[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 191 (Monday, October 4, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 53861-53866]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25651]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census

15 CFR Part 30

[Docket No. 980716180-9171-02]
RIN 0607-AA20


Clarification of Exporters' and Forwarding Agents' 
Responsibilities; Authorizing an Agent To Prepare and File a Shipper's 
Export Declaration on Behalf of a Principal Party in Interest

AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Commerce.

ACTION: Supplementary notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) proposes amending the 
Foreign Trade Statistics Regulations (FTSR), 15 CFR part 30, to clarify 
the responsibilities of exporters and forwarding agents in completing 
the Shipper's Export Declaration (SED) and to clarify provisions for 
authorizing forwarding agents to prepare and file an SED or file the 
export information electronically using the Automated Export System 
(AES) on behalf of a principal party in interest.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before December 3, 
1999.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments on this proposed rulemaking to 
the Director, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 2049, Federal Building 3, 
Washington, D.C. 20233.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to C. Harvey Monk, Jr., Chief, Foreign Trade 
Division, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 2104, Federal Building 3, 
Washington, D.C. 20233-6700, by telephone on (301) 457-2255 or by fax 
on (301) 457-2645.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Census Bureau is responsible for collecting, compiling, and 
publishing trade statistics for the United States. These data are used 
by various Federal Government agencies and the private sector for 
planning and policy development. In order to accomplish its mission, 
the Census Bureau must receive accurate statistical information from 
the trade community. The Shipper's Export Declaration (SED) and the 
Automated Export System (AES) record are the primary vehicles used for 
collecting such trade data, and the information contained therein is 
used by the Census Bureau for statistical purposes only and is 
confidential under the provisions of Title 13, United States Code 
(U.S.C.), Section 301(g). The Census Bureau's primary objective in this 
proposed rule is to ensure the accuracy of its trade statistics and to 
clarify reporting responsibilities for all parties involved in export 
transactions.
    As such the Census Bureau proposes amending the FTSR to clarify 
responsibilities of exporters and forwarding agents in completing the 
SED and to clarify who should be listed in the ``Exporter'' box on the 
SED and in the exporter field on the AES record. This proposed rule 
defines new terms, including ``U.S. principal party in interest'' and 
``routed export transaction,'' and clarifies existing ones (notably the 
definition of ``exporter'') for purposes of completing the SED. The 
proposed rule will also clarify provisions authorizing an agent to 
prepare and file an SED or its AES electronic equivalent on behalf of a 
principal party in interest.
    The Census Bureau published a notice of proposed rulemaking on this 
subject in the Federal Register on August 6, 1998 (63 FR 41979). As a 
result of comments received on that proposed rulemaking and subsequent 
discussions with the Bureau of Export Administration (BXA), the Census 
Bureau has decided to issue a supplementary notice of proposed 
rulemaking to address the issues raised during the comment period and 
to further clarify provisions contained in that notice of proposed 
rulemaking. The BXA is also revising appropriate sections of the Export 
Administration Regulations (EAR) in a document published elsewhere in 
this issue of the Federal Register. The EAR will conform to the 
provisions of the FTSR in reference to clarifying the responsibilities 
of exporters and forwarding agents in completing the SED, and BXA will 
also propose changes to the EAR to simplify export clearance.

