§ 30.10 Retention of export information and the authority to require production of documents.

(a) Retention of export information. All parties to the export transaction (USPPIs, FPPIs, authorized agents, and/or owners and operators of export carriers) shall retain documents pertaining to the export shipment for five years from the date of export. If the Department of State or other regulatory agency has recordkeeping requirements for exports that exceed the retention period specified in this part, then those requirements prevail. The USPPI or the authorized agent may request a copy of the electronic record or submission from the Census Bureau as provided for in Subpart G of this part. The Census Bureau's retention and maintenance of AES records does not relieve filers from requirements in § 30.10.

Note to paragraph (a) of this section:

As set forth in § 30.60(c)(4), the USPPI, the authorized agent, or a representative of the USPPI shall not disclose the EEI to a foreign person or foreign government, including the foreign entity as the USPPI or the FPPI. For items in this section, a foreign entity as the USPPI and the FPPI shall retain documents pertaining to the export shipment as a party to the export transaction; however, the EEI shall not be disclosed to a foreign person or foreign government either in whole or in part.

(b) Authority to require production of documents. For purposes of verifying the completeness and accuracy of information reported as required under § 30.6, and for other purposes under the regulations in this part, all parties to the export transaction (owners and operators of the exporting carriers, USPPIs, FPPIs, and/or authorized agents) shall provide upon request to the Census Bureau, CBP, ICE, BIS and other participating agencies EEI, shipping documents, invoices, orders, packing lists, and correspondence as well as any other relevant information bearing upon a specific export transaction at anytime within the five year time period.

Note to § 30.10:

Section 1252(b)(2) of Public Law 106-113, Proliferation Prevention Enhancement Act of 1999, required the Department of Commerce to print and maintain on file a paper copy or other acceptable back-up record of the individual's submission at a location selected by the Secretary of Commerce. The Census Bureau will maintain a data base of EEI filed in AES to ensure that requirements of Public Law 106-113 are met and that all filers can obtain a validated record of their submissions.

[73 FR 31555, June 2, 2008, as amended at 82 FR 18391, Apr. 19, 2017; 90 FR 39121, Aug. 14, 2025]