FAQ

Table of Contents

SNAP-R Online Help for Exporters

Introduction

Overview

The purpose of the Redesigned Simplified Network Application Process (SNAP-R) is to enable exporters to submit Export License applications, Re-export applications, Commodity Classification requests, Agriculture License Exception notices, and associated supporting documents to the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) via the Internet. SNAP-R enables exporters to provide submissions directly to BIS via an Internet connection and a web browser. This manual provides information specific to accessing and using SNAP-R.

For additional information not covered in this manual, If you need assistance, please contact the SNAP-R Help Desk at (202) 482-2227 or send an email to snapr@bis.doc.gov.

SNAP-R Features

SNAP-R provides the following functionality:

user-friendly screens that allow exporters to prepare and submit export control forms, referred to by SNAP-R as Work Items, from their own personal computers.
electronic receipt of:

acknowledgment that contains the Case Number used for tracking requests
license number, electronic facsimile of the license, conditions and riders (if any) for each export/re-export license from BIS
the Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) for item classifications

the ability to respond online to BIS requests for further information
the ability to attach documents to both Work Items and responses to BIS requests
the ability for one user to give to (or remove from) other users within the same company permissions to view, edit, and/or submit Work Items
fully secure, authenticated and encrypted data flow between the exporter and BIS

An important note in SNAP-R is that the term Work Item is used to refer to any of the BIS work related transactions that can be submitted online. These include:

Export License applications
Re-Export License applications
Commodity Classification requests
Agriculture License Exception notices

Application Requirements

SNAP-R is accessible through Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher via the internet. To provide for secure data transmission, https is the only supported protocol (you cannot log in via http://).

The minimum requirements for accessing SNAP-R are:

A PDF Reader, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, if you want to read previously uploaded supporting documents online.
Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6.0 or later with Active Scripting, session cookies, and PDF file download enabled for SNAP-R.
- The default Internet Explorer installation configuration settings are sufficient to run SNAP-R
Adobe Acrobat Writer or another utility capable of creating PDF files if you want to upload supporting documents.

For optimal experience, your screen resolution should be 1024 x 768 or higher.

To ensure Active Scripting is enabled:

Choose the Tools --> Internet Options... (drop down, main menu).
Click the Security tab, highlight <your security zone>, then click Custom Level...
Scroll down to the Scripting header, choose Enable under the Active Scripting option.

To ensure that session cookies are enabled:

Use Internet Explorer 6.0
Choose the Tools --> Internet Options... (drop down, main menu).
Click the Privacy tab, select Medium high, click Apply, then OK

Use Internet Explorer 6.0
Choose the Tools --> Internet Options... (drop down, main menu).
Click the Privacy tab, click Edit...
Enter https://snapr.bis.doc.gov, then click Allow, then click OK

To ensure that PDF file downloads are enabled:

Choose the Tools --> Internet Options... (drop down, main menu).
Click the Security tab, highlight <your security zone>, then click Custom Level...
Scroll down to the Downloads header, choose Enable under the File Download option

Note that the steps above will affect the behavior of all sites in the security zone that you modified. Alternatively, you can add https://snapr.bis.doc.gov as a trusted site. To do so:

Choose the Tools --> Internet Options... (drop down, main menu).
Choose the Security tab, click Trusted Sites then click the Sites... button
In Add This Web Site to the Zone, enter https://snapr.bis.doc.gov then click Add, then click OK , then click Add, then click OK

SNAP-R Cookies and Privacy

For a better user experience, SNAP-R stores a small text file, known as a "cookie", in the user's browser for the duration for the user session, i.e. from the time a user logs in until there has been no activity for 60 minutes, or the user logs out of SNAP-R . Used in many other popular web applications, the cookie helps SNAP-R identify a user who has already logged in, so that the user does not have to enter the login ID and password for every request.

