---
title: "Export information codes (EIC): the complete AES list"
description: "The export information code (EIC) tells AES what kind of export each line is. For an ordinary sale it is OS. Here are all 22 codes and when the others apply."
canonical: https://exportdocshub.com/blog/export-information-codes
published: 2026-10-20
---

# Export information codes (EIC): the complete AES list

> The export information code (EIC) tells AES what kind of export each line is. For an ordinary sale it is OS. Here are all 22 codes and when the others apply.

**The export information code (EIC) is a two-letter code on every commodity line of your AES filing that says what kind of export the line is. If you sold goods to a foreign buyer and are shipping them, the code is `OS`, "all other exports". Use something else only if you are in one of about six situations, and the table below names them.**

That sentence is the whole answer for most readers. The rest of this page is the reference card behind it: all 22 codes AES accepts today, the 9 it rejects, how the EIC interacts with your license code, the fatal errors a wrong code triggers, and where the field sits in ACE AESDirect. It is a child of our [map of every number on a US export declaration](/blog/export-declaration-numbers), and it sits next to the [NOEEI exemption codes list](/blog/noeei-exemption-codes), which covers the shipments you do not file at all.

## Which export information code do I use?

| Your situation | EIC |
|---|---|
| You sold goods to a foreign buyer and are shipping them | **`OS`** |
| Goods go out temporarily and come back in the same condition (trade show, demo, testing, calibration, repair), and the shipment must be filed | `TE` |
| US goods go abroad to be processed, manufactured, or assembled, then return | `TP` |
| Goods travel under an ATA carnet, and the shipment must be filed | `CR` |
| Goods donated for relief or charity | `CH` (but `UG` if the license code is GFT) |
| Goods you imported under a Temporary Import Bond (TIB) go back out | `IP` (processed), `IR` (repaired), `IS` (same condition) |
| Goods leased abroad for less than one year | `TL` |
| Anything else | Check the full table below. If nothing fits, `OS` |

Two things the table does not change. The EIC does not decide whether you file: that is the [EEI decision guide](/blog/do-i-need-to-file-eei-in-aes)'s job, and a shipment that takes a NOEEI legend has no filing and so no EIC. And the EIC is reported per line, not per shipment, so one filing can carry an `OS` line and a `TE` line side by side.

## Where this comes from

Every code and rule on this page is from these primary sources, read for this post on 2026-10-20:

- **[15 CFR 30.6(a)(18)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/15/30.6)**, the Foreign Trade Regulations paragraph that makes the EIC a mandatory EEI data element (Cornell LII, text current through the 91 FR 30486 amendment of May 26, 2026).
- **[AESTIR Appendix E, Commodity Filing Export Information Codes and Reporting Guidelines](https://www.cbp.gov/document/technical-documentation/ace-appendix-e-commodity-filing-export-information)**, CBP. The code list itself. The PDF is version 1.0 dated October 3, 2014, and it is still the current file on CBP's appendix page.
- **[AESTIR Appendix F, License and License Exemption Type Codes](https://www.cbp.gov/document/guidance/aestir-appendix-f-license-and-license-exemption-type-codes)**, CBP, dated October 13, 2026. Which EICs each license code accepts.
- **[AESTIR Appendix A, Commodity Filing Response Messages](https://www.cbp.gov/document/guidance/aestir-appendix-commodity-filing-response-messages)**, CBP, version 4.4 dated August 25, 2026. The error codes quoted below.
- **[ACE AESDirect User Guide](https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/aes/aesdirect/ACE_AESDirect_User_Guide.pdf)**, Census Bureau, last updated April 8, 2026. Where the field sits on screen.

### The regulation defines the field, not the list

If you go looking for the codes in the Foreign Trade Regulations, you will not find them. Section 30.6(a)(18) reads, in full: "Export information code. A code that identifies the type of export shipment or condition of the exported items (e.g., goods donated for relief or charity, impelled shipments, shipments under the Foreign Military Sales program, household goods, and all other shipments)."

