International trade acronyms are shortened forms of terms or phrases commonly used within the field of foreign trade. These abbreviations help streamline communication and documentation in the complex world of global trade.
The following abbreviations and acronyms cover various aspects of the import and export process, including trade agreements, shipping terms, documentation, and regulatory bodies.
- 3PL – Third-Party Logistics
- ACE – Automated Commercial Environment
- ACS – Automated Commercial System
- ADB – Asian Development Bank
- AEO – Authorized Economic Operator
- AEOI – Automatic Exchange of Information
- AML – Anti-Money Laundering
- APEC – Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
- APHIS – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
- APTA – Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement
- AQL – Acceptable Quality Limit
- ASEAN – Association of Southeast Asian Nations
- ATF – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
- AWB – Air Waybill
- AWB – Automated Workbench
- B/L – Bill of Lading
- B2B – Business-to-Business
- B2C – Business-to-Consumer
- BEA – Bureau of Economic Analysis
- BIP – Border Inspection Post
- BIS – Bureau of Indian Standards
- CAP – Common Agricultural Policy
- CBM – Cubic Meter
- CBP – Customs and Border Protection
- CE – Conformité Européenne (French)
- CETA – Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement
- CFR – Cost and Freight
- CFS – Container Freight Station
- CI – Commercial Invoice
- CIF – Cost, Insurance, and Freight
- CIP – Carriage and Insurance Paid To
- CITES – Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
- CMP – Common Market Protocol
- CO – Commercial Operator
- COO – Certificate of Origin
- CP – Commercial Policy
- CPC – Customs Procedure Code
- CPE – Customs Procedure with Economic Impact
- CPT – Carriage Paid To
- CPTPP – Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
- C-TPAT – Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism
- CTT – Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
- CW – Customs Warehouse
- DAC – Development Assistance Committee
- DAF – Delivered at Frontier
- DAP – Delivered at Place
- DAT – Delivered at Terminal
- DDP – Delivered Duty Paid
- DDU – Delivered Duty Unpaid
- DGFT – Directorate General of Foreign Trade
- DHL – Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn (international courier)
- DIA – Defense Intelligence Agency
- DIN – Drug Identification Number
- DLP – Data Loss Prevention
- DMB – Duty Management Branch
- DO – Delivery Order
- DPD – Deferred Payment Date
- DPU – Delivered at Place Unloaded
- DRC – Democratic Republic of the Congo
- EAC – East African Community
- EBF – European Banking Federation
- ECA – Economic Commission for Africa
- ECE – Economic Commission for Europe
- ECOWAS – Economic Community of West African States
- EEA – European Economic Area
- EEC – European Economic Community
- EFTA – European Free Trade Association
- EIF – Economic Infrastructure Fund
- EITI – Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
- EMU – Economic and Monetary Union
- EORI – Economic Operators Registration and Identification
- EOU – Export Oriented Unit
- EPCG – Export Promotion Capital Goods
- EPZ – Export Processing Zone
- ERO – Export Registration Order
- ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning
- ESZ – Export Supervised Zone
- ETA – Electronic Travel Authority
- ETA – Electronic Travel Authorization
- ETA – Estimated Time of Arrival
- ETC – Export Trading Company
- ETD – Electronic Trade Documents
- ETD – Estimated Time of Departure
- EU – European Union
- EUA – European Union Allowance
- EWCP – Export Working Capital Program
- EXW – Ex Works
- FAI – First Article Inspection
- FAS – Free Alongside Ship
- FBA – Fulfillment by Amazon
- FCA – Free Carrier
- FCL – Full Container Load
- FCZ – Free Commercial Zone
- FDI – Foreign Direct Investment
- FEZ – Free Economic Zone
- FMS – Foreign Military Sales
- FOB – Free On Board
- FOB – Freight on Board
- FOU – Form of Use
- FTA – Free Trade Agreement
- FZ – Free Zone
- G7 – Group of Seven
- GATT – General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
- GCC – Gulf Cooperation Council
- GDP – Gross Domestic Product
- GEP – Generalized Export License
- GFC – Global Financial Crisis
- GHS – Globally Harmonized System
- GIT – Global Importer of Record
- GM – Genetically Modified
- GMO – Genetically Modified Organism
- GMP – Good Manufacturing Practice
- GNP – Gross National Product
- GSP – Generalized System of Preferences
- GST – Goods and Services Tax
- HAI – Healthcare Associated Infection
- HAZMAT – Hazardous Materials
- HMM – Hyundai Merchant Marine
- HR – Human Resources
- HS – Harmonized System
- IAA – International Airline Association
- IATA – International Air Transport Association
- IC – Import Certificate
- ICB – Interest Coverage Ratio
- ICT – Information and Communication Technology
- IEC – Importer Exporter Code
- IED – Improvised Explosive Device
- IEDC – International Economic Development Council
- IFM – Inward Foreign Manifest
- IFS – International Financial Statistics
- IFT – Inward Foreign Trade
- IMF – International Monetary Fund
- IMO – International Maritime Organization
- IMS – Inventory Management System
- INCOTERMS – International Commercial Terms
- IOC – International Organization for Standardization
- IPP – International Price Program
- IPR – Intellectual Property Rights
- IR – Industrial Relations
- ISF – Importer Security Filing
- ISO – International Organization for Standardization
- ISP – Internet Service Provider
- ITA – International Trade Administration
- ITAR – International Traffic in Arms Regulations
- ITB – Integrated Tariff of the United Kingdom
- ITU – International Telecommunication Union
- JAA – Joint Aviation Authorities
- JBA – Japan Bank for International Cooperation
- JSA – Job Safety Analysis
- KPI – Key Performance Indicator
- KYC – Know Your Customer
- L/C – Letter of Credit
- L/C – Life Cycle
- L/C – Light Cruiser
- LCA – Life Cycle Assessment
- LCL – Less than Container Load
- LDC – Least Developed Country
- LTL – Less Than Truckload
- MOU – Memorandum of Understanding
- MSDS – Material Safety Data Sheet
- MT – Metric Ton
- NAFTA – North American Free Trade Agreement
- NIE – Newly Industrialized Economy
- NVOCC – Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier
- ODM – Original Design Manufacturer
- OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer
- OGA – Other Government Agency
- OPEC – Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
- OSP – Outward Selling Program
- PIERS – Port Import Export Reporting Service
- PPE – Personal Protective Equipment
- PSI – Pre-Shipment Inspection
- QC – Quality Control
- R&D – Research and Development
- RMB – Renminbi
- ROE – Return on Equity
- ROH – Return on Investment
- RTA – Regional Trade Agreement
- SDG – Sustainable Development Goals
- SEZ – Special Economic Zone
- SGS – Société Générale de Surveillance
- SME – Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
- SSA – Single Supervisory Authority
- SWIFT – Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication
- T/T – Telegraphic Transfer
- TAA – Trade Adjustment Assistance
- TFA – Trade Facilitation Agreement
- TPP – Trans-Pacific Partnership
- TQM – Total Quality Management
- UCP – Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits
- UNCTAD – United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
- USDA – United States Department of Agriculture
- USMCA – United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement
- VAT – Value Added Tax
- VMI – Vendor Managed Inventory
- WCO – World Customs Organization
- WMS – Warehouse Management System
- WTO – World Trade Organization
- WTTC – World Travel and Tourism Council
- XBRL – eXtensible Business Reporting Language
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