Comments

    The Census Bureau received sixty-nine (69) comments on the notice 
of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register on August 6, 
1998 (63 FR 41979). Of the comments received, fifty-nine (59) were 
opposed to some provisions of the proposed rule and ten supported the 
proposed rulemaking. Of the fifty-nine comments opposed to the proposed 
rule, twenty-four (24) had interpreted the rule to require that the 
``manufacturer'' always be listed as the exporter of record on the SED 
in all export transactions. This was a misinterpretation of the 
proposed rule, and the revised proposed rulemaking will clearly 
stipulate that only the ``U.S. seller or principal party in interest'' 
be listed as the exporter on the SED. Only when the manufacturer is the 
actual ``seller of the merchandise for export'' should it be listed as 
exporter on the SED or AES electronic record.
    The other major reason for opposition to the proposed rule 
concerned identifying the U.S. seller or principal as the ``exporter of 
record'' in EX WORKS (EXW) transactions. EXW is a ``term of sale'' 
whereby the foreign buyer takes possession of the merchandise in the 
United States, and the foreign buyer takes responsibility for 
facilitating the export of the merchandise out of the United States, 
including export documentation responsibility. The major concern the 
U.S. sellers presented, when required to be listed as the ``exporter of 
record'' in these transactions, is that the U.S. seller does not have 
effective control over the merchandise once it is turned over to the 
foreign buyer's agent. The U.S. seller does not want to be held liable 
for any export control violations that may occur in such a transaction.
    The proposed Census Bureau export regulations do not intend to 
interfere with the terms of sale between the

[[Page 53862]]

foreign buyer and the U.S. seller in the export transaction. However, 
in order to collect accurate trade statistics, it is critical to have 
the actual ``U.S. seller or principal party in interest'' listed as 
exporter on the SED or the AES electronic record. BXA's proposed rule 
addresses the liability concerns of exporters in such transactions.
    The ten comments in support of the proposed rule indicated approval 
for the clarification of duties and responsibilities of exporters and 
forwarding agents and the clarification of the power of attorney 
provisions contained in the proposed rule. Those comments supported the 
clarification of the definition of exporter and felt it gave them more 
control over the export transaction even in the EXW transaction. The 
Census Bureau responded to all comments and informed the commentors 
that a supplementary notice of proposed rulemaking would be issued to 
address their concerns.

