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Upcoming Seminars: |
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Air
& Ocean Transportation: Logistics Management for the International
Supply Chain
Atlanta, GA
11/11/10
Charlotte, NC
12/16/10
Cincinnati, OH
10/21/10
Greenville, SC
8/17/10
Houston, TX
8/25/10
Miami, FL
10/14/10
Minneapolis, MN
8/12/10
Export
Documentation & Procedures Seminar
Anaheim, CA
8/11/10
Atlanta, GA
11/8/10
Cincinnati, OH
10/18/10
Detroit, MI
10/27/10
Greenville, SC
8/16/10
Houston, TX
8/23/10
Las Vegas, NV
11/15/10
Louisville, KY
11/15/10
Miami, FL
10/11/10
Milwaukee, WI
10/20/10
Minneapolis, MN
8/10/10
Nashville, TN
9/15/10
Philadelphia, PA
11/2/10
Pittsburgh, PA
9/27/10
San Diego, CA
10/25/10
Seattle, WA
9/28/10
Windsor Locks, CT
8/9/10
Letters
of Credit and Alternative International Payment Methods Seminar
Anaheim, CA
8/27/10
Houston, TX
8/24/10
Milwaukee, WI
10/21/10
Minneapolis, MN
8/11/10
Pittsburgh, PA
9/30/10
Windsor Locks, CT
8/12/10
NAFTA
Rules of Origin Seminar
Anaheim, CA
8/13/10
Atlanta, GA
11/10/10
Charlotte, NC
12/15/10
Cincinnati, OH
10/20/10
Detroit, MI
10/29/10
Greenville, SC
8/19/10
Houston, TX
8/27/10
Las Vegas, NV
11/17/10
Louisville, KY
11/17/10
Miami, FL
10/13/10
Milwaukee, WI
10/13/10
Minneapolis, MN
8/18/10
Nashville, TN
9/17/10
Philadelphia, PA
11/4/10
Pittsburgh, PA
9/29/10
San Diego, CA
10/27/10
Seattle, WA
9/30/10
Windsor Locks, CT
8/11/10
Tariff
Classification: Using the Harmonized Tariff Schedule Seminar
Anaheim, CA
8/12/10
Atlanta, GA
11/9/10
Charlotte, NC
12/14/10
Cincinnati, OH
10/19/10
Cleveland, OH
11/11/10
Detroit, MI
10/28/10
Greenville, SC
8/18/10
Houston, TX
8/26/10
Las Vegas, NV
11/16/10
Louisville, KY
11/16/10
Miami, FL
10/12/10
Milwaukee, WI
10/12/10
Minneapolis, MN
8/17/10
Nashville, TN
9/16/10
Philadelphia, PA
11/3/10
Pittsburgh, PA
9/28/10
San Diego, CA
10/26/10
Seattle, WA
9/29/10
Windsor Locks, CT
8/10/10
These one-day seminars are taught by qualified
and knowledgeable instructors in small-group settings. All attendees
receive the corresponding reference book and a Certificate of Completion.
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By Joseph A. Robinson email
| bio
First impressions are very important. The manner in which you receive
visitors into your company can create positive images of a quality
organization and a favorable attitude about doing business with
you. It can also directly impact whether or not your company is
compliant with export regulations. Does your company have a written
policy for receiving visitors?
If you are an exporter, your policy needs to incorporate practices
that cover compliance issues pertinent to U.S. government export
regulations. The transfer of commodities, software or technologies
to foreign persons is subject to U.S. export control laws and regulations
whether the transfer occurs within the U.S. or outside of the U.S.
This article provides some tips and best practices based on working
with and observing more than 200 companies, as well as conversations
with U.S. government export regulatory officials including the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Export Enforcement
and the U.S. Department of Commerce.
If your company is subject to an audit or potential examination
by an export official, being adequately prepared is good business.
Visitor control is not an option for exporters who receive non-U.S.
citizen visitors and who require an export license for their products
or services and/or have a research or laboratory facility on site.
Even if you do not export but sell your products or services to
U.S. customers who in turn export, it is still good practice to
implement procedures that follow pertinent export rules and regulations
accordingly.