That is a definition with examples, not a table. The examples it gives map onto codes that exist (`CH`, the impelled variants, `FS`, `HH`, `OS`), so the regulation and the AESTIR do not contradict each other. But the list AES actually validates against is Appendix E, and AES says so itself: fatal error 502 tells you the code "must be one contained in 'Appendix E, Export Information Code and Reporting Guidelines.'" When a guide, a template, or carrier software disagrees with Appendix E, Appendix E is what AESDirect enforces.

## The complete list: all 22 codes AES accepts

Appendix E splits the accepted codes into two tables. Table A holds the codes for shipments where filing is mandatory. Table B holds codes for shipments that are generally exempt from filing but that AES will still accept if you file them. Each line in an EEI must carry one code from either table.

### Table A: mandatory reporting (14 codes)

| Code | Appendix E meaning | When a small exporter would use it |
|---|---|---|
| **`OS`** | All other exports | **Every ordinary sale.** The default when no specific type or condition applies |
| `OI` | All other exports (impelled) | The impelled version of `OS`. See the note on impelled codes below |
| `CH` | Goods donated for relief or charity | You are donating goods abroad. Appendix E sends commingled food, medicine, apparel, and other donated goods to Schedule B 9802.10, 9802.20, 9802.30, and 9802.40 |
| `CI` | Impelled shipments of goods donated for relief or charity | Impelled version of `CH` |
| `CR` | Goods moving under a carnet | You are filing a shipment that travels on an ATA carnet |
| `FS` | Foreign Military Sales program, on a commercial carrier | Government-to-government defense sales. Not a commercial export |
| `FI` | Impelled Foreign Military Sales | Impelled version of `FS` |
| `HH` | Household goods: personal property for use in the USPPI's dwelling abroad, shipped under a bill of lading or air waybill, not for sale | Moving your own household abroad. Not business goods |
| `IP` | Merchandise imported under a TIB for further manufacturing or processing | You imported under a Temporary Import Bond, processed the goods, and are exporting them |
| `IR` | Merchandise imported under a TIB to be repaired or altered in the US | You repaired a foreign customer's TIB goods and are sending them back. Report the value of the repairs only, under Schedule B 9801.10.0000 |
| `IW` | Shipments destined to international waters | Goods going to a destination in international waters rather than a country |
| `TE` | Temporary exports, not sold or offered for sale, definitely intended to return in the same condition | Exhibition, demonstration, testing, evaluation, inspection, calibration, repair, races and contests, or temporary use abroad for research, exploration, or construction |
| `TP` | Temporary exports of domestic merchandise to be processed, manufactured, or assembled abroad and returned | Outbound leg of offshore processing or assembly |
| `ZD` | Reexports to Mexico of goods withdrawn from a foreign trade zone for which a NAFTA deferred duty claim could have been made | Foreign trade zone operators only. Requires the FTZ number and the entry number |

### Table B: optional reporting (8 codes)

| Code | Appendix E meaning | When a small exporter would use it |
|---|---|---|
| `GS` | Shipments to US government agencies and their employees for their exclusive use (15 CFR 30.40) | You chose to file a shipment that 30.40 exempts |
| `MS` | Shipments consigned to the US Armed Forces for their exclusive use (15 CFR 30.39) | You chose to file a shipment that 30.39 exempts |
| `GP` | Shipments under a US government contract for construction of facilities overseas | Government construction contractors |
| `HV` | Personally owned vehicles exported as household effects | Shipping your own car abroad. Requires the VIN, title number, and US state of title |
| `IS` | Merchandise imported under a TIB, returned in the same condition as imported | Samples, exhibition goods, test units, contest entries, and breeding or exhibition animals going back out unchanged |
| `TL` | Merchandise exported under a lease of less than one year | Short-term equipment leases abroad |
| `UG` | Single gift parcels under License Exception GFT | Gift parcels shipped under GFT |
| `DD` | Other exemptions: currency, airline tickets, bank notes, revenue and liquor stamps, advertising literature, articles temporarily imported for foreign government representatives | Rare for a commercial exporter |

Note what Appendix E says about Table B: "If an EEI is not filed (due to an exemption below) the appropriate exemption statement must still be reported on the bill of lading or other loading documentation." In other words, these codes exist for the filing you chose to make. If you do not file, the shipment carries a [NOEEI legend](/blog/noeei-exemption-codes) instead, not a code.