Response to Comments and Proposed Action

    In response to the comments received from the trade community on 
the notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register on 
August 6, 1998 (63 FR 41979), the Census Bureau proposes amending 15 
CFR Part 30 to: (a) define the term ``exporter,'' for purposes of the 
FTSR and completing the SED or AES record, as the U.S. principal party 
in interest in the export transaction; (b) clarify the reporting 
responsibilities of the U.S. principal party in interest and forwarding 
agent in completing the SED or AES record; (c) clarify provisions for 
authorizing an agent to prepare and file an SED or file the information 
electronically using the AES; and (d) clarify the documentation and 
compliance responsibilities of parties involved in the export 
transaction. For purposes of this rule all references to preparing and 
filing the paper SED also pertain to preparing and filing the AES 
electronic record.
    This proposed rule will clarify the responsibilities of the U.S. 
principal party in interest and the forwarding agent in preparing the 
SED or AES record. For export shipments the Census Bureau recognizes 
``routed export transactions'' as a subset of ``export transactions.'' 
A routed export transaction is where the foreign principal party in 
interest authorizes a U.S. forwarding or other agent to facilitate 
export of items from the United States.
    For purposes of completing the SED or AES record, the Exporter is 
the U.S. principal party in interest in the transaction. The U.S. 
principal party in interest is the person in the United States that 
receives the primary benefit, monetary or otherwise, of the export 
transaction. Generally, that person would be the U.S. seller, 
manufacturer, order party, or foreign entity, if in the United States 
when signing the SED. In most cases, the forwarding agent is not a 
principal party in interest. The Exporter box on the SED will be 
revised to read ``Exporter (U.S. Principal Party in Interest).''
    However, 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 EAR 15 CFR Part 772). This definition permits the forwarding agent 
to apply for a license and act as exporter in some transactions.
    The person who signs the SED must be in the United States at the 
time of signing. If a U.S. manufacturer sells merchandise directly to a 
foreign buyer for export, the U.S. manufacturer must be listed as the 
U.S. principal party in interest on the SED. If a U.S. manufacturer 
sells merchandise, as a domestic sale, to a U.S. buyer (wholesaler/
distributor) and that U.S. buyer sells the merchandise to a foreign 
principal for export, the U.S. seller (wholesaler/distributor) must be 
listed as the U.S. principal party in interest on the SED. If a U.S. 
order party, as defined in Sec. 30.4(a)(1) of this rule, arranges for 
the sale and export of merchandise to a foreign principal directly, the 
U.S. order party must be listed as the U.S. principal party in interest 
on the SED.
    For purposes of completing the SED or AES record, the forwarding 
agent is the person in the United States who is authorized by the U.S. 
principal party in interest or, in a routed transaction, the foreign 
principal, to prepare and file the SED or its AES electronic 
equivalent. In routed export transactions, the forwarding agent and the 
exporter may be the same for compliance purposes under the EAR, but the 
forwarding agent is rarely the ``exporter'' in box 1a of the SED or in 
the ``exporter'' field of the AES record. For example, only when a 
forwarding agent acts as an ``order party'' can they be listed as 
``exporter'' in box 1a on the SED or in the ``exporter'' field of the 
AES record.
    The U.S. principal party in interest can prepare and file the SED 
or AES record, or it can authorize a forwarding agent to prepare and 
file the SED or AES record on its behalf. If the U.S. principal party 
in interest authorizes a forwarding agent to complete the SED or AES 
record on its behalf, the U.S. principal party in interest is 
responsible for: (A) Providing the forwarding agent with the 
information necessary to complete the SED or AES record; (B) Providing 
the forwarding agent with authorization to complete the SED or AES 
record, in the form of a power of attorney or written authorization, or 
signing the authorization box printed on the paper SED (box 23 on Form 
7525-V or box 29 on Form 7525-V-ALT); and (C) Maintaining the 
documentation to support the information provided to the forwarding 
agent for completing the SED or AES record.
    The forwarding agent, if authorized by a principal party in 
interest, is responsible for: (A) Preparing the SED or AES record, 
based on instructions received from the U.S. principal party in 
interest or other parties in the transaction; (B) Providing the U.S. 
principal party in interest with a copy of the export information filed 
in the form of a completed SED, an electronic facsimile, or in any 
other manner prescribed by the exporter; and (C) Maintaining the 
documentation to support the information reported on the SED or AES 
record.
    In a routed export transaction, where a foreign principal 
designates a U.S. forwarding agent to act on its behalf to prepare and 
file the SED or AES record, the U.S. principal party in interest must 
provide the forwarding agent with the following information to assist 
them in preparing the SED or AES record: (1) Name and address of the 
exporter (U.S. principal party in interest); (2) Exporter's (U.S. 
principal party in interest) Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Employer 
Identification Number (EIN); (3) point of origin (State or Foreign 
Trade Zone (FTZ)); (4) schedule B description of commodities; (5) 
domestic (D), foreign (F), or Foreign Military Sale (FMS) (M) code; (6) 
Schedule B Number; (7) quantity; (8) Upon request by the foreign 
principal or its agent, the Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) 
or with sufficient technical information to determine classification; 
(9) Any information that it knows will affect the determination of 
license authority.

    (Note: For Items 8 and 9, where the foreign principal party in 
interest has assumed responsibility for determining and obtaining 
license authority, the EAR sets forth the information sharing 
requirements that apply at 15 CFR 758.2(d)).

    In a routed export transaction, the forwarding agent is responsible 
for preparing the SED or AES record based on instructions received from 
the U.S. principal party in interest and other parties involved in the 
transaction. In addition to reporting the information

[[Page 53863]]

provided by the U.S. principal party in interest on the SED or AES 
record, the forwarding agent must provide the following export 
information on the SED or AES record: (1) Date of exportation; (2) bill 
of lading/airway bill number; (3) ultimate consignee; (4) intermediate 
consignee; (5) forwarding agent name and address; (6) country of 
ultimate destination; (7) loading pier; (8) method of transportation; 
(9) exporting carrier; (10) port of export; (11) port of unloading; 
(12) containerized; (13) weight; (14) value; (15) ECCN; (16) License 
Authority;

