General requirements. The filer of EEI for export transactions is either the USPPI, or the U.S. authorized agent. All EEI submitted to the AES shall be complete, correct, and based on personal knowledge of the facts stated or on information furnished by the parties to the export transaction. The filer shall be physically located in the United States at the time of filing, have an EIN or DUNS and be certified to report in the AES. In the event that the filer does not have an EIN or DUNS, the filer must obtain an EIN from the Internal Revenue Service. The filer is responsible for the truth, accuracy, and completeness of the EEI, except insofar as that party can demonstrate that it reasonably relied on information furnished by other responsible persons participating in the transaction. All parties involved in export transactions, including U.S. authorized agents, should be aware that invoices and other commercial documents may not necessarily contain all the information needed to prepare the EEI. The parties shall ensure that all information needed for reporting to the AES, including correct export licensing information, is provided to the U.S. authorized agent for the purpose of correctly preparing the EEI.

Parties to the export transaction—(1) Principal parties in interest. Those persons in a transaction that receive the primary benefit, monetary or otherwise, are considered principal parties to the transaction. Generally, the principal parties in interest in a transaction are the seller and buyer. In most cases, the forwarding or other agent is not a principal party in interest.

USPPI. For purposes of filing EEI, the USPPI is the person or legal entity in the United States that receives the primary benefit, monetary or otherwise, from the transaction. Generally, that person or entity is the U.S. seller, manufacturer, order party, or foreign entity if in the United States at the time goods are purchased or obtained for export. The foreign entity shall be listed as the USPPI if it is in the United States when the items are purchased or obtained for export. The foreign entity shall then follow the provisions for filing the EEI specified in §§ 30.3 and 30.6 pertaining to the USPPI.

If a U.S. manufacturer sells goods directly to an entity in a foreign area, the U.S. manufacturer shall be listed as the USPPI in the EEI.

If a U.S. manufacturer sells goods, as a domestic sale, to a U.S. buyer (wholesaler/distributor) and that U.S. buyer sells the goods for export to a FPPI, the U.S. buyer (wholesaler/distributor) shall be listed as the USPPI in the EEI.

If a U.S. order party directly arranges for the sale and export of goods to the FPPI, the U.S. order party shall be listed as the USPPI in the EEI.

If a customs broker is listed as the importer of record when entering goods into the United States for immediate consumption or warehousing entry, the customs broker may be listed as the USPPI in the EEI if the goods are subsequently exported without change or enhancement.

If a foreign person is listed as the importer of record when entering goods into the United States for immediate consumption or warehousing entry, the customs broker who entered the goods, may be listed as the USPPI in the EEI if the goods are subsequently exported without change or enhancement.

Authorized agent. The agent shall be authorized by the USPPI or, in the case of a routed export transaction, the agent shall be authorized by the FPPI to prepare and file the EEI. In a routed export transaction, the authorized agent can be the “exporter” for export control purposes as defined in 15 CFR 772.1 of the U.S. Department of Commerce EAR. However, the authorized agent shall not be shown as the USPPI in the EEI unless the agent acts as a USPPI in the export transaction as defined in paragraphs (b)(2)(iii), (iv), and (v) of this section.

Carrier. A carrier is an individual or legal entity in the business of transporting passengers or goods. Airlines, trucking companies, railroad companies, shipping lines, and pipeline companies are all examples of carriers.

General responsibilities of parties in export transactions—(1) USPPI responsibilities. (i) The USPPI can prepare and file the EEI itself, or it can authorize an agent to prepare and file the EEI on its behalf. If the USPPI prepares the EEI itself, the USPPI is responsible for the accuracy and timely transmission of all the export information reported to the AES.

When the USPPI authorizes an agent to file the EEI on its behalf, the USPPI is responsible for:

Providing the authorized agent with accurate and timely export information necessary to file the EEI.

Providing the authorized agent with a power of attorney or written authorization to file the EEI (see paragraph (f) of this section for written authorization requirements for agents).

Retaining documentation to support the information provided to the authorized agent for filing the EEI, as specified in § 30.10.

Authorized agent responsibilities. The agent, when authorized by a USPPI to prepare and file the EEI for an export transaction, is responsible for performing the following activities:

Accurate preparation and timely filing of the EEI based on information received from the USPPI and other parties involved in the transaction.

Obtaining a power of attorney or written authorization from the USPPI to file the EEI.

Retaining documentation to support the information reported to the AES, as specified in § 30.10.

Upon request, providing the USPPI with a copy of the export information filed in a mutually agreed upon format.

Carrier responsibilities. (i) The carrier must not load or move cargo unless the required documentation, from the USPPI or authorized agent, contains the required AES proof of filing, postdeparture, downtime, exclusion or exemption citations. This information must be cited on the first page of the bill of lading, air waybill, or other commercial loading documents.

The carrier must annotate the AES proof of filing, postdeparture, downtime, exclusion or exemption citations on the carrier's outbound manifest when required.

The carrier is responsible for presenting the required AES proof of filing, postdeparture, downtime, exclusion or exemption citations to the CBP Port Director at the port of export as stated in Subpart E of this part. Such presentation shall be without material change or amendment of the proof of filing, postdeparture, downtime, exclusion or exemption citation.