### Table C: 9 codes AES no longer accepts

Appendix E lists codes that "were accepted in AES prior to April 2004" and "are no longer accepted in AES":

| Retired code | What it used to mean | What to do now |
|---|---|---|
| `LC`, `LV` | Low-value shipments under 15 CFR 30.37(a) | Exempt lines take `NOEEI 30.37(a)` and no filing. If you report the line anyway, use `OS` |
| `DP` | Diplomatic pouches | Usually exempt under 30.37(i) |
| `HR` | Human remains | Usually exempt under 30.37(j) |
| `DB` | Drawback | No replacement code in Appendix E |
| `IC` | Interplant correspondence | Usually exempt under 30.37(k) |
| `SC` | Instruments of international trade | No replacement code in Appendix E |
| `SR`, `SS` | Ship's stores, carrier's stores | Usually exempt under 30.37(m) |

Any of these on a filing returns fatal error **502 EXPORT INFO CODE UNKNOWN**. If an old procedure, a forwarder template, or a shipping software dropdown still offers one, the procedure is the problem, not AES.

### A note on the impelled codes (OI, CI, FI)

Three Table A codes come in pairs: `OS` and `OI`, `CH` and `CI`, `FS` and `FI`. The second of each pair is the "impelled" version. The regulation names impelled shipments as an EIC category, but neither the current definitions in 15 CFR 30.1 nor Appendix E defines the word, so we will not invent a definition here. In practice: if nobody has told you in writing that your shipment is impelled, report the plain code. If you think it might be, the Census regulations line (800-549-0595, option 3) is the right call, listed with the other contacts in our [fatal errors guide](/blog/aes-fatal-errors-response-codes).

## The situations in depth

### What export information code do I use for a temporary export?

`TE`, when the shipment has to be filed. Appendix E limits `TE` to goods that "are not sold or offered for sale and are at the time of shipment definitely intended to be returned to the United States in the same condition as exported." It lists six cases: exhibition or demonstration, testing or evaluation, inspection or calibration, repair, races or contests, and temporary use abroad for research, exploration, construction, and similar projects (or in international waters).

The catch is that many temporary exports are not filed at all. [15 CFR 30.37(q)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/15/30.37) exempts "temporary exports, except those that require licensing, whether shipped or hand carried, (e.g., carnet) that are exported from and returned to the United States in less than one year (12 months) from the date of export." So the order of questions is:

1. **Does it need a license, or will it be out 12 months or more?** Then file, and the line takes `TE`.
2. **Otherwise**, it is usually `NOEEI 30.37(q)`, no filing, no EIC.
3. **If you might sell it abroad**, it is not a temporary export. Report it as what it is, which is usually `OS`.

Goods going abroad to be **processed or assembled** and brought back are not `TE`, because they will not come back in the same condition. That is `TP`.

### What export information code do I use for goods under a carnet?

`CR`, "goods moving under a carnet," when you file. The same 30.37(q) exemption names the carnet as an example of a temporary export, so a carnet shipment that needs no license and returns within a year is usually exempt. `CR` is for the carnet shipment you do file.

### What export information code do I use for repairs?

It depends on whose goods are being repaired and where.