    (Note: For items 15 and 16 where the foreign principal party in 
interest has assumed responsibility for determining and obtaining 
license authority, the EAR sets forth the information sharing 
requirements that apply at 15 Sec. 758.2(d));

and
    (17) signing the certification statement on the paper SED (box 24 
on Form 7525-V and box 36 on Form 7525-V-ALT). In a routed export 
transaction, the U.S. principal party in interest must be listed as 
exporter (U.S. principal party in interest) on the SED or on the AES 
record.
    In a routed export transaction, the forwarding agent is responsible 
for: (A) Obtaining a power of attorney or written authorization from 
the foreign principal to act on its behalf; (B) Upon request, providing 
the U.S. principal party in interest with appropriate documentation 
verifying that the information provided by the U.S. principal party in 
interest was accurately reported on the SED or AES record; and (C) 
Maintaining the documentation to support the information reported on 
the SED or AES record.
    The FTSR places primary responsibility for compliance of the SED 
and AES requirements on the U.S. principal party in interest in an 
export transaction and on the forwarding agent in a routed export 
transaction. However, the FTSR also considers all parties involved in 
the transaction responsible for the truth, accuracy, and completeness 
of the information reported on the SED. The parties to the transaction 
must provide the forwarding agent with the information necessary to 
correctly prepare the paper SED or to file the data electronically 
using the AES. As always, documentation must be maintained by all 
parties involved in the transaction to support the information reported 
on the SED or the AES record.
    All parties that participate in transactions subject to the FTSR 
are responsible for compliance with the FTSR. In all cases where a 
violation of the FTSR occurs, the documentation of all parties involved 
in the transaction must be made available to the proper enforcement 
officials to determine the liability and responsibility for the export 
violation pursuant to FTSR Sec. 30.11. Acting through a forwarding or 
other agent or delegating or redelegating authority does not in and of 
itself relieve anyone of their compliance responsibility.
    This notice further clarifies provisions for using a power of 
attorney or written authorization when a principal party in interest 
authorizes a forwarding agent to prepare and file the SED on its behalf 
and when the SED information is filed electronically, using the AES. 
Suggested formats for a power of attorney and a written authorization 
for executing a SED are available upon request from the U.S. Census 
Bureau, Foreign Trade Division (FTD).
    This amendment will further specify in Sec. 30.4(f) the requirement 
that the SED be prepared in English. This provision is already included 
in the Census Bureau's instructions for completing the SED and this 
amendment will simply include that requirement in the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR).
    In addition, this amendment clarifies the provision in 
Sec. 30.7(d)(2) that a foreign principal, if operating in the U.S. at 
the time of export, must be listed as exporter (U.S. principal party in 
interest) on the SED, but does not need to report an IRS EIN or a 
Social Security Number (SSN) on the SED. Using an EIN or SSN that is 
not your own is prohibited. However, if no EIN or SSN is available, the 
Dunn and Bradstreet (DUNS) number, border crossing number, passport 
number, or any number assigned by U.S. Customs is required to be 
reported.
    The revisions contained in this supplementary notice of proposed 
rulemaking are consistent with the provisions of the BXA's proposed 
revisions to the EAR regarding the export control responsibilities of 
exporters and forwarding agents. The Department of the Treasury concurs 
with the provisions contained in this proposed rule.

Program Requirements

    In order to comply with the requests from the trade community to 
update the provisions of the FTSR and to clarify the items discussed 
above, the Census Bureau proposes amending appropriate sections of the 
FTSR.
    The Census Bureau proposes revising Section 30.4 to: (A) Define the 
term ``exporter,'' for purposes of the FTSR and completing the SED or 
AES electronic record, as the U.S. principal party in interest in the 
export transaction; (B) Clarify the reporting responsibilities of the 
U.S. principal party in interest and forwarding agent in completing the 
SED or AES record; (C) Clarify provisions for obtaining authorization 
for preparing and filing the SED or the AES electronic record; and (D) 
Clarify the documentation and compliance responsibilities of parties 
involved in the export transaction.
    The Census Bureau proposes redesignating Section 30.4(b) to Section 
30.4(f) and include the provision that the SED be prepared in English 
to be consistent with the current instructions for preparing the SED.
    The Census Bureau proposes redesignating Section 30.4(C) to Section 
30.4 (g) with minor wording revisions.
    The Census Bureau proposes amending Section 30.7(d)(1), ``Name of 
exporter and exporter's Employer Identification Number,'' to clarify 
the designation of ``exporter'' named on the SED by reference to 
Sec. 30.4.
    The Census Bureau proposes amending Section 30.7(d)(2), ``Exporters 
Employer Identification Number,'' to clarify the requirement that a 
foreign principal, if in the United States when signing the SED, must 
be listed as ``exporter'' on the SED or AES record. However, if no EIN 
or SSN is available, the DUNS number, border crossing number, passport 
number, or any number assigned by U.S. Customs is required to be 
reported.
    The Census Bureau further proposes amending section 30.7(e), 
``Agent of exporter (forwarding agent),'' to specify the 
responsibilities of the forwarding agent in preparing the SED by 
reference to Sec. 30.4.