The use of these cookies does not pose a risk to the user's privacy, which SNAP-R takes very seriously. For example,

SNAP-R cookies do not contain any personal information, such as login ID and password
SNAP-R cookies are first party cookies. No information is shared with any third party as a result of using these cookies
SNAP-R cookies are session cookies, which are destroyed when the user closes the browser. No one will have access to them afterwards even if they gain access to the user's computer

Popup Blockers

SNAP-R does not use popup windows. However, for better use experiences, SNAP-R opens a new browser window to display the contents of a previously uploaded supporting document, when requested by the user. While this mechanism works with most popup blockers, some may mistakenly block the new windows. In such cases, please refer to your popup blocker instructions on how to allow SNAP-R document windows.

Understanding the SNAP-R Process

Before Starting - Obtain Authorization. Obtain a Company Identification Number (CIN) and Personal Identification Number (PIN) and activate a user account. See the section in this document entitled SNAP-R Electronic Submissions for further information.

Note for users of the old SNAP system: The original SNAP system refers to the CIN as the "Applicant ID."

Supplying a valid email address when activating a user account is very helpful. An email address can also be supplied later by updating the User Profile. SNAP-R will use this email address solely to communicate when new messages (acknowledgements, validations, or requests) are available to be viewed online through SNAP-R. BIS will not use this email address for any other purpose.

Step 1 - Submit Information

Create a Work Item by filling out the online forms and (if applicable) attaching supporting documentation in PDF format. After submitting the forms, BIS will start the review process, and the documents will no longer be editable by the submitter. BIS will assign the application an Application Control Number (ACN) that begins with the letter 'Z'.

Step 2 - Receive Acknowledgment

BIS routes an acknowledgment message through SNAP-R to each user authorized to access the Work Item. This message will include the Application Control Number (ACN) mentioned in Step 1. Users can access SNAP-R and see new messages from BIS on the homepage that is displayed immediately upon logging in.

Step 3 - Check Status and Messages

Check the status of the applications through SNAP-R.

Once users have received the Application Control Number (ACN) from BIS/SNAP-R, they may track the status of the Application via the System for Tracking Export License (STELA). STELA is a telephone response system that provides export application (also referred to as work item in SNAP-R) status information. Using a touch-tone phone, dial (202) 482-2752 to access STELA. Follow the on-line instructions to obtain the status of the work item using the ACN number.

BIS may send requests for further information. Access these requests and other messages through SNAP-R. For timely processing of applications, these requests should be accommodated as soon as possible. Responses may contain simple text as well as attached documentation.

Step 4 - Final Action

Acceptance or rejection of a previously submitted application, classification or reporting form can be viewed from SNAP-R. Final validations may include an electronic Export/Re-Export License facsimile, electronic Commodity Classification facsimile or electronic Agriculture Exception Notice facsimile. Exporters may ship based on the terms and conditions of the electronic copy rather than waiting for the duplicate hard copy on BIS letterhead.

A hardcopy backup notification is subsequently mailed to the exporter.

SNAP-R Electronic Submission - Obligations and Responsibilities

Exporter Obligations

SNAP-R was created to allow exporters to submit Export License applications, Re-Export License applications, Agriculture Exception Notices, and Commodity Classification requests via the Internet. You must have a Company Identification Number (CIN) and Personal Identification Number (PIN) to access SNAP-R. The procedures and requirements for obtaining and using a PIN are set forth in section 748.7 of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

You may obtain a PIN by sending an "Electronic Submission Letter" (an approved example is provided in Appendix A) on your company letterhead, with a corporate officer's signature, to the Bureau of Industry and Security. Each individual who will be submitting requests must have their own PIN and must have signed the PIN Holder's Certification section on the Electronic Submission Letter. The corporate officer that signs the company certification must also sign the PIN holder certification portion of the letter in order to receive a PIN him/herself. This request can be faxed to BIS. Since this letter must be provided to BIS on company letterhead, we recommend that you "cut and paste" the text of the sample letter on to a copy of your company letterhead. Then, fill in the blanks (i.e. applicant company, etc.), insert the PIN holder information, and add original signatures.

BIS will communicate PINs to authorized users by telephone. The PIN will be five characters in length. Individuals may select their own PINs and should indicate their preference when contacted by the Bureau of Industry and Security.

Each applicant company granted authorization to use SNAP-R will be assigned a Company Identification Number (CIN). An Applicant Company shall reveal the assigned CIN only to the PIN holders, their supervisors, employees, or agents of the applicant company with a commercial justification for knowing the company identification number.