- **You send your own goods abroad for repair and they come back:** `TE`. Repair is one of the six listed `TE` cases.
- **A foreign customer's goods came in under a TIB, you repaired them, and they go back:** `IR`. Appendix E says to "report value of repairs only under Schedule B # 9801.10.0000," and AES enforces it: an `IR` line with any other Schedule B number returns fatal error **636 INVALID SCHED B/HTS NBR FOR TIB CLAIM**.
- **TIB goods that were further processed here:** `IP`.
- **TIB goods going back unchanged** (samples, exhibition pieces, test units): `IS`. These are usually exempt under 30.37(r), which is why `IS` sits in the optional table.

### What export information code do I use for donated goods?

`CH`. Appendix E also asks you to report specific kinds of donations under Schedule B Chapter 98 numbers instead of their normal classification: commingled food products under 9802.10.0000, medicinal and pharmaceutical products under 9802.20.0000, wearing apparel under 9802.30.0000, and other donated goods under 9802.40.0000.

Then check your license code. If the donation moves under **License Exception GFT** (gift parcels and humanitarian donations, license code `C43`), Appendix F allows only two EICs with it: `UG` and `IW`. `CH` with `C43` is rejected. That is the most counterintuitive pairing on this page: the code that sounds right for a donation is the one AES refuses under the donation license exception.

### What about household goods and personal vehicles (HH and HV)?

`HH` is not a code for business equipment or for samples you carry. The regulation behind it, [15 CFR 30.38](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/15/30.38), defines household goods as "usual and reasonable kinds and quantities of personal property necessary and appropriate for use by the USPPI in the USPPI's dwelling in a foreign country," not for sale and shipped under a bill of lading or air waybill. For those, the regulation still calls for EEI, but the Schedule B number and the domestic or foreign indicator are not required.

AES enforces the shape of an `HH` line strictly. Report a Schedule B number, a unit of measure, or a quantity on it and you get fatal errors **523 to 527**. Report an origin indicator and you get **531**. Leave the value at zero and you get **528**, and leave the shipping weight at zero and you get **529**. An `HH` filing cannot be postdeparture (**592**) or move by fixed transport (**648**).

A car is never `HH`. Report a used vehicle as household goods and AES returns **597 VEHICLE INFO NOT ALLOWED FOR HH GDS**, whose resolution text says "Personal used vehicles may be reported under Export Information Code HV." An `HV` line must carry a used-vehicle Schedule B number (**640**) and the used vehicle detail (**651**): the VIN, the title number, and the US state of title.

> One source disagrees with the others here. The ACE AESDirect User Guide's field notes describe `HH` as "personal and household effects and tools of the trade." Appendix E and 30.38 say household goods for the USPPI's dwelling abroad, and tools of the trade have their own exemption in [30.37(b)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/15/30.37) that only applies when they accompany the traveler and are **not** shipped under a bill of lading or air waybill. Tools of trade that meet 30.37(b) are not filed at all, so they never need an EIC. Follow the regulation and Appendix E.

### What about leases (TL)?

Goods exported under a lease shorter than one year take `TL`. It sits in Appendix E's optional table, and it is one of only five EICs Appendix F accepts with a BIS license (`C30`), alongside `OS`, `OI`, `IW`, and `CH`.

### What about international waters (IW)?

`IW` is for shipments destined to international waters rather than a foreign country. Two rules travel with it. The country of ultimate destination is, per 30.6, "the nationality of the person(s) or entity assuming control" of the goods. And the only port of unlading codes allowed are 99900, 99910, 99920, 99930, 99940, and 99950, per the resolution text of fatal error **139**.

### The codes you are unlikely to need

`FS` and `FI` are for the Foreign Military Sales program. When `FS` is filed with the State Department FMS license code `S94`, the goods must be domestic origin or AES returns **569**. `ZD` is a foreign trade zone reexport claim that needs the entry number (**535**), the FTZ identifier (**536**), and a destination of Canada or Mexico (**537**). `GS`, `MS`, `GP`, and `DD` cover government, military, and financial-instrument shipments that are mostly exempt from filing in the first place.