Rulemaking Requirements

    This proposed rule is exempt from all requirements of Section 553 
of the Administrative Procedure Act because it deals with a foreign 
affairs function (5 U.S.C. (A) (1)). However, this rule is being 
published as a proposed rule with an opportunity for public comment 
because of the importance of the issues raised by this rulemaking.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Because a notice of proposed rulemaking is not required by 5 U.S.C. 
553 or any other law, a Regulatory Flexibility Analysis is not required 
and has not been prepared (5 U.S.C. 603(a)).

Executive Orders

    This proposed rule has been determined to be significant for 
purposes of Executive Order 12866. This proposed rule does not contain 
policies with Federalism implications

[[Page 53864]]

sufficient to warrant preparation of a Federalism assessment under 
Executive Order 12612.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person is required 
to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to, a penalty for failure 
to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements 
of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) unless that collection of 
information displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) control number.
    This proposed rule covers collections of information subject to the 
provisions of the PRA, which are cleared by the OMB under OMB Control 
Number 0607-0152.
    This proposed rule will not impact the current reporting-hour 
burden requirements as approved under OMB Control Number 0607-0152 
under provisions of the PRA, Public Law 104-13.

List of Subjects in 15 CFR Part 30

    Economic statistics, Foreign trade, Exports, Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements.

    For the reasons set out in the preamble, it is proposed that part 
30 be amended as follows:

PART 30--FOREIGN TRADE STATISTICS

    1. The authority citation for 15 CFR Part 30 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 5 U.S.C. 301; 13 U.S.C. 301-307; Reorganization Plan 
No. 5 of 1950 (3 CFR 1949-1953 Comp., 1004); Department of Commerce 
Organization Order No. 35-2A. August 4, 1975, 40 CFR 42765.

Subpart A--General Requirements--Exporter

    2. In part 30, footnotes 4, 5, 6 and 9 are proposed to be 
redesignated as footnotes 5, 6, 7 and 8, respectively, and Sec. 30.4 is 
proposed to be revised to read as follows:


Sec. 30.4  Preparation and signature of Shipper's Export Declarations.