PIN holders must not:

disclose the PIN to anyone except BIS (including supervisors or coworkers);
record the PIN either in writing or electronically;
authorize another person to use such PIN (including supervisors or coworkers);
use the PIN following termination of authorization by the Bureau of Export Administration or by the Applicant Company.

To prevent misuse of the PIN:

you and the PIN holder must report the loss, theft, or compromise of a PIN immediately by calling the SNAP-R Help Desk at (202) 482-2227 or e-mailing snapr@bis.doc.gov. You must also confirm the report in writing within two business days; and
The corporate officer must immediately notify BIS whenever a PIN holder leaves employment with your company or otherwise ceases to be authorized by your company to submit applications via the Internet on its behalf.

Internet Submissions

The Internet submission shall constitute an export control document. Such submissions shall provide the same information as a written submission. Support documentation required by Part 748 of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), including brochures and specifications, can be attached directly to the Work Item in SNAP-R (PDF format required), or may be submitted using facsimile numbers (202) 219-9179 or (202) 219-9182 or by courier. Electronic submission of support documentation through SNAP-R is preferred.

You will receive an Application Control Number (ACN) electronically. You must use this control number on all specifications and brochures submitted to support the request.

Maintenance of Records

You shall maintain a log, either manually or electronically, specifying the date and time of each Internet submission, the ECCNs of the items or the description of the items on each Internet submission, and the name of the employee or agent making the submission. This log must not be altered. Written corrections must be made in a manner that does not erase or otherwise obscure original entries. If the log is maintained electronically, corrections may only be made as notations.

Updating

You shall promptly notify BIS of any change in your company name or address. If your company wishes to have an individual added as a PIN holder, your company shall so advise BIS and proceed in accordance with the instructions BIS will provide. Applicant Companies should make periodic reviews to ensure that only individuals whose current responsibilities make it necessary and appropriate that they act for the Applicant Company in this capacity hold PINs.

Third Party Electronic Submissions

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) allows third parties to submit license applications and classification requests on behalf of exporters and re-exporters via SNAP-R. In order for third parties to be authorized to make electronic submissions to SNAP-R they must submit a Third Party Certification Letter (an approved example is provided in Appendix B). Since this letter must be provided to BIS in hard copy on company letterhead, we recommend that you "cut and paste" the text of the sample letter on to a copy of your company letterhead. Then, fill in the blanks (i.e. applicant company, etc.), insert the pin holder information, and add original signatures.

The Third Party Submitter (also referred to as Other Party) will need to receive the CIN from the exporter or re-exporter on whose behalf it is submitting applications. If the exporter or re-exporter does not already have a CIN, they will need to submit a request to BIS for one using the Company PIN Certification Letter. Any company that has submitted an application to BIS will have a CIN already assigned by BIS. To verify the CIN, the exporter or re-exporter may contact the SNAP-R Help Desk by calling (202) 482-2227 or by e-mailing snapr@bis.doc.gov.

Questions About CINs and PINs

If you have questions about applying for a CIN and PIN, please contact the SNAP-R help desk at 202-482-2227 or send an email to snapr@bis.doc.gov

If contacting by email, please specify "SNAP-R Inquiry" as the subject of your email.

Please note: The email address above is for asking questions, not for the submission of certification letters.

Using SNAP-R

Activating a New User Account

Before logging into the SNAP-R system, you must activate your user account. Each individual person who needs to access SNAP-R needs to have their own account; accounts must not be shared among users.

Browse to the SNAP-R homepage (https://snapr.bis.doc.gov)
1. If you do not yet have a SNAP-R Company Identification Number (CIN, also referred to as Applicant ID) and PIN, click on Register located under the Register for CIN and PIN code section, and follow the directions. You must obtain a CIN and PIN before using SNAP-R. Note: for users of the old SNAP system, your CIN corresponds to your Applicant ID.
Click on Create SNAP-R Login ID and Password (or follow the link create a Login ID and password located underneath that section) .

