(a) Introduction to Steps for License Exceptions. If your export or reexport is subject to the EAR and is subject to General Prohibitions One (Exports and Reexports), Two (Parts and Components Reexports), or Three (Foreign-Produced Direct Product Reexports), consider the steps listed in paragraph (b) of this section. If your export or reexport is subject to General Prohibitions Four (Denial Orders), Seven (U.S. Person Proliferation Activity), Eight (In-Transit), Nine (Orders, Terms, and Conditions), or Ten (Knowledge Violation to Occur), there are no License Exceptions available for your export or reexport. If your export is subject to General Prohibition Five (End-Use End-User), consult part 744 of the EAR. If your export or reexport is subject to General Prohibition Six (Embargo), consult part 746 of the EAR for applicable License Exceptions.

(b) Steps for License Exceptions—

(1) Step 20: Applicability of General Prohibitions. Determine whether any one or more of the general prohibitions described in §736.2(b) of the EAR apply to your export or reexport. If no general prohibition applies to your export or reexport, then you may proceed with your export or reexport and need not review part 740 of the EAR regarding License Exceptions. You are reminded of your recordkeeping obligations related to the clearance of the U.S. Customs Service provided in parts 762 and 758 of the EAR.

(2) Step 21: Applicability of restrictions on all License Exceptions. Determine whether any one or more of the restrictions in §740.2 of the EAR applies to your export or reexport. If any one or more of these restrictions apply, there are no License Exceptions available to you, and you must either obtain a license or refrain from the export or reexport.

(3) Step 22: Terms and conditions of the License Exceptions.

(i) If none of the restrictions in §740.2 of the EAR applies, then review each of the License Exceptions to determine whether any one of them authorizes your export or reexport. Eligibility for License Exceptions is based on the item, the country of ultimate destination, the end-use, and the end-user, along with any special conditions imposed within a specific License Exception.

(ii) You may meet the conditions for more than one License Exception. Moreover, although you may not qualify for some License Exceptions you may qualify for others. Review the broadest License Exceptions first, and use any License Exception available to you. You are not required to use the most restrictive applicable License Exception. If you fail to qualify for the License Exception that you first consider, you may consider any other License Exception until you have determined that no License Exception is available.

(iii) License Exceptions TMP, RPL, BAG, AVS, GOV, and TSU authorize exports notwithstanding the provisions of the CCL. List-based License Exceptions (LVS, GBS, CIV, TSR, and APP) are available only to the extent specified on the CCL. Part 740 of the EAR provides authorization for reexports only to the extent each License Exception expressly authorizes reexports. Some ECCNs contain License Exception STA exclusion paragraphs. Those paragraphs delineate items excluded from the License Exception STA provisions in §740.20(c)(2) of the EAR. License Exception APR authorizes reexports only.

(iv) If you are exporting under License Exceptions GBS, CIV, LVS, STA, APP, TSR or GOV, you should review §743.1 of the EAR to determine the applicability of certain reporting requirements. If you are exporting under License Exceptions LVS, TMP, RPL, STA, or GOV and your item is classified in the “600 series,” you should review §743.4 of the EAR to determine the applicability of certain reporting requirements for conventional arms exports.

(4) Step 23: Scope of License Exceptions. Some License Exceptions are limited by country or by type of item.

(i) Countries are arranged in country groups for ease of reference. For a listing of country groups, please refer to supplement no. 1 to part 740 of the EAR. Unless otherwise indicated in a License Exception, License Exceptions do not apply to any exports or reexports to embargoed destinations. If your export or reexport is subject to General Prohibition Six (Embargo) for embargoed destinations, License Exceptions are only available to the extent specifically provided in part 746 of the EAR concerning embargoed destinations.

(ii) Special commodity controls apply to short supply items. No License Exceptions described in part 740 of the EAR may be used for items listed on the CCL as controlled for Short Supply reasons. License Exceptions for short supply items are found in part 754 of the EAR.

(5) Step 24: Compliance with all terms and conditions. If a License Exception is available, you may proceed with your export or reexport. However, you must meet all the terms and conditions required by the License Exception that you determined authorized your export or reexport. You must also consult part 758 and 762 of the EAR to determine your recordkeeping and documentation requirements.

(6) Step 25: License requirements. If no License Exception is available, then you must either obtain a license before proceeding with your export or reexport or you must refrain from the proposed export or reexport.

(7) Step 26: License applications.

(i) If you are going to file a license application with BIS, you should first review the requirements in part 748 of the EAR. Exporters, reexporters, and transferors should review the instructions concerning applications and required support documents prior to submitting an application for a license.

(ii) If you are going to file a license application with BIS for the export, reexport, or in-country transfer for aircraft or military vessels controlled under ECCNs 0A606.a, 8A609.a, 8A620.a, 8A620.b, certain “spacecraft” controlled under ECCN subparagraphs 9A515.a.1, a.2, a.3, a.4 or 9A515.g, ECCN 9A610.a, or technology under ECCNs 9E515.b, .d, .e, or .f, §740.20(g) permits you to request in the application that subsequent exports of the type of aircraft, spacecraft, military vessels, or technology at issue be eligible for export under License Exception STA. The types of “items” controlled under ECCNs 0A606.a, 8A609.a, 8A620.a, 8A620.b, certain spacecraft controlled under ECCN subparagraphs 9A515.a.1, a.2, a.3, a.4 or 9A515.g, ECCN 9A610.a, and technology ECCNs 9E515.b, .d, .e, or .f, that have been determined to be eligible for License Exception STA pursuant to §740.20(g) are identified in the License Exceptions paragraphs of ECCNs 0A606, 8A609, 8A620, 9A610, 9A515, and 9E515. Supplement No. 2 to part 748, paragraph (w) (License Exception STA eligibility requests), contains the instructions for such applications.

[61 FR 12740, Mar. 25, 1996, as amended at 61 FR 64274, Dec. 4, 1996; 63 FR 2456, Jan. 15, 1998; 71 FR 20883, Apr. 24, 2006; 76 FR 35286, June 16, 2011; 78 FR 22706, Apr. 16, 2013; 82 FR 61155, Dec. 27, 2017]