    (a) General requirements (SED). For purposes of this section, all 
references to preparing and filing the paper SED also pertain to 
preparing and filing the AES electronic record. The Shipper's Export 
Declaration (SED) or the AES electronic equivalent must be prepared and 
signed by a principal party in interest or by a forwarding agent 
authorized by a principal party in interest. The person who signs the 
SED must be in the United States at the time of signing. That person, 
whether the U.S. principal party in interest or agent, is responsible 
for the truth, accuracy, and completeness of the SED or AES electronic 
equivalent, except insofar as that person can demonstrate that he or 
she reasonably relied on information furnished by others. The Census 
Bureau recognizes ``routed export transactions'' as a subset of export 
transactions. A routed export transaction is where the foreign 
principal party in interest authorizes a U.S. forwarding or other agent 
to facilitate export of items from the United States. See paragraph (c) 
of this section for responsibilities of parties in a routed export 
transaction.
    (1) Exporter (U.S. principal party in interest). For purposes of 
completing the SED, in all export transactions, the exporter required 
to be listed in box 1a of the SED or in the ``Exporter'' field of the 
AES record is the U.S. principal party in interest. The U.S. principal 
party in interest is the person in the United States that receives the 
primary benefit, monetary or otherwise, of the transaction. Generally 
that person is the U.S. seller, manufacturer, order party 4, 
or foreign entity, if in the U.S. when signing the SED. In most cases, 
the forwarding or other agent is not a principal party in interest. 
Note: The Export Administration Regulations (EAR) (15 CFR parts 730 
through 799) 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 part 772 of the EAR).
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    \4\ The Order Party is that person in the United States who 
conducted the direct negotiations or correspondence with the foreign 
principal or ultimate consignee and who, as a result of these 
negotiations, received the order from the foreign principal or 
ultimate consignee.
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    (i) If a U.S. manufacturer directly sells merchandise for export to 
a foreign principal, the U.S. manufacturer must be listed as the 
exporter (U.S. principal party in interest) on the SED.
    (ii) If a U.S. manufacturer sells merchandise, as a domestic sale, 
to a U.S. buyer (wholesaler/distributor) and that U.S. buyer sells the 
merchandise for export to a foreign principal, the U.S. seller 
(wholesaler/distributor) must be listed as the exporter (U.S. principal 
party in interest) on the SED.
    (iii) If a U.S. order party directly arranges for the sale and 
export of merchandise to a foreign buyer, the U.S. order party must be 
listed as the exporter (U.S. principal party in interest) on the SED or 
AES record.
    (2) Forwarding agent. The forwarding agent is the person in the 
United States who is authorized by the U.S. principal party in interest 
or, in the case of a routed transaction, the foreign principal party in 
interest to prepare and file the SED or its AES electronic equivalent, 
and/or perform the services required to facilitate the export of items 
from the United States. In routed export transactions, the forwarding 
agent and the exporter may be the same for compliance purposes under 
the EAR, but the forwarding agent is rarely the ``exporter'' in box 1a 
of the SED or in the ``exporter'' field of the AES record.
    (3) Principal parties in interest. Those persons in a transaction 
that receive the primary benefit, monetary or otherwise, of the 
transaction. Generally, the principals in a transaction are the seller 
and the buyer. In most cases a forwarding or other agent is not a 
principal party in interest.
    (b) U.S. principal party in interest and forwarding agent 
responsibilities in preparing the SED (except in routed export 
transactions).--(1) Designating the forwarding agent. The U.S. 
principal party in interest can prepare and file the SED or AES record, 
or it can authorize a forwarding agent to prepare and file the SED or 
AES record on its behalf. If the U.S. principal party in interest 
designates a forwarding agent to act on its behalf in completing the 
SED or AES record it must be in the form of a power of attorney or 
written authorization, or by signing the authorization box printed on 
the paper SED (box 23 on Form 7525-V and box 29 on Form 7525-V-ALT).
    (2) U.S. principal party in interest responsibilities in preparing 
the SED. (i) If the U.S. principal party in interest prepares the SED 
or AES record themselves they are responsible for the accuracy of all 
the export information reported on the SED or AES record, for signing 
the paper SED, filing the paper SED with U.S. Customs, or transmitting 
the AES record to Customs.
    (ii) If the U.S. principal party in interest authorizes a 
forwarding agent to complete the SED or AES record on its behalf the 
U.S. principal party in interest is responsible for:
    (A) Providing the forwarding agent with the export information 
necessary to complete the SED or AES record;
    (B) Providing the forwarding agent with a power of attorney or 
written authorizatIon to complete the SED or AES record, or sign the 
authorization box printed on the paper SED (box 23 on Form 7525-V and 
box 29 on Form 7525-V-ALT); and
    (C) Maintaining the documentation to support the information 
provided to the forwarding agent for completion of the SED or AES 
record, as specified in Sec. 30.11.

