Export Certificate Program Frequently Asked Questions

You can find information about the Export Certificate Program on TTB's Web page for Export Documents/Certificates. For Certificates of Free Sale, Origin, Health, Quality, or Sanitation, for shipments of alcohol beverages not going to the European Union (EU), follow the sample export certificate for wines or the sample export certificate for malt beverages and distilled spirits. For U.S. wine being exported to the EU, pursuant to the U.S.-EU Wine Agreement, the EU requires that you submit either a simplified export certificate (see ECP5) or a VI1 form.

Please email export certificate requests as PDF files to exportcertificates@ttb.gov.

You may also mail export certificate requests to the following address:

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
International Trade Division
Attn: Export Certificate Program
1310 G St. NW, Box 12
Washington, DC 20005

If you are submitting your export certificate requests through a commercial carrier (e.g. UPS, FedEx), please mail them to:

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
International Trade Division
Attn: Export Certificate Program
1310 G St. NW, Suite 400E
Washington, DC 20005

For distilled spirits only:

• Use TTB Form 5110.58 to make requests for Certificates of Age and Origin for Distilled Spirits.
• Use TTB Form 5110.42 to make requests for Certificates of Authenticity for Bourbon Whisky. You may submit Certificates of Age and Origin and Certificates of Authenticity via email to exportcertificates@ttb.gov (See ECP7).

Our goal is to process export certificates within seven business days after receipt of a perfected request. In order to avoid delays, you may choose to submit your requests using a commercial carrier by overnight delivery. Please note that due to internal mail security measures, items mailed to TTB Headquarters are typically received by the International Trade Division two business days after indicated by delivery confirmations from the postal service or a commercial carrier. To expedite the return of approved certificates, please include an overnight bill and envelope from the commercial carrier of your choice, including your own billing/account information when you submit your request to TTB. Otherwise, TTB will return the certificate via regular U.S. mail.

Each shipment of wine that is being exported requires a separate export certificate (Certificate of Origin or Age, Health Certificate/Sanitary Statement/Certificate, etc.). One certificate can cover several different wines as long as they are in the same shipment.

Export certificates are not licenses - they are documents that attest to certain facts. For example, a Certificate of Free Sale confirms that the wine being exported was made in accordance with U.S. winemaking practices and is freely available in the U.S. marketplace. Certificates of Origin are also often referred to as Certificates of Free Sale.

A number of countries have unique certificate requirements. TTB maintains a list of International Import/Export Requirements on our website; however, countries may change their requirements at any time, so we recommend that you contact your foreign importer to confirm which certificates are required by that country's government.

Instead of using the VI1 form, we encourage U.S. exporters of wine to the EU to take advantage of the simplified export certificate, which only requires one chemical analysis of the wine (actual alcohol content) and is self-certified by the exporter.

See TTB Industry Circular 2007-02 for further information on the simplified export certificate. A copy of the certificate is included in Industry Circular 2007-2 as an attachment at the bottom of that document.

You can find a list of laboratories certified by TTB for the analysis of exported alcohol products on our Chemist Certification Program Information Web page.

You may submit export certificates by email as PDF files to exportcertificates@ttb.gov. If you require return of the certificate by express mail, you must scan in a prepared overnight bill from the commercial carrier of your choice, including your own billing/account information, and attach it to your email request. Otherwise, TTB will return the certificate by regular U.S. mail.

Yes, your local Chamber of Commerce may process Certificates of Origin attesting that the alcohol beverage to be exported was produced in the United States.

You can help us process your export certificate request expeditiously by following these tips:

• Except for Certificates of Origin and Age of Distilled Spirits and Certificates of Authenticity for Bourbon Whiskey, TTB requires that the export certificate include an original signature. We recommend that the name of the person signing the document be typed after or below their signature, in case the signature is not legible.

• The person signing the export certificate request must be on file with TTB as having signing authority for the company or having power of attorney for the company. We cannot process an export certificate if it is not signed by someone with signing authority or power of attorney.

• Submit the export certificate on your company's letterhead. TTB requires that the physical address listed on your company's letterhead, or on the export certificate, match the address on file with your permit with TTB.
  
  
• We recommend that you send in one copy of the export certificate on your company's letterhead plus an additional copy of the export certificate on plain paper, with space at the top and bottom of the page for TTB to insert our official letterhead. TTB requires that both copies contain an original signature.
  
  
• Use TTB's Washington, DC address when you include it on the export certificate. Some industry members are still including TTB's Cincinnati address. This slows down processing time because we will replace this address with our current address in order to process it. If you include TTB's address at the bottom of the export certificate, use this address:

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
International Trade Division
Export Certificate Program
1310 G St. NW, Box 12
Washington, DC 20005