Co-Authored by Sharath Patil

BIS’ Announcement

Last month, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry & Security (“BIS”) announced that it is providing six-month extensions for export license applications due to economic difficulties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of this announcement, BIS is permitting exporters to request six-month validity period extensions for licenses due to expire on or before December 31, 2020. BIS accepts all submission requests in one central electronic mailbox: LicenseExtensionRequest@bis.doc.gov. When a party submits a license extension request, BIS will review the original license and (in most cases), extend the validity of the license by six months. BIS estimates that the majority of extension validity requests will be processed and approved within two to three business days. Acting Under Secretary for Industry and Security Corden Hull said, “The streamlined process will help ensure that exporters with licenses due to expire on or before the end of 2020, who may not have been able to ship orders due to resource constraints during the pandemic, have the opportunity to benefit fully from the authorizations granted on their licenses.”

COVID-19’s Impact on Global Trade

The pandemic has significantly disrupted global supply chains by causing distortions in supply and demand, as well as price spikes for transportation services. Furthermore, fewer employees have caused manufacturing and distributing processes to slow. Over 95% of the world’s consumers reside outside of the United States, so exports are critical to economic recovery. BIS has provided this license extension opportunity as a form of economic stimulus. Hull said, “With the majority of the world’s consumers located outside of the United States, exports are a vital source of growth and revenue for American companies, President Trump and the Department of Commerce are committed to cutting red tape and making it easier for exporters to drive our Nation’s economic recovery in the wake of the pandemic.”

Contact Us

If you have a license set to expire on or before December 31, 2020, Diaz Trade Law can work with you to apply for an extension. You should apply – even if you may not actually need the extra time to ship. Furthermore, we provide assistance in establishing or improving your export compliance plan, and we also offer training for your employees. Read more about our training services here. If you have questions about BIS export license extensions, working on your export compliance plan, or participating in training, reach out to us today at info@diaztradelaw.com.

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