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Qualifying Industrial Zones

Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZs)

In 1996, the U.S. Congress established the Qualifying Industrial Zone (QIZ) initiative to support the peace process in the Middle East. The QIZ initiative allows Egypt and Jordan to export products to the United States duty-free as long as such products contain inputs from Israel. The QIZ legislation authorizes the President to proclaim elimination of duties on articles produced in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and qualifying industrial zones in Jordan and Egypt. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), in consultation with other U.S. Government agencies, designates QIZs.

In order for QIZ products to be eligible for duty-free entry into the United States, the article must be a new and different article of commerce that has been grown, produced or manufactured, or a “new and different” article imported directly from the West Bank, Gaza Strip, or a QIZ. Country input share requirements come from the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement (USIFTA), which requires that the sum or the cost of the value of the materials or the total costs of production must be not less than 35% of the appraised value of the product at the time it enters the United States. Of this 35%, U.S. components may contribute up to approximately 15%, and inputs from Israel and Jordan, or Israel and Egypt, must total roughly 20%.

If you have any questions about this program, please contact Pamela Kirkland or Alyson Demirdjian at the Office of Textiles and Apparel.

 

Textile and Apparel QIZ Trade Data

Jordan
Presidential Proclamation 6955 established QIZs in Jordan, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip on November 21, 1996. For a list of the QIZ locations see the Jordan Economic and Commerce Bureau, Economic Division of the Embassy of Jordan.
More Information About QIZs in Jordan
Egypt
There are six (6) QIZs in Egypt: Greater Cairo, the Alexandria, the Suez Canal, the Central Delta, the Beni Suef, and the Al Minya zones.
More Information About QIZs in Egypt

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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.

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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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