screen shot - Registration and activation links

Registration and activation links

Fill in the New User Activation Form with the appropriate values and submit it. (see New User Activation Form for details)
If the New User Activation Form was successful, you will be prompted to fill out your User Profile. (see User Profile for details)
Once you have completed the User Profile information, you will be automatically logged in and re-directed to the SNAP-R homepage. From now on you will be able to log in to SNAP-R in the future using the Login ID and password you have selected.
If the submission was not successful, verify that your CIN and PIN code are correct. If you entered those items correctly but SNAP-R refused the submission, please contact technical support. (see Questions About CINs and PINs)

Logging In

To log into the SNAP-R system, start a web browser, and type in the following address into the location box: http://snapr.bis.doc.gov/

You will be presented with the Log In form:

Screen shot on the Login Form

Logging into SNAP-R

To log in to SNAP-R, e nter the Login ID and password chosen during the new user activation process along with your CIN. Click Login to log into SNAP. Click Clear to clear the contents of the form.

Click on the Register link if you do not have a CIN and PIN.
Click on the Create a SNAP-R Login ID and Password link if you have a CIN and PIN but have not yet created your own user name. (see Activating a New User Account)

If your login attempt is unsuccessful, you will be returned to the SNAP-R Login Page with the appropriate error message. Three unsuccessful login attempts will lock your account for a period of 30 minutes. The SNAP-R session will expire after 60 minutes of inactivity.

For security reasons, SNAP-R allows an exporter user to log in from a single computer at any time. If an exporter user tries to log in from a second computer (or a second browser on the same computer), the following warning page will be displayed:

Screen shot on the warning message for more than one active session

Confirming login

If the user clicks on the Continue Login link, the user's other SNAP-R session will be terminated (The user will not be able to access SNAP-R from the other browser without logging in again).

Assuming that you entered your Login ID, password, and CIN correctly, you will be taken to the SNAP-R homepage:

Screen shot on the Welcome Form

SNAP-R Homepage

The homepage contains two important components:

The navigation bar is on the left. (see Navigating Between Screens for details)

Unread messages from BIS are displayed in the Messages area. Note: Some unread messages require prompt attention on the part of the exporter to ensure that requests are handled in a timely fashion. (see Viewing Messages)

Navigating Between Screens

You can move between different screens of the SNAP-R interface via the navigation bar on the left-hand side of the screen. The navigation bar presents the following menu of links:

Screen shot on the menu

Navigation Bar

SNAP-R Home

This link will take you to the SNAP-R homepage, which displays all new messages from BIS. (see Viewing Messages)

Create Work Item

This link will take you to the start of the process of creating a new Work Item, either as a blank form or by copying an existing Work Item. (see Creating a New Work Item)

List Work Items

This link will list all your accessible Work Items. (see Viewing a List of Work Items)

Search Work Items

This link will allow you to search for Work Items that meet certain criteria of interest to you. (see Searching for Specific Work Items)

Search Documents

This link will allow you to search for documents that meet certain criteria of interest to you. (see Searching for a Specific Document)

View Messages

This link will list all messages that you have received from BIS. (see Viewing Messages)

Manage User Profile

This link will allow you to modify your contact information and other details stored in your User Profile. (see Viewing and Editing Your Profile Information)

Help

This link will take you to the welcome page of the help documentation for SNAP-R.

Logout

This link will log your account out of the SNAP-R system and will return your browser to the SNAP-R login page.

Note: The system will automatically log your account out after 60 minutes of inactivity.

Viewing and Editing Your Profile Information

From the navigation bar, click on Manage User Profile to be taken to the user profile screen:

User Profile Information

Clicking the Update Profile button will take you to a form that will allow you to modify this information. (see User Profile Update Form)

Viewing Messages

There are three different types of messages sent by BIS to exporters. Acknowledgements concern status changes to Work Items; for example, that the Work Item has been accepted for processing. If a Work Item was rejected by BIS (and therefore could not be processed), an acknowledgement of rejection would also be sent to the exporter. An Acknowledgement of successful submission of the Work Item to BIS will contain an Application Control Number (ACN). Validations are received from BIS (after successful submission) for Work Item when they are either Approved, Approved with Conditions, Denied, or Returned Without Action. Requests are sent when additional information is needed by BIS in order to process a Work Item. Exporters can respond to these requests and attach documents to them. Notifications about new messages available on SNAP-R from BIS will be sent to the email address indicated in your User Profile (if you provided and email address).

