Chemical Program

Summary: The mission of DEA’s Chemical Control Program is to reduce the supply of illicit drugs and diverted chemicals by disrupting and dismantling the operations and financial infrastructures of major trafficking organizations.  The production of illegal drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and MDMA (ecstasy) requires enormous quantities of precursor chemicals.  The Chemical Control Program works with domestic and international partners to target the drug and chemical trafficking organizations most responsible for the production, distribution, and diversion of precursor chemicals.  DEA’s strategy is to deny precursor chemicals  - raw products and chemicals – to drug trafficking organizations and, at the same time, to ensure an adequate supply for commercial licit markets.  DEA registration, record keeping and suspicious order reporting requirements apply to importers, exporters, manufacturers, distributors and certain retailers of 41 listed chemicals. Through a combination of industry outreach and voluntary compliance measures, DEA strives to control chemical diversion in partnership with industry and the public.

• Items of Interest
• Registration Process:
  • How to apply for a chemical registration
  • Contact Numbers: Inquiries on chemical registration
  • DEA Form 510 - New Application for Registration - Domestic Chemicals
• Bulk Chemical Manufacturer Reports (BCM Online)
• Import/Export Declaration Process:
  • DEA Form 486 - Import/Export Declaration - Chemical
  • DEA Form 486A - Import Declaration for Ephedrine, Pseudoephedrine, and Phenylpropanolamine - Chemical
  • Quarterly Reports on Imports of Acetone, Toluene, and MEK
    • CFR 1313.12
    • Suggested Quarterly Report Format (MS Excel file format)
    • Contact Numbers: Inquiries Quarterly Reporting
• Mail Order Reporting Process:
  • What are the reporting requirements?
  • Suggested Reporting Format (MS Excel file format)
  • Contact Numbers: Inquiries on mail order reporting
• Questions & Answers:
  • Chemical Registration and Reporting Requirements
• Resources:
  • Advisories to the Public: Developments in chemical diversion
  • Change in DEA Registration Requirements to Handle Iodine (PDF) (April 2008)
  • Chemical Handler's Manual - The 2004 edition was removed because subsequent legislative mandates have greatly altered the information. A current edition is under review
  • Guidance on Reporting Cumulative Threshold Transactions
  • Knowing Your Customer/Suspicious Orders Reporting: Guidelines on when to report
  • Policy Statement: Export of Chemicals From the U.S. to Colombia (March 28, 1996)
• Transshipment of Listed Chemicals
  A listed chemical may be imported into the United States for transshipment, or may be transferred or transshipped within the United States for immediate exportation, provided that written notice is submitted to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). See Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 1313.31 (a) for more details.
  • Transshipment Notification Instruction (PDF)