:
Electronic Export Information filer requirements, parties to export transactions, and responsibilities of parties to export transactions.
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(a)
General filer requirements.
(1) The filer of EEI for export transactions is either the USPPI or the authorized agent. If a foreign entity is the USPPI, they are prohibited from filing the EEI and must authorize an agent to file on their behalf.
(2) The filer shall maintain a physical office or residence in the United States, be physically located in the United States at the time of preparing and filing the EEI, and have an EIN or DUNS and be certified to report in the AES. If the filer does not have an EIN or DUNS, the filer must obtain an EIN from the Internal Revenue Service.
(3) All EEI submitted to the AES shall be complete, accurate, and timely. The filer is responsible for ensuring that the EEI is complete, accurate, and timely, except insofar as that party can demonstrate that it reasonably relied on information based on personal knowledge of the facts and information furnished by other responsible persons participating in the transaction. All parties involved in export transactions, including authorized agents, should be aware that invoices and other commercial documents may not necessarily contain all the information needed to prepare and file the EEI.
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3. Amend § 30.6 by revising paragraph (b)(13) to read as follows:
(13)
Entry number.
The entry number must be reported when goods of foreign origin enter the United States for warehousing (entered into a bonded warehouse) or are admitted into a FTZ before being exported. For goods that are exported after entering the United States for warehousing, the 11-position entry number as identified on the CBP-7501 shall be reported. For goods that are exported from a FTZ, the 9-digit inbond serial number associated with the removal shall be reported. For all other scenarios where goods are exported after entering the United States for consumption, the 11-position entry number as identified on the CBP-7501 may be reported. When the importer of record on the import entry is the customs broker or foreign person, the customs broker shall provide the entry number to assist in the preparation of the EEI (See 15 CFR 30.3(b)(2) and the Note to paragraph § 30.3(b)(2)(iv)).
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Dated: May 19, 2026.
George Cook,
Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Director of the Census Bureau.