Links to More Information

U.S. Commercial Service 

The U.S. Commercial Service helps U.S. companies find new international business partners in worldwide markets and helps foreign companies find U.S. suppliers of products and services.  From providing targeted market research and setting up business meetings to facilitating trade events, the U.S. Commercial Service offers a range of services for both U.S. and foreign companies.  More information is available at www.buyusa.gov or at www.doc.gov.

U.S. Manufacturers

www.thomasnet.com is a comprehensive resource for finding U.S. manufacturers.

Customs and Caribbean Basin Initiative Information

A good resource for learning more about American customs and the Caribbean Basin Initiative is the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website http://www.cbp.gov.

Exporting to Specific States

Individual states in the U.S. compete with one another for business from abroad, so it is important to look at state-specific information when considering exporting to the U.S.  Different state economic development agencies may offer investment incentives to foreign companies, such as tax holidays, assistance in land acquisition, etc. and will often highlight key sectors that they are most interested in promoting.  The U.S. Department of Commerce has a publication with contact information for all of these agencies across all fifty United States as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.  The list is available at http://trade.gov.

Food and Feed Exporters

Domestic and foreign facilities that manufacture/process, pack, or hold food for human or animal consumption in the United States must register with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) so that incase of a potential or actual bioterrorism incident or an outbreak of food-borne illness, facilitation registration information can help FDA to determine the location and source of the event and permit FDA to quickly notify facilities that may be affected.  For assistance with online registration: in the U.S call 1-800-216-7331 or 301-575-0156; from elsewhere call 301-575-0156; or send a fax to 301-210-0247. Requests for assistance also may be emailed to furls@fda.gov.  The Online Registration Help Desk will be staffed on business days from 7 AM until 11 PM U.S. Eastern Time.  For additional information please check the Food and Drug Administration site at www.fda.gov.

Government of Trinidad and Tobago Trade Facilitation Organizations

Opening a Business in the U.S.

Every state has online information about opening a business in their state.  For example, you can find information about opening a business in Florida at www.dos.state.fl.us and information for New York at www.dos.state.ny.us.

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