Messages can be viewed in three different ways:

On the navigation bar, click on SNAP-R Home to return to the homepage and view all unread messages. Click on the Subject of that message to read it. The act of reading a message is sufficient to remove it from the list on the homepage (because only new messages are displayed on the homepage). You may also click on the Remove button to remove a message without having to have read it, or Mark As New to make the message title appear bold and load at the top of the list. You are also able to sort the messages by clicking on any of the column headers in the display list. Note: removing a message from the homepage or the message board does not delete it from the Work Item's list of messages. (see Logging In)
On the navigation bar, click on View Messages to see a list of all messages sent by BIS. You will see a view message screen:
Message List View

Click the Remove button to remove a message without having to have read it. You are also able to sort the messages by clicking on any of the column headers in the display list. Note: removing a message from the homepage or the message board does not delete it from the Work Item's list of messages.
1. You can group the messages by Acknowledgements, Requests, or Validations by clicking the appropriate link on the navigation bar underneath View Messages:
Message List Grouping
On the View Work Item screen, click on View Acknowledgements and Validations or View Requests to view messages for that particular Work Item. (see Viewing a List of Work Items) (see Creating a New Work Item)

Acknowledgements will be displayed in the following format:

Screen shot on the Acknowledge Detail form

Acknowledgement and Validation Detail View

Click on Reference Number or Back to Work Item to view the Work Item page for that Work Item. Click on Acknowledgement and Validations to be taken back to the list of Acknowledgements and Validations.

Requests will be displayed in the following format:

Screen shot on the Request Detail form

Request Detail View

Validations will be displayed in the following format:

Screen shot on the Validation Detail form

Validation Detail View

Click on the Reference Number or Work Item to be taken to the View Work Item page for that Work Item.

Click on Acknowledgements and Validations to be taken back to the list of Acknowledgements and Validations for that Work Item.

Responding to Requests

BIS may send messages that request a response from you in regards to a Work Item. These requests will be displayed in the following format:

Screen shot on the Request Detail form

Request Detail View

Click on the Reference Number to be taken to the Work Item in question. Enter a text response in the indicated box. If the BIS has allows additional documents be attached to the response ("Documents Allowed" checkbox is checked), you can click on Upload Supporting Document to attach a document to this request, or click on Reuse a Document to attach a document to this request that you already have on file in SNAP-R.

Clicking on Save will save your response without submitting it to BIS. This allows you to make modification to your response, as well as add or delete supporting documents if applicable.

Note: The Response field is limited to 2000 characters.

Once you have completed the response, check the checkbox indicating that you understand that you may respond only one time, and click on Respond to submit the response to BIS. Note: All response submissions are final and cannot be edited once submitted. Please be sure all information is correct before submitting. (see Managing Supporting Documents)

Creating a New Work Item

Work Items have traditionally been submitted to BIS via the multi-purpose BIS-748P paper form. The main purpose of SNAP-R is to allow for the electronic submission of this form. The following applications are supported: Export License applications, Re-Export License applications, Agriculture License Exception notices, and Commodity Classification requests. Note: The submission of Special Comprehensive Licenses through SNAP-R is currently not supported.

Below are step-by-step instructions for the creation of a new Work Item using two different methods: either creating a blank new Work Item, or copying an existing Work Item and modifying it. The first step in either method is the same:

Click on the Create Work Item link on the navigation bar to start the process of creating a Work Item. This will take you to the following screen:

screen shot on the Creating a New Work Item form

Creating a New Work Item

Creating Work Item From Scratch

Select the appropriate Work Item type from the drop-down box. You may choose from the following: Export License Application, Re-Export License, Agriculture License Exception Notice, and Commodity Classification.
Enter a valid reference number for the Work Item. Reference numbers must be in the format "AAA1111".
Click the Create button to create a new Work Item from scratch.
You will be taken to the Edit Work Item form. Fill in the required overview information. (see Edit Work Item Form).
When done, save the information by clicking on the Save Draft button.