The carrier shall notify the USPPI or the authorized agent of changes to the transportation data, and the USPPI or the authorized agent shall electronically transmit the corrections, cancellations, or amendments as soon as the corrections are known in accordance with § 30.9. Manifest amendments must be made in accordance with CBP regulations.

Retain documents pertaining to the export shipment as specified in § 30.10.

Filer responsibilities. Responsibilities of USPPIs and authorized agents filing EEI are as follows:

Filing complete and accurate information (see § 30.4 for a delineation of filing responsibilities of USPPIs and authorized agents).

Filing information in a timely manner in accordance with the provisions and requirements contained in this part.

Responding to fatal errors, warning, verify and reminder messages, and compliance alerts generated by the AES in accordance with provisions and requirements contained in this part.

Providing the exporting carrier with the required proof of filing citations or exemption legends in accordance with provisions contained in this part.

Promptly filing corrections or cancellations to EEI in accordance with provisions contained in § 30.9.

Retaining all necessary and proper documentation related to EEI transactions in accordance with provisions contained in this part (see § 30.10 for specific requirements for retaining and producing documentation for export shipments).

Responsibilities of parties in a routed export transaction. The Census Bureau recognizes “routed export transactions” as a subset of export transactions. A routed export transaction is a transaction in which the FPPI authorizes a U.S. agent to facilitate the export of items from the United States and to prepare and file EEI.

USPPI responsibilities. In a routed export transaction, the FPPI may authorize or agree to allow the USPPI to prepare and file the EEI. If the FPPI agrees to allow the USPPI to file the EEI, the FPPI must provide a written authorization to the USPPI assuming the responsibility for filing. The USPPI may authorize an agent to file the EEI on its behalf. If the USPPI or its agent prepares and files the EEI, it shall retain documentation to support the EEI filed. If the FPPI agrees to allow the USPPI to file EEI, the filing of the export transaction shall be treated as a routed export transaction. If the FPPI authorizes an agent to prepare and file the EEI, the USPPI shall retain documentation to support the information provided to the agent for preparing the EEI as specified in § 30.10 and provide the agent with the following information to assist in preparing the EEI:

Name and address of the USPPI.

USPPI's EIN or DUNS

State of origin (State).

FTZ if applicable.

Commercial description of commodities.

Origin of goods indicator: Domestic (D) or Foreign (F).

Schedule B or HTSUSA, Classification Commodity Code.

Quantities/units of measure.

Value.

Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) or sufficient technical information to determine the ECCN.

All licensing information necessary to file the EEI for commodities where the Department of State, the Department of Commerce, or other U.S. government agency issues a license for the commodities being exported, or the merchandise is being exported under a license exemption or license exception.

Any information that it knows will affect the determination of license authorization (see Subpart B of this part for additional information on licensing requirements).

For items in paragraph (e) (1) (ix), (x),(xi) and (xii) of this section, where the FPPI has assumed responsibility for determining and obtaining license authority see requirements set forth in 15 CFR 758.3 of the EAR.

Authorized agent responsibilities. In a routed export transaction, if an authorized agent is preparing and filing the EEI on behalf of the FPPI, the authorized agent must obtain a power of attorney or written authorization from the FPPI and prepare and file the EEI based on information obtained from the USPPI or other parties involved in the transaction. The authorized agent shall be responsible for filing EEI accurately and timely in accordance with the FTR. Upon request, the authorized agent will provide the USPPI with a copy of the power of attorney or written authorization from the FPPI. The authorized agent shall also retain documentation to support the EEI reported through the AES. The authorized agent shall upon request, provide the USPPI with the data elements in paragraphs (e)(1)(i) through (xii) of this section, the date of export as submitted through the AES, the filer name, and the ITN. The authorized agent shall provide the following information through the AES:

Date of export.

Transportation Reference Number.

Ultimate consignee.

Intermediate consignee, if applicable.

Authorized agent name and address.

EIN or DUNS of the authorized agent.

Country of ultimate destination.

Method of transportation.

Carrier identification and conveyance name.

Port of export.

Foreign port of unlading.

Shipping weight.

ECCN.

License or license exemption information.

Ultimate consignee type.

For items in paragraphs (e)(2)(xiii) and (xiv) of this section, where the FPPI has assumed responsibility for determining and obtaining license authority, see requirements set forth in 15 CFR 758.3 of the EAR.

Authorizing an agent. In a power of attorney or other written authorization, authority is conferred upon an agent to perform certain specified acts or kinds of acts on behalf of a principal (see 15 CFR 758.1(h) of the EAR). In cases where an authorized agent is filing EEI to the AES, the agent shall obtain a power of attorney or written authorization from a principal party in interest to file the information on its behalf. A power of attorney or written authorization should specify the responsibilities of the parties with particularity and should state that the agent has authority to act on behalf of a principal party in interest as its true and lawful agent for purposes of creating and filing EEI in accordance with the laws and regulations of the United States. In routed export transactions the USPPI is not required to provide an agent of the FPPI with a power of attorney or written authorization.

The EAR defines the “exporter” as the person in the United States who has the authority of a principal party in interest to determine and control the sending of items out of the United States (see 15 CFR 772 of the EAR). For statistical purposes “exporter” is not defined in the FTR. Instead, however, the USPPI is defined in the FTR.