A BE-10, Benchmark Survey of U.S. Direct Investment Abroad, will be conducted every five years and covers years ending in 4 and 9. All legal authorities, provisions, definitions, and requirements contained in §§801.1 and 801.2 and 801.4 through 801.6 are applicable to this survey. Specific additional rules and regulations for the BE-10 survey are given in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section. More detailed instructions are given on the report forms and instructions.

(a) Response required. A response is required from persons subject to the reporting requirements of the BE-10, Benchmark Survey of U.S. Direct Investment Abroad, contained in this section, whether or not they are contacted by BEA. Also, a person, or their agent, contacted in writing by BEA about reporting in this survey must respond by filing a properly completed BE-10 report (BE-10A and BE-10B, BE-10C, BE-10D, and/or BE-10 Claim for Not Filing).

(b) Who must report. A BE-10 report is required of any U.S. person that had a foreign affiliate—that is, that had direct or indirect ownership or control of at least 10 percent of the voting stock of an incorporated foreign business enterprise, or an equivalent interest in an unincorporated foreign business enterprise, including a branch—at the end of the U.S. person's fiscal year that ended in the calendar year covered by the survey. Foreign affiliates that are private funds and meet certain criteria are exempt from the BE-10 survey. Specifically, if a foreign affiliate meets all of the criteria in paragraphs (b)(1) though (3) of this section, the U.S. reporter is not required to file a BE-10 form for that affiliate except to indicate exemption from the survey if contacted by BEA:

(1) The foreign affiliate is a private fund; and

(2) The private fund foreign affiliate does not own, directly or indirectly through another business enterprise, an “operating company”—i.e., a business enterprise that is not a private fund or a holding company—in which the consolidated U.S. reporter owns at least 10 percent of the voting interest; and

(3) If the U.S. reporter owns the private fund indirectly (through one or more other business enterprises), there are no “operating companies” between the consolidated U.S. reporter and the indirectly-owned foreign private fund.

(c) Forms to be filed.

(1) Form BE-10A must be completed by a U.S. reporter. Form BE-10A is required to cover the fully consolidated U.S. domestic business enterprise. It must also file Form(s) BE-10B, BE-10C, and/or BE-10D for its foreign affiliates, whether held directly or indirectly.

(2) Form BE-10B must be filed for each majority-owned foreign affiliate (for purposes of this survey, a “majority-owned” foreign affiliate is one in which the combined direct and indirect ownership interest of all U.S. parents of the foreign affiliate exceeds 50 percent) for which any of the items in paragraph (c)(2)(i) through (iii) of this section (not just the U.S. reporter's share) was greater than $80 million (positive or negative) at the end of, or for, its fiscal year that ended in the calendar year covered by the survey:

(i) Total assets (without netting liabilities);

(ii) Sales or gross operating revenues, excluding sales taxes; or

(iii) Net income after provision for foreign income taxes.

(3) Form BE-10C must be filed:

(i) For each majority-owned foreign affiliate for which any one of the three items listed in paragraph (c)(2) of this section was greater than $25 million but for which none of these items was greater than $80 million (positive or negative) at the end of, or for, its fiscal year that ended in the calendar year covered by the survey; and

(ii) For each minority-owned foreign affiliate (for purposes of this survey, a “minority-owned” foreign affiliate is one in which the combined direct and indirect ownership interest of all U.S. parents of the foreign affiliate is 50 percent or less) for which any one of the three items listed in paragraph (c)(2) of this section was greater than $25 million (positive or negative) at the end of, or for, its fiscal year that ended in the calendar year covered by the survey.

(4) Form BE-10D must be filed for majority- or minority-owned foreign affiliates for which none of the three items listed in paragraph (c)(2) of this section was greater than $25 million (positive or negative) at the end of, or for, its fiscal year that ended in the calendar year covered by the survey. Form BE-10D is a schedule; a U.S. reporter would submit one or more pages of the form depending on the number of affiliates that are required to be filed on this form.

(5) BE-10 Claim for Not Filing will be provided for response by:

(i) Persons that are not subject to the reporting requirements of the BE-10 survey but have been contacted by BEA concerning their reporting status; or

(ii) U.S. reporters that have been contacted by BEA concerning their reporting status for foreign affiliates that are no longer subject to the reporting requirements of the BE-10 survey.

(d) Due date. A fully completed and certified BE-10 report comprising Form BE-10A and Form(s) BE-10B, BE-10C, BE-10D, and/or BE-10 Claim for Not Filing (as required) is due to be filed with BEA not later than May 31 of the year after the year covered by the survey, for those U.S. reporters filing fewer than 50, and June 30, for those U.S. reporters filing 50 or more, foreign affiliate Forms BE-10B, BE-10C, and/or BE-10D.

[84 FR 60915, Nov. 12, 2019]