BIS Issues Proposed Rule to Eliminate Paper Export Licenses and Other Export Control Documents

In order to save the government time and money, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a proposed rule in today's Federal Register that would eliminate the use of most paper documents that it sends to parties having business before the agency. The documents that would be affected by this proposed rule include:

• export and reexport licenses,
• notices of denial of license applications, 
• notices of return of a license application without action, 
• classification results, 
• License Exception AGR notification results, and 
• encryption review request results.
  

This proposed rule also would make a number of changs to the Export Administration Regulations to implement these changes, including modifying the recordkeeping requirements associated with the elimination of paper documents. The proposed rule would also exempt parties who submit documents to BIS via the SNAP-R system from requirements to retain copies of documents submitted even though those documents are "export control documents'' as defined in part 772 of the EAR.

Comments on this proposed rule must be received by BIS by February 2, 2010.