I have been with the Foreign Trade Division for close to 15 years, which means I know a ton of acronyms that are frequently used in the trade community. Actually, I could have an entire conversation using several of those acronyms!

“The paper SED was formerly governed under the FTSR and it became obsolete for the export of items under the USML and CCL and now all exports are reported as EEI into the AES, which is now governed under the FTR.”

Some of you understand exactly what I said, while others may be a bit dazed and confused.

This leads me to the Trade Term: EEI.

EEI is the Electronic Export Information reported in the Automated Export System (AES) . It is also referred to as the AES record, electronic Shipper’s Export Declaration, the “shipper”, and so forth. The EEI includes vital information to your export shipment, such as:

• Party information – U.S. seller or manufacturer, foreign customer, authorized agent
• Logistics – Date of export, location your goods are leaving the U.S., country of ultimate destination
• Commodity information – Value, quantity, classification number, shipping weight, product description

All of the information reported in the EEI is processed and stored in AES. If you report incorrect information, the AES will send you a response message for you to correct your mistake. Once you’ve reported your information correctly you’ll receive a confirmation that your EEI has been accepted. Accurate information reported in your EEI is vital to our trade statistics and is critical to your compliance efforts.

For more information about reporting EEI into AES, please call 1-800-549-0595, Menu Option #1. You may also find EEI and other trade terms in our Definitions page.