## How the EIC interacts with your license code

Every line carries both an EIC and a license code, and Appendix F lists which EICs each license code accepts. Pair them wrong and AES returns **510 EIC CANNOT BE CLAIMED WITH LICENSE CODE**, with the resolution: "The Export Information Code must be compatible with the reported License Code/License Exemption." The pairings a small exporter meets, from the October 13, 2026 Appendix F:

| License code | What it is | EICs AES accepts with it |
|---|---|---|
| `C33` | No License Required (NLR) | All **except** `UG`, `FS`, `FI` |
| `C30` | A license issued by BIS | `IW`, `OS`, `OI`, `TL`, `CH` |
| `C40` | License Exception TMP (temporary exports) | `CR`, `GP`, `IS`, `TE`, `TL`, `MS`, `GS`, `IP`, `IR`, `TP`, `OI`, `OS`, `DD`, `IW` |
| `C41` | License Exception RPL (servicing and replacement parts) | `GP`, `IS`, `TE`, `TL`, `MS`, `GS`, `IP`, `IR`, `TP`, `OI`, `OS`, `IW` |
| `C43` | License Exception GFT (gift parcels, humanitarian donations) | `UG`, `IW` only |
| `C45` | License Exception BAG (baggage) | `OI`, `OS`, `IW` only |

Read across the table and the practical rules fall out:

- **`OS` with `C33` always pairs.** That is the combination on most small-exporter lines, and it is why `OS` is the safe default.
- **A BIS license narrows you to five codes.** A licensed temporary export is not `TE` under `C30`, because Appendix F does not list it. If you hold a license for a temporary export, ask the licensing agency or Census before you file rather than guessing a code until one passes.
- **Charity is not always `CH`.** Under GFT it must be `UG` (or `IW`).
- **Temporary exports under TMP pair with `TE`, `TP`, or `CR`**, which is what you would expect, but BAG does not: baggage under `C45` takes `OS`, `OI`, or `IW`.

If a license code is unfamiliar, start at [do I need an export license](/blog/do-i-need-an-export-license) and [what a license exception does and does not do for AES](/blog/ear-license-exception-aes-filing). Most small exporters report `C33` and `OS` on every line.

## Where the EIC goes in ACE AESDirect

The EIC is a commodity-level field, so it lives in **Step 3: Commodities**. Per the [ACE AESDirect User Guide](https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/aes/aesdirect/ACE_AESDirect_User_Guide.pdf):

1. Open **Step 3: Commodities** and click **Add Line**.
2. In **Export Information Code**, "select the code that identifies the type or condition of the export transaction being made." It is required on every line, and the guide lists it first among the commodity fields.
3. Fill in the Schedule B or HTS number, description, quantities, origin, value, weight, ECCN, and license code. If you selected `HH`, the guide marks the Schedule B number, quantities, units of measure, and origin as not required.
4. Add one line per Schedule B number, origin, and license. A line that needs a different EIC is a separate line.

If you are filing for the first time, our [AESDirect walkthrough](/blog/how-to-file-eei-in-aesdirect) covers the other three steps and the data to gather first. When the filing is accepted you get an [ITN](/blog/what-is-an-itn-number), and the ITN, not the EIC, is what goes on your loading documents.

## Common mistakes, and the errors they trigger

| Mistake | What AES returns |
|---|---|
| No EIC on the line | **501 EXPORT INFO CODE MISSING** (fatal) |
| A retired code (`LV`, `LC`, `DP`, `SS`) or a typo | **502 EXPORT INFO CODE UNKNOWN** (fatal) |
| An EIC the license code does not allow (`CH` with GFT, `UG` with `C33`) | **510 EIC CANNOT BE CLAIMED WITH LICENSE CODE** (fatal) |
| `HH` with a Schedule B number, unit, quantity, or origin entered | **523 to 527**, **531** (fatal) |
| `HH` with zero value or zero weight | **528**, **529** (fatal) |
| A used vehicle reported as `HH` | **597** (fatal). Use `HV` |
| `HV` without a used-vehicle Schedule B number or vehicle detail | **640**, **651** (fatal) |
| `IR` with a Schedule B number other than 9801.10.0000 | **636** (fatal) |

All of these are fatal: no ITN, and the shipment does not move until you correct the line and retransmit under the same shipment reference number. The full list of fatal errors a self-filer hits, and the rules for correcting them (never cancel a rejected filing), are in [AES fatal errors: what each response code means](/blog/aes-fatal-errors-response-codes).