[[Page 53865]]

    (3) Forwarding agent responsibilities in preparing the SED. The 
forwarding agent, when authorized by a U.S. principal party in interest 
to prepare and sign the SED or prepare and file the AES record, is 
responsible for:
    (i) Accurately preparing the SED or AES record based on information 
received from the U.S. principal party in interest;
    (ii) Obtaining a power of attorney or written authorization to 
complete the SED or AES record, or obtaining a paper SED with a signed 
authorization;
    (iii) Maintaining the documentation to support the information 
reported on the SED or AES record, as specified in Sec. 30.11; and
    (iv) Providing the U.S. principal party in interest with a copy of 
the export information filed in the form of a completed SED, an 
electronic facsimile, or in any other manner prescribed by the 
exporter.
    (c) U.S. principal party in interest and forwarding agent 
responsibilities in preparing the SED in ``routed export 
transactions.''
    (1) Designating the forwarding agent. In a routed export 
transaction, the forwarding agent must obtain a power of attorney or 
written authorization from the foreign principal party in interest to 
act on their behalf. If the foreign principal party in interest 
designates a U.S. forwarding agent to complete the SED or AES record, 
the U.S. principal party in interest must provide certain export 
information to such agent (see paragraph (c)(2) of this section). If 
the U.S. principal party in interest authorizes its own forwarding 
agent to complete the SED or AES record, it must follow the procedures 
specified in paragraph (b) of this section.
    (2) U.S. principal party in interest responsibilities in a ``routed 
export transaction.'' In a routed export transaction where the foreign 
principal party in interest designates a U.S. forwarding agent to 
prepare and file the SED or AES record, the U.S. principal party in 
interest must provide such forwarding agent with the following 
information to assist in preparing the SED or AES record:
    (i) Name and address of the exporter (U.S. principal party in 
interest);
    (ii) Exporter EIN (IRS) Number.;
    (iii) Point of origin (State or FTZ);
    (iv) Schedule B description of commodities;
    (v) Domestic (D), foreign (F), or FMS (M) code;
    (vi) Schedule B Number;
    (vii) Quantity;
    (viii) Upon request from the foreign principal party in interest or 
its agent, the Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) or with 
sufficient technical information to determine classification; and
    (ix) Any information that it knows will affect the determination of 
license authority.

    Note to paragraph (c)(2): For Items (c)(2)(viii) and (ix), where 
the foreign principal party in interest has assumed responsibility 
for determining and obtaining license authority, the EAR sets forth 
the information sharing requirements that apply, at 15 CFR 758.2(d).

    (3) Forwarding agent responsibilities in a ``routed export 
transaction.'' In a routed export transaction, the forwarding agent who 
is responsible for preparing the SED or AES record must provide the 
following export information on the SED or AES record:
    (i) Date of exportation;
    (ii) Bill of lading/airway bill number;
    (iii) Ultimate consignee;
    (iv) Intermediate consignee;
    (v) Forwarding agent name and address;
    (vi) Country of ultimate destination;
    (vii) Loading pier;
    (viii) Method of transportation;
    (ix) Exporting carrier;
    (x) Port of export;
    (xi) Port of unloading;
    (xii) Containerized;
    (xiii) Weight;
    (xiv) Value;
    (xv) ECCN;
    (xvi) License authority; and
    (xvii) Signing the certification box on the paper SED (box 24 on 
Form 7525-V and box 36 on Form 7525-V-ALT). In a routed export 
transaction the U.S. principal party in interest must be listed as 
exporter (U.S. principal party in interest) on the SED or on the AES 
record.

    Note to paragraph (c)(3): For Items (c)(3)(xv) and (xvi), where 
the foreign prinicipal party in interest has assumed responsibility 
for determining and obtaining license authority, the EAR sets forth 
the information sharing requirements that apply, at 15 CFR 758.2(a).

