FAQ: Foreign Trade Barriers
What is a foreign trade barrier?
How do I report a Trade Complaint?
What happens if the other country does not remove the barrier?
What kinds of trade agreements are included in TCC’s Trade and Related Agreements (TARA) database?
What kinds of trade agreements are not included in the TARA database?
How many trade agreements are in TCC’s Trade and Related Agreements (TARA) database?
Does the TCC plan to add more trade agreements in the future?
What is a foreign trade barrier?
A foreign trade barrier is any barrier that impedes a company’s ability to trade in a foreign company. The most common trade barriers are listed below:
- Tariff and Customs,
- Service Barriers,
- Standards, testing, labeling, or Certification,
- Rules of Origin,
- Government Procurement Contracting,
- Intellectual Property Protection Problems,
- Excessive Government Requirements,
- Excessive Testing or Licensing Fees,
- Bribery, and
- Investment Barriers.
How do I report a Trade Complaint?
You may report a trade problem directly on-line by using our Trade Complaint Hotline or by writing or faxing the TCC with your complaint using the TCC contact information:
Trade Compliance Center
Market Access and Compliance/ITA
U.S. Department of Commerce
14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20230
FAX: (202) 482-6097
E-Mail: tcc@mail.doc.gov
Phone: (202) 482-1191
I don't know if the situation I am facing is a compliance violation or is even covered by a trade agreement? What do I do?
Contact the TCC anyway. You don't have to be a trade agreement expert. If you believe you are facing an unfair situation, let us know. Our specialists can determine if a trade agreement covers your case. If we believe it does, we will handle it as a compliance complaint. If it does not, the Commerce Department's market access country specialists or industry specialists may be able to help, or some other part of the US. government may be able to help.
What happens if the other country does not remove the barrier?
If the compliance process begun by the TCC does not result in resolving the problem, and if the officials of the foreign country cannot be convinced to act positively, then the U.S. government may examine whether we should turn toward active enforcement of our trade rights.
Agreements such as the WTO and NAFTA provide for enforceable dispute settlement. If the TCC is unable to achieve voluntary compliance on the part of the other country, we then turn to USTR's Enforcement Office and seek to have the problem considered for dispute settlement procedures.
What kinds of trade agreements are included in TCC’s Trade and Related Agreements (TARA) database?
The TARA database includes active, binding agreements between the U.S. and its trading partners covering manufactured products and services. The parties to the agreements in TARA are national governments, agencies or inter-governmental organizations.
What kinds of trade agreements are not included in the TARA database?
The TARA database does not include agricultural commodity agreements, Trade and Investment Framework (TIFA) Agreements, Ministerial or Summit statements or Declarations. Exporters who are interested in viewing the texts of agriculture commodity agreements can visit USDA’s Trade Policy website.
How many trade agreements are in TCC’s Trade and Related Agreements (TARA) database?
There are about 270 trade and related agreements in the TARA database.
Does the TCC plan to add more trade agreements in the future?
Yes, as new trade agreements are implemented, they will be added to the TCC website.