Export controls need to be considered when hosting or escorting
a foreign visitor at your company. The transfer of technology through
business discussions, presentations and tours represent "deemed
exports" to foreign nationals and could be subject to U.S.
export regulations.
The first consideration for an effective export management and compliance
program is a written company policy. The purpose of this policy
is to prevent unauthorized access to your company trade secrets,
controlled U.S. technology, or technical data by foreign nationals
visiting the United States. If an individual or company exports,
facilitates exports, or engages in controlled export activities,
a basic knowledge of each department and employee is good practice.
In most companies, it is the export compliance manager or person
charged with ensuring that export rules and regulations are followed
who writes the policy. It is good practice for the company CEO or
president to sign the visitor control policy indicating its importance
and giving the document its proper authoritative status.
The second consideration for good visitor control involves the company
receptionist. This person is not only the official "greeter"
but provides the basis for establishing the correct protocol for
the visit. Consider these questions when training your receptionist,
or in some cases, your security guard:
- Has this person been briefed on the company policy for visitation
by foreign nationals?
- Has this person been trained on how to direct export compliance
issues?
- Has this person been instructed what to do and how to handle
a visit by a U.S. government official?
- If you are visited by a government official, who is the first
person the receptionist calls—human resources, the export
compliance manager or both?
- Are substitute receptionists advised and instructed on the visitor
policy as well?
It is also a good idea to have a plan in the event of a visit by
an export official. If the first impression of your company is positive,
this hopefully sets a favorable tone for the duration of the visit.
An official once told me that if an exporter does not ask on the
visitor form the country of citizenship then it is presumed that
the company is most likely not cognizant of export regulations and
compliance issues, and the examination will most likely probe to
a greater extent.
The next part of your company visitor policy involves the human
resources (HR) department. Here are some questions to consider:
- Does the HR department understand the importance of this program?
- Does the HR department give adequate information to all new
employees regarding the corporate visitation policy?
- If you are visited by a government official is the HR department
prepared when receiving the call from the receptionist?
Another important aspect for visitor control is the guest registration
book. I have noticed two formats of the guest book. One is a three-ring
notebook with one sheet per visitor (usually for foreign nationals).
Another is a computer at the reception desk for the visitor to enter
requested information digitally. Whatever format you use, here are
some recommended items to include on a Foreign National Visitor
Registration Form:
| Visitor Name |
Badge Number |
| Telephone Number |
Date of the Visit |
| Email Address |
Time In |
| Country of Citizenship |
Time Out |
| Passport Number |
Person Visited |
| Company Name |
Areas to Visit |
| Company Address |
Purpose of the Visit |
These items are offered as guidelines only. You should include
these and any other items pertinent to your company, your business
and the intended discussions. As with any export transaction and
documents, keep these records for a minimum of five years. It
is also a good policy to state that cameras, camcorders and voice
recording devices may or may not be allowed pursuant to explicit
authorization by management.
Information related to deemed exports may be found at the U.S.
Bureau of Industry and Security website. If you need to get
an export license for a foreign national to visit your facility
you may want to obtain professional assistance, at least for the
first time.
In conclusion, let me say that I have visited factories and offices
when I went overseas, and I was the "foreign national"
in their country. The practice of "visitor control"
is also practiced overseas, and any global visitor should recognize
good procedures based on universal practices and standards.
Top of Page
When it comes to international trade, standing
still means you're falling behind.
Almost every government agency imaginable
has either recently implemented major changes to their import-export
regulations or they are about to. And many of the regulatory changes
are accompanied by significant increases in penalties for non-compliance—up
to a million dollars or more for some violations.
It's up to you and your colleagues to stay
on top of this changing landscape. But who's got the time? In these
difficult economic times budgets are being frozen, staffing levels
are being cut, and your workload keeps getting bigger.
That's why International Business Training
(IBT) is offering a series of lunch-time webinars that let you participate
from your desktop computer in live, two-hour presentations on the
topics that are most important to you and your company.
We've taken popular seminar topics—export
procedures, import
regulations, Incoterms,
and the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)—and broken them
out into two-hour topics.
