Import Questions

Is U.S. Customs the only U.S. government agency that gets involved in the administration of U.S. imports?

No, other U.S. government agencies that are involved in U.S. import administration include:

(1) Department of Agriculture which is tasked with keeping insects and other pests out of the U.S. to the greatest extent possible;
(2) Department of Commerce which collects information about import shipments and compiles trade statistics;
(3) Department of Energy which issues licenses to import petroleum products;
(4) Food and Drug Administration which insures that imported foods and drugs conform to certain standards;
(5) Consumer Products Safety Commission which regulates consumer products that the FDA doesn't handle directly;
(6) Fish and Wildlife Service which is interested in non-domesticated animals, and merchandise made from parts of these animals;
(7) State Department which monitors artifacts and cultural property imported from various countries;
(8) Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration which regulates the import of automobiles;
(9) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms which issues licenses and/or permits to import alcoholic beverages of all kinds, firearms and other weaponry, and tobacco products.
(10) Office of Foreign Assets Control which issues licenses to import products that would otherwise be prohibited (Cuban cigars, Iranian carpets);
(11) Federal Trade Commission which regulates the importation of textiles, fur, articles, and apparel.

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