Three mistakes AES will not catch, because the code is valid:

- **`TE` on goods you sold.** Appendix E restricts `TE` to goods "not sold or offered for sale." A demo unit the distributor ends up buying was never temporary.
- **`HH` for business equipment.** The code passes validation, but 30.38 limits household goods to personal property for your dwelling abroad.
- **An impelled code by accident.** `OI` is one letter away from `OS`. It is a valid code, so nothing rejects it, and your filing now says something you did not mean.

## Why one field still deserves a reference page

The EIC is the field most small exporters fill in without reading, and for the right reason: `OS` is correct almost every time. The value of knowing the full list is spotting the line that is not `OS` (the demo unit that is coming back, the donation, the TIB return) and knowing which license code it has to pair with before AES tells you.

[ExportDocsHub](/) keeps one record per shipment, so the line-level facts you report in AESDirect (Schedule B number, value, weight, license code) are the same ones printed on your [commercial invoice](/blog/commercial-invoice-vs-proforma-invoice), packing list, and [SLI](/blog/shippers-letter-of-instruction). If you would rather type a shipment once, [start a free trial](https://exportdocshub.com/sign-up). No credit card required.

This page is reference guidance, not a classification, licensing, or legal determination. Which code, license, and Schedule B number apply to your goods is yours to establish, and a licensed customs broker, export counsel, or the Census regulations line is the right call when the answer is not obvious.

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**Further reading**

- Cornell LII: [15 CFR 30.6, EEI data elements](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/15/30.6) (the EIC is paragraph (a)(18)), [30.37, miscellaneous exemptions](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/15/30.37), and [30.38, household goods](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/15/30.38)
- CBP: [AESTIR Appendix E, export information codes](https://www.cbp.gov/document/technical-documentation/ace-appendix-e-commodity-filing-export-information)
- CBP: [AESTIR Appendix F, license and license exemption type codes](https://www.cbp.gov/document/guidance/aestir-appendix-f-license-and-license-exemption-type-codes) (October 13, 2026)
- CBP: [AESTIR Appendix A, commodity filing response messages](https://www.cbp.gov/document/guidance/aestir-appendix-commodity-filing-response-messages) (August 25, 2026)
- Census: [ACE AESDirect User Guide](https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/aes/aesdirect/ACE_AESDirect_User_Guide.pdf) (PDF, updated April 8, 2026)

**Related on this site**

- [Every number on a US export declaration, decoded](/blog/export-declaration-numbers)
- [NOEEI exemption codes: the complete list for small US exporters](/blog/noeei-exemption-codes)
- [Do I need to file EEI in AES? A decision guide for small US exporters](/blog/do-i-need-to-file-eei-in-aes)
- [How to file EEI in ACE AESDirect yourself](/blog/how-to-file-eei-in-aesdirect)
- [AES fatal errors: what each response code means and how to fix it](/blog/aes-fatal-errors-response-codes)
- [What is an ITN number? The 15 characters that prove your export was declared](/blog/what-is-an-itn-number)
- [Do I need an export license? The question that cancels every AES exemption](/blog/do-i-need-an-export-license)
- [Does a license exception mean you skip AES? Usually not](/blog/ear-license-exception-aes-filing)

*Written by [Anas Marwan](/authors/anas-n), Co-founder of Darza Technologies. Last reviewed 2026-10-20.*

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Source: https://exportdocshub.com/blog/export-information-codes (https://exportdocshub.com)