    (d) Information on the Shipper's Export Declaration (SED). The data 
provided on the SED or AES electronic record shall be complete, 
correct, and based on personal knowledge of the facts stated or on 
information furnished by the parties involved in the export 
transaction. All parties involved in export transactions, including 
U.S. forwarding agents, should be aware that invoices and other 
commercial documents may not necessarily contain all the information 
needed to prepare the SED or AES record. The parties must ensure that 
all the information needed for completing the SED or AES record, 
including correct export licensing information, is provided to the 
forwarding agent for the purpose of correctly preparing the SED or AES 
record.
    (e) Authorizing a forwarding 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(i) of the EAR). In cases where a forwarding agent is 
filing the export information on the SED or electronically using the 
AES, the forwarding agent must obtain a power of attorney or written 
authorization from a principal party in interest to file the 
information on their behalf. A power of attorney or written 
authorization should specify the responsibilities of the parties with 
particularity, and should state that the forwarding agent has authority 
to act on behalf of a principal party in interest as its true and 
lawful agent for purposes of the export transaction and in accordance 
with the laws and regulations of the United States.
    (f) The SED shall be prepared in English and shall be typewritten 
or prepared in ink or other permanent medium (except indelible pencil). 
The use of duplicating processes, as well as the overprinting of 
selected items of information, is acceptable.
    (g) All copies of the SEDs must contain all of the information 
called for in the signature space as to name of firm, address, name of 
signer, and capacity of signer. The original SED must be signed in ink, 
but signature on other copies is not required. The use of signature 
stamps is acceptable. A signed legible carbon or other copy of the 
export declaration is acceptable as an ``original'' of the SED.
    3. Section 30.7 is proposed to be amended by revising paragraphs 
(d) and (e) to read as follows:


Sec. 30.7  Information required on Shipper's Export Declarations.

* * * * *
    (d) Name of exporter (U.S. principal party in interest) and 
exporter's Employer Identification Number (EIN). The name and address 
(number, street, city, state, zip code) of the exporter (U.S. principal 
party in interest) and the exporter's (U.S. principal party in 
interest) EIN shall be entered where requested on the SED or AES 
electronic record. The EIN shall be the exporter's (U.S. principal 
party in interest) own and not another's EIN.
    (1) Name of exporter (U.S. principal party in interest). The 
exporter (U.S. principal party in interest) named on the SED and in the 
exporter field on the AES record must be the U.S. principal

[[Page 53866]]

party in interest in the transaction. The exporter (U.S. principal 
party in interest) is the person in the United States that receives the 
primary benefit, monetary or otherwise, of the export transaction. 
Generally that person is the U.S. seller, manufacturer, order party, or 
foreign entity, if in the United States when signing the SED. In all 
export transactions, the U.S. principal party in interest must be 
listed in the ``Exporter (U.S. principal party in interest)'' block on 
the paper SED or in the ``exporter field'' in the AES record. (See 
Sec. 30.4 for details on the specific reporting responsibilities of 
exporters (U.S. principal party in interest)).
    (2) Exporter's (U.S. principal party in interest) Employer 
Identification Number (EIN). An exporter (U.S. principal party in 
interest) shall report its own IRS EIN on the SED or AES record. If, 
and only if, no Internal Revenue Service EIN has been assigned to the 
exporter (U.S. principal party in interest), the exporter's (U.S. 
principal party in interest) own Social Security Number (SSN), preceded 
by the symbol ``SS'' must be reported. In situations when a foreign 
principal party in interest who does not possess an EIN or SSN operates 
from within the U.S. to facilitate its own export, no EIN or SSN 
reporting requirement applies. Using another's EIN or SSN is 
prohibited. However, if no EIN or SSN is available, the DUNS (Dunn and 
Bradstreet) number, border crossing number, passport number, or any 
number assigned by U.S. Customs is required to be reported on the SED 
or the AES record.
    (e) Forwarding agent. The name and address of the duly authorized 
forwarding agent (if any) of a principal party in interest or the 
foreign principal party in interest shall be recorded where requested 
on the SED or AES record. (See Sec. 30.4 for details on the specific 
reporting responsibilities of forwarding agents).
* * * * *
    Dated: September 21, 1999.
Kenneth Prewitt,
Director, Census Bureau.
[FR Doc. 99-25651 Filed 10-1-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P