HARTFORD, CT (December 20, 2022) – The leader in FFL technology, payment processing, and compliance services, Orchid would like to remind the industry of a critical deadline impacting firearm and ammunition exporters. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) export authorizations for items that transferred from U.S. State Department control to the U.S. Commerce Department’s control must be transitioned to Export Administration Regulations (EAR) export authorizations by March 9, 2023, to avoid unintentional authorization gaps or violations.

“Exporters that require authorizations for items impacted by the 2020 Export Control Reform changes should submit applications to BIS as soon as possible,” said Orchid Director of Export Services, Jason Knowles. “Government application processing typically takes 4-8 weeks, meaning exporters should get export applications submitted in the next three weeks to have a good opportunity of having them on hand by the March 9 final transition date.”

In January 2020, the U.S. State and Commerce Departments published final rules to amend Categories I, II and III of the U.S. Munitions List (USML), transferring certain items from jurisdictional control under ITAR to under the EAR. Items transitioning to the Commerce Control List (CCL) included certain firearms, ammunition, components, accessories, production and manufacturing items, and related categories and types of information.

ITAR licenses that were issued prior to the EAR March 9, 2020, rule implementation that included items transitioned to the CCL remained valid until expired or for a period of three years from the effective date of the final rule, whichever occurred first. That three-year period ends this March 9, 2023.

For assistance navigating the ITAR-EAR export authorization transition, or for other export-related licensing and compliance services, contact Jason Knowles at jknowles@joinorchid.com. Jason is also accepting meeting appointments for SHOT Show via email that can be scheduled at the Orchid booth (#72633) located in the Caesars Forum or other coordinated locations at the show.

About Orchid LLC
Celebrating 10 years of serving the shooting sports industry, Orchid LLC and partner firm, FFL Law, offer leading FFL software, firearms-friendly payment processing, and legal and regulatory services. With powerful POS, Ecommerce, Bound Book, and ERP solutions (including Epicor, NetSuite, Fishbowl, Odoo, SAP, Sage, and Oracle), expert knowledge of ATF, import/export, and state-level regulations, Orchid helps FFLs profitably manufacture, distribute, and sell firearms with great efficiency and the utmost compliance. Get started today at orchidadvisors.com.

Press Contact:
Jason Knowles
Director of Export Services, Orchid LLC
jknowles@joinorchid.com