Not only does this make it easier and cheaper
for you to attend, it actually allows us to give you more information
on each individual topic. Sign up for all five of our export webinars,
for example, and you'll get 10 hours of actual learning time instead
of the six to seven hours you typically get in a one-day seminar.
Or just register for the specific export topics that relate to your
individual job duties.
Each two-hour session is held twice a day
so both east coast and west coast attendees can participate over
their lunch hours. Of course, if you've already got lunch plans,
we don't mind if you register for the other session that day.
Each two-hour webinar is only $150, and you'll
receive a copy of the instructor's PowerPoint presentation prior
to the webinar so you can take notes, and we'll mail you a Certificate
of Completion at the end of each webinar. Additional attendees from
your company can attend on the same internet connection for only
$50 each.
These webinars have been incredibily popular,
and we expect this upcoming series to be even more so. Don't miss
out on this great opportunity to learn. Register
now online at the IBT website or by calling us at 1-800-641-0920.
You'll be glad you did!
Top of Page
By Richard Vitas Palaikis II email
| bio
If you are involved in the exportation of merchandise
from the United States, then you will want to be more vigilant
than ever as the export control reform initiative, which was
announced by President Obama last August, begins to unfold
in front of us.
On April 20, the Obama Administration announced the results
of their interagency review of the export control system that
included their key recommendations and proposed methodology
for implementing the reformed export control system.
Currently, the export control system is based upon two distinctly
different control lists that are not administered by the same
governmental agency, three distinctly different licensing
agencies that are not able to review licenses issued by the
other two agencies, various governmental agencies and departments
that have overlapping and/or duplicative authority, and segmentation
of computer systems that contain vital information to the
licensing process, which are either not compatible with one
another or possess limited compatibility. In addition, some
agencies do not have any access to computer systems to obtain
information vital to the licensing process.
The revised export control system would include the following
and would most likely be implemented through a three phase
process:
-
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a single agency responsible for enforcement
of the regulations,
-
a single computer database system, and
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a single licensing agency.
Phase I
The first phase of reform would allow for immediate improvements
without the need for Congressional approval. These improvements
include refining and harmonizing the control list to eliminate
confusion over jurisdiction, streamlining measures to improve
the licensing process, standardizing policies and processes
applicable to the licensing process, and determining the best
way to integrate the various computer database systems utilized
today into a single point of contact for exporters.
Phase II
The second phase would require Congressional approval and
would include the restructuring of the two control lists used
today into two identical tiered structures that could be modified
as conditions warranted, implementing license harmonization
to allow export authorization requirements to become aligned
with national security requirements, and beginning the migration
toward integrating the various computer database systems.
Phase III
The third and final phase would require Congressional approval
to merge the two control lists created in Phase II into a
single control list with procedures in place to keep the control
list relevant. It would also implement a single licensing
agency, enforce export regulations through one single governmental
agency, and implement a single computer database system for
all export activities.
Keep an eye on the export control system as changes are coming,
and those changes will have a significant impact on the export
process you have been accustomed to for so many years.
Top of Page
Thousands of successful exporters are using
Shipping Solutions to complete their export documents faster,
easier and less expensively than ever before. Why aren't you?
If you're too busy trying to complete your export
documents by hand to spend some time reviewing the Shipping
Solutions Professional export documentation and compliance
software yourself, let us do it for you! Sign
up for one of our free online demos and let us give you
a one-hour overview of the software.
We'll take you step-by-step through the process
of completing your export forms, filing your SEDs electronically
through AES, and checking your exports against the various
government restricted parties lists and export regulations
to make sure your shipments are in compliance, and you—and
your company—stay out of trouble.
These free online demos are available on Tuesdays
at 1:00 p.m. and Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. Central Time. All
you need is an Internet connection to watch the demo and a
phone to listen in and ask questions about the software. It's
the perfect opportunity to get your first view of Shipping
Solutions or to convince your co-workers and your boss that
Shipping Solutions is the perfect solution for your company.
See why Shipping Solutions is America's #1 export
software. Sign
up for the free online demo today!
Top of Page
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