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U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones
Encouraging activity and investment in the U.S.
Foreign-Trade Zones 101

New Zone Applications

New Zone (Grantee) Applications

Each U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) port of entry is entitled to one zone. Additional zones may only be approved if it can be shown that the existing zone is not adequately serving the convenience of commerce.

All zone sites and the entirety of any service area must be located within 60 miles or 90 minutes driving time of the outer limits of the CBP port of entry.

Usually applicants are state and local agencies or public type corporations. Port authorities and economic development agencies are the most prevalent. Corporations submitting applications must be qualified to apply for a zone grant of authority under the laws of the state in which the zone is to be located.

Zones are intended to provide a special customs-related service to the business community, giving them greater flexibility in the customs phase of their international competitiveness. An objective of the zone program is to encourage commercial and industrial operations in the United States that would otherwise have been conducted abroad for customs reasons, including export activity. Zones should help create employment, not simply divert it from one region of the country to another.

When an application has been filed, the FTZ staff publishes a notice in the Federal Register opening a public comment period. The applicant also must publish notice in a local newspaper describing the proposal.

There is no fee for an application for the first zone at a port of entry. The fee for additional zones is $3,200. 

Application for a new zone under the alternative site framework (ASF)
ASF New Zone Application
Application for a new zone under the traditional site framework (TSF)
TSF New Zone Application

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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