Recommendation: You should begin by completing the topmost subform and then saving the Work Item by clicking Save Draft. Continue to use the Save Draft button frequently while filling in the rest of the form. This will help protect you from data loss in the case of computer or server malfunction or the sudden loss of Internet connection.

Copying From an Existing Work Item

Click on the Search to Reuse button.
The Search Work Item Form will be displayed. Specify search criteria and click on the Search button, or click the Search button without specifying any criteria to see a list of all Work Items you can access. (see Search Work Items Form)
From the search results, find the Work Item you want to copy and click on the Reuse link.

Screen shot of the search result for Work Item Reuse

Search for a Work Item to Reuse

This will bring up the Copy and Reuse Work Item page where you can enter the reference number for the new Work Item. You can also specify whether the supporting documents attached to the original Work Item should be copied.

Screen shot on copying an existing work item

Copying an Existing Work Item

Click on the Create button, to create the new Work Item. You will then be taken to the Edit Work Item form. (see Edit Work Item Form)

When done, save the information by clicking on the Save Draft button.

Recommendation: You should begin by completing the topmost subform and then saving the Work Item by clicking Save Draft. Continue to use the Save Draft button frequently while filling in the rest of the form. This will help protect you from data loss in the case of computer or server malfunction or the sudden loss of Internet connection

Viewing a List of Work Items

From the navigation bar, click on List Work Items to view a list of Work Items that you can access. Note: You will be able to view not only Work Items that you have created, but any Work Items that you can access. (see Managing User Rights for a Work Item)

screen shot Work Item List View

Work Item List View

The list of Work Items is ordered by the Creation Date by default. You may re-order the list by clicking on any of the column headers. The Creation Date is defined as the day the Work Item was first saved into SNAP-R, which is not necessarily the day it was submitted.

Click on a Work Item's Reference Number to be taken to the Edit Work Item page (or View Work Item page if the Work Item is no longer editable), where the details of that Work Item are displayed. (see Edit Work Item Form and/or View Work Item Form)

Searching for Specific Work Items

From the navigation bar, click on Search Work Item to search for Work Items meeting certain criteria. (see Search Work Items Form)

After submitting the form, a list similar to the following will be displayed (assuming that your search found one or more matching Work Items). Please refer to the Viewing a List of Work Items for instructions on how to interpret and sort the list of Work Items your search has returned.

screen shot Work Item Search Results

Work Item Search Results

Viewing and Modifying a Work Item

There are three ways to navigate to the View Work Item page. This page allows you to view and/or modify an existing Work Item.

From the navigation bar, click on List Work Items to display a list of all Work Items you can access. Click on the appropriate Reference Number to view it in the View Work Item page. (see Viewing a List of Work Items)
From the navigation bar, click on Search Work Items to search for a specific Work Item. Complete the search from and submit it. After the results are displayed, click on the appropriate Reference Number to view the corresponding Work Item. (see Search Work Items Form)
From the navigation bar, click on SNAP-R Home or View Messages to view a list of messages sent by BIS that are awaiting your attention. Each message is associated with a Work Item; click on the message title and then the Work Item's Reference Number to view the corresponding Work Item. (see Viewing Messages)

You may also return to Work Items by clicking on either the Reference Number link or the Back to Work Item link found throughout the application. These links are provided whenever you are viewing modifying a component of the Work Item, such as documents, requests, validations, or acknowledgements. (see View Work Item Form)

Searching for a Specific Supporting Document

Click on the Search Document link of the navigation bar to be taken to the Search Document form. (see Search Supporting Document Form)

Enter the search parameters and submit the form. A list of documents matching your criteria will be displayed. The list returned may be sorted by clicking on the column header of the field you would like sorted.

When searching for documents, you have access not only to the documents you have uploaded, but also documents that are associated with any Work Items you can access. (see Managing User Rights for a Work Item)

Manage Supporting Documents

Documents can be attached to both your Work Items and your responses to messages from BIS requesting further information.

You can also indicate what documents you have on file, but are not submitting with your application, on the Edit Work Item page. For more information on what type of documents your application may require, please refer to section 748.9 of the EAR.

