Foreign Trade Regulations (FTR): Clarification of Filing Requirements Regarding In-Transit Shipments and Other FTR Provisions

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) issues this final rule to clarify its regulations governing in-transit shipments from foreign countries through the United States that are subsequently exported to a foreign destination. Specifically, the final rule addresses the identification of the U.S. Principal Party in Interest (USPPI) in scenarios where goods are entered into the United States for consumption or warehousing and subsequently stored in a warehouse or storage facility, admitted into a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ), or entered into a bonded warehouse before being exported. The rule establishes clear guidelines for different parties involved in export transactions. For customs brokers serving as the USPPI, the regulation notes obtaining client consent to provide customs entry information for Electronic Export Information (EEI) filing is required per customs regulations. Similarly, when a warehouse, storage facility, FTZ, or bonded warehouse operator acts as the USPPI, they are responsible for the EEI based on information they possess or have received from other parties to the export transaction. Additionally, this final rule revises several regulatory sections, including definitions, mandatory filing requirements, responsibilities of parties to the export transaction, confidentiality protocols, penalty provisions, and voluntary self-disclosure processes to ensure greater clarity, accuracy, and consistency throughout the FTR.