526 AES Exemption

526.1 General

In many circumstances, electronic export information filing and an ITN may not be required when mailing goods internationally. In these circumstances, customers are directed to apply an applicable AES Exemption on the customs declaration form upon mailing. The following conditions apply:

1. A mailer may enter one AES Exemption per addressed mailpiece. When multiple exemptions may apply, the mailer may select any one that applies.
2. A mailer cannot apply an AES Exemption to shipments that fall within 524.21b–f.

526.2 When Applicable

Customers with shipments not meeting the mandatory filing requirements under 524.21b–f may apply an AES Exemption such as the following on each customs declaration form:

1. “NOEEI 30.36” for shipments to Canada.
2. “NOEEI 30.37(a)” for shipments when the value of each class of goods is $2,500 or less.
3. “NOEEI 30.37(h)” or “NOEEI 30.37(y)” or shipments of gift parcels and humanitarian donations that are eligible to be sent to Cuba, North Korea, or the Crimea, Donetsk, or Luhansk regions of Ukraine (or any other regions of Ukraine designated by the Secretary of the Treasury as “covered regions” under Executive Order 14065). In addition, the mailer must endorse the item with the marking “GIFT — Export License Not Required” on the address side of the package. The mailer must also write “GFT” in the same block as the AES Exemption on the applicable required customs declaration, as described in 527. The mailer must complete all other blocks of the customs declaration form, including the “Detailed description of contents.”

Note: Certain shipments of gift parcels and humanitarian donations to the destinations in item c might require a license from OFAC and/or the BIS (see 510 and 530). If a license is required, then a filing is also required and the AES Exemptions in item c do not apply (see 524.21d).

4. “NOEEI 30.37(w)” for shipments to APO, FPO, or DPO addresses.
5. “NOEEI 30.37(y)” for shipments of published books, software, maps, charts, pamphlets, or any other similar media available for general distribution that are eligible to be sent to a library or similar institution in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, or Syria.

Note: “NOEEI 30.37(y)” does not apply to shipments of informational materials that are eligible to be sent to the Crimea, Donetsk, or Luhansk regions of Ukraine (or any other regions of Ukraine designated by the Secretary of the Treasury as a “covered region” under Executive Order 14065). For such shipments, filing might or might not be required, depending on requirements in 524.21a, 524.21d-f, and 526.2b.

Note: For more information and a complete listing of these and other AES Exemptions, see Subpart D of the Foreign Trade Regulations, 15 CFR Part 30.