Attaching a Document to a Work Item

From the View Work Item page, within the Status and Contact Data Subform, click on View and Manage Supporting Documents.

Note: once a Work Item has been submitted, you will no longer be able to attach supporting documents to your Work Item, and you will only be able to View Supporting Documents. The Delete, Search Documents for Reuse, and Upload Supporting Document functionality will no longer be present. After submission, you will no longer be able to manage supporting documents, but you can still View Supporting Documents by clicking the link on the View Work Item page. (see View Work Item Form)

The Managing Documents page will be displayed:

Work Item Documents View

Documents already uploaded are listed on the Manage Documents page. To delete a document, click on the Delete button on the row of that document. To upload and attach a document, click on Upload Supporting Document, fill out the Document Upload and Edit Form, select the file to upload, and click Submit. (see Document Upload and Edit Form)

You can also click on the Search Documents for Reuse link to find a document previously uploaded, and attach that document to this Work Item. This link will bring up the Document Search form. (see Search Supporting Document Form)

After filling out the search form and clicking Submit, the following screen will be displayed:

Search document screen shot

Document Reuse Search Results Display

Click on the Attach checkbox on the row of the document you wish to reuse, or click on the Search Again link to search for a different set of documents.

After clicking Attach to Work Item, you will see the Supporting Document Reuse Confirmation screen:

Supporting Document Reuse Confirmation

Attaching a Document to a Response

From the Request Detail View, click on Attach Document to Response (see Viewing Messages). Fill out the Document Upload and Edit Form and select the file to upload, and Submit the form. The document will then be uploaded and displayed. (see Document Upload and Edit Form)

Below the body of the message, the Message Response Document Management Panel is displayed:

Message Response Document Management Panel

Documents already attached to the Request will be listed under "Documents Attached". To delete a document, click on the Delete checkbox on the row of the document you wish to delete, and then click on either the Save or the Delete button.

Viewing and Editing Documents

For Work Items, click on the document title in the row of the document you wish to view. For responses to requests, click on the name of the document itself. The Supporting Document Summary View screen will be displayed:

Supporting Document Summary View

Click on the View Document button to view the actual document that was uploaded. Click on Edit Document Description to be taken to the Document Upload and Edit Form. (see Document Upload and Edit Form)

Managing User Rights for a Work Item

From the View Work Item form, click on Manage User Rights to change which users from your company have the ability to view, edit, submit, and possess administrative rights to this particular Work Item. (see Managing User Rights for a Work Item)

Printing License Validations

From the Validation Details page, click on the print-friendly view link.

Forms

New User Activation Form

The New User Activation Form is used to activate a new user account for use with SNAP-R. To use this form, you must first obtain a CIN and PIN. Note for users of the old SNAP system: The original SNAP system refers to the CIN as the "Applicant ID." The CIN is a seven digit number beginning with an alphabetic character and followed by six digits.(see SNAP-R Electronic Submission)

screen shotNew User Activation Form

Sample: New User Activation Form

CIN

Enter the CIN that you received during the registration process with BIS SNAP-R administration (it may be referred to as the Applicant ID). The CIN is a seven digit number beginning with an alphabetic character and followed by six digits.

Note: This field is limited to 7 characters.

Enter the PIN that you received in communication from BIS SNAP administration.

Note: This field is limited to 5 characters.

Login ID

Create and enter a Login ID. It must be between 4 and 18 characters in length and it must be unique. It should only contain letters, numbers, and/or the underscore symbol "_".

Note: This field is limited to 18 characters.

Password and Password Confirmation

Create and enter a password. You will need to enter it a second time in the Confirm Password box for verification. Please choose a strong password, keep it secure, and change it regularly.

Passwords:

Must be 8 to 12 characters in length
Contain at least one number and one alphabetic character
May contain the special characters ! @ # $ % & *

A strong password:

has never been written down;
is easy to remember;
is known only by the person using the account;
is at least 8 characters in length;
is not the same password used for other accounts, such as your email account;
is not composed of personal information that can be easily guessed, such as your date and place of birth, the names of family members, your own name, your company, etc.;
contains at least one letter of each case (lower and upper), one number, and one non-alphanumeric symbol;
is not composed of one or more unscrambled words from any language, slang, dialect, or jargon; and
is easy to remember. Try to create passwords that can be easily remembered. One way to do this is create a password based on a song title, affirmation, or other phrase. For example, the phrase might be: "This May Be One Way To Remember" and the password could be: "TmB1w2R!" or "Tmb1W>r~" or some other variation. Note: Do not use either of the two above examples as passwords.

Note: This field is limited to 12 characters.

Controls

Clicking the Activate button will submit the New User form. The system will attempt to authenticate the information you entered, create a new user account, and activate it for your use. If successful, you will be automatically logged into SNAP-R and taken to the User Profile Management page. (see User Profile Update Form)

Clicking the Back button will return you to the SNAP-R homepage and will not activate your SNAP-R account.

User Profile Update Form

Your User Profile is used by SNAP-R to pre-populate the contact information for all of the online forms. By providing information in your User Profile, you will not have to re-enter contact information for Work Item forms (unless you choose to do so). Although none of the information is required, you are strongly encouraged to provide and maintain a complete and accurate User Profile with SNAP-R.

The form below is used to update User Profile information:

screen shot User Profile Update Form

User Profile Update Form

CIN

Company Identification Number (CIN). Not editable.

First Name

Your first name on file with BIS. Note that this field is not editable. Contact BIS if you need to make a change to your name.

Last Name

Your last name on file with BIS. Note that this field is not editable. Contact BIS if you need to make a change to your name.

Phone (999-999-9999)

Enter your business voice phone number here.

Fax (999-999-9999)

Enter your business facsimile phone number here.

Email

Enter your business email address here. Although this field is not required, SNAP-R will use this email address to notify you of new messages as they become available online. You may find the convenience of receiving such notification a bonus. Your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose.

Note: This field is limited to 50 characters.

Controls

Click the Modify button to update your user profile with the changes you made in the form. Click the Cancel button to cancel any changes and return to the previous screen.

Search Work Items Form

The Search Work Items form allows you to search for a Work Item by specifying criteria. One or more of the fields can be used. The form can also be submitted without any input from the user, submitting an empty form in this manner will cause the search results to contain all Work Items. Please note that the Work Items returned in the search are limited to those that the user has (at least) viewing rights and have been created through SNAP-R.

screen shot Search Work Item Form

Search Work Item Form

Reference Number

Enter all or part of a Reference Number. The search is not case sensitive; searching for 'a' will return all reference numbers beginning with the letter 'a' or 'A'; searching for 'A' will return the same result set.

Note: This field is limited to 7 characters.

ACN

Enter all or part of an ACN (Application Control Number). When a new Work Item is submitted successfully, BIS assigns a unique ACN to that Work Item for tracking purposes.

Note: This field is limited to 7 characters.

Case Number

Once a Work Item is approved, or approved with conditions, a case number becomes available. This number, also known as the license number or D number, starts with the letter 'D'.

Note: This field is limited to 7 characters.

Type

Select the desired Work Item type from the drop-down box. You can choose from the following: Export License Application, Re-Export License Application, Agriculture License Exception Notice, and Commodity Classification Request.

Creation Date Range (After, Before)

Search for applications created on or after a certain date, on or before a certain date, or between the two dates by entering one or more dates into the date range. Dates must be in the format of mm/dd/yyyy where mm is the 2-digit code for the month (01-12), dd is the two digits of the day (01-31), and yyyy is the 4 digits of the year.

Controls

Click the Search button to perform the search and view the results list.

User Rights Management Form

The User Rights Management form is used to grant or revoke permissions for other users within your company. You are able to set permissions to view, modify, and submit the particular Work Item being edited.

screen shot - User Rights Management Form

User Rights Management Form

Upon creation, all Work Items have an owner associated with them. The user who created the Work Item is the owner of the Work Item.

By default, this owner is given administrative rights over the Work Item. They have the ability to allow other users within the same company to view, edit, submit, or give rights to this Work Item. When the Work Item is first created, only the owner will have any rights to that Work Item. All other members of the company who have a SNAP-R account have no rights to the Work Item at this point. The owner can never be removed from accessing the Work Item through rights management.

A user that has no rights