Difficulty of getting Export License

Defense articles are restricted to varying degrees for Afghanistan, Belarus, Burma, Central African Republic, China, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Haiti, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

The EAR has detailed Embargoes and/or Sanctions on Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Syria, North Korea, specific Russian industries and the Crimea region of Ukraine. Restrictions for commercial items are identified in the Commerce Control List (CCL) for each item and must be individually verified.

The ITAR identifies restrictions in the Section ‘Prohibited Exports, Imports, and Sales to or From Certain Countries’ (Section 126.1) and the EAR has limitations specified in the CCL and the Commerce Country Chart (Article 738.2 and Supplement 1), as well as Embargoes and Other Special Controls (Article 746).

OFAC also has trade sanctions on certain countries which can be found in the OFAC ‘Sanctions Programs and Country Information’ online. Note that the restrictions and limitations on specific countries in the regulations do change.