The Census Bureau’s Economic Management Division (EMD) is announcing the publication of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking public comments on its consideration to add a conditional data element, country of origin, when foreign origin is selected in the Foreign/Domestic Origin Indicator field in the Automated Export System (AES).

The current Foreign/Domestic Origin Indicator field in the AES, independent of other data, creates significant data challenges and limitations in using the trade statistics because the indicator does not capture the country of origin. As a result, the foreign trade statistics do not provide sufficient insight to identify the gaps in domestic product and supply; evaluate supply chains; and address trade imbalances. The Census Bureau is requesting comments to assess the potential impacts of this regulatory change as well as other remedial changes made by this rule.

The NPRM can be found in its entirety at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/12/15/2021-26874/foreign-trade-regulations-ftr-new-filing-requirement-and-clarifications-to-current-requirements. Please review the rule and submit your comments. All comments received will be taken into consideration when drafting the Final Rule. For further information or questions about the FTR, contact the Trade Regulations Branch (TRB), EMD.

If you have any questions, please contact your local Noatum Logistics representative.