The holidays are fast approaching and you are trying to send one of those new electronic devices to a relative out of the United States. You go to your post office and they tell you that since the value of your gift is over $2,500 per classification code, you need to report this export shipment through AESDirect. However, when you go to the AESDirect  website, you see that the registration form talks about companies and Filer IDs. You start to wonder if you need to complete this since the website seems to be mostly designed for companies.

Please note that the filing requirement for export shipments valued over $2,500 per Schedule B applies to both companies and individuals. You are required to comply with this regulation whether you frequently have export transactions or this is an “once-in-a-lifetime” situation.

What do you need to be able to register and create an account? AESDirect registrants should be physically located in the United States. If you are not, you will need to contact a U.S. based  agent or freight forwarder to submit your Electronic Export Information (EEI).

Now, as an individual, how do you complete the requested information?

1. Under the Company Information section, please enter your name under the Company Name field. For the Filer ID Number, please provide an Employer Identification Number (EIN). If you do not have an EIN, you can request one online from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) through the “Apply for an Employer ID Number” link. If you are not sure what options to select when requesting an EIN, our Regulations staff has prepared a presentation that you can use as a guide. Please note that it is prohibited to use a Social Security Number for an AESDirect registration or filing.
2. The Account Administrator is the main contact point for the account, which should be you. Please enter your name and contact information under this section. Under the Administrator Address, please enter your personal address. It should be your U.S. physical address and not a P.O. Box number.
3. Under the Corporate Office and Corporate Contacts section, select the checkboxes to confirm that the address and contact are the same as previously reported. You would need to determine if you are a United States Principal Party in Interest (USPPI) or forwarding agent. If you are filing directly for the export you are sending, please select USPPI. If you are filing on behalf of someone else, please select Freight Forwarder. After this, you should be able to complete the remaining fields and certification statements.

Once you complete and successfully submit the form, you will receive an email to set up your username and password and continue with the registration process. Then you will have full access to the AESDirect application and be able to complete the required EEI with the resources we have available on the website.

This information should help you  when trying to register for AESDirect and have you on your way to file an export for the first time! If you require additional assistance, you can reach our Data Collection Branch at 1-800-549-0595 Option 1 or leave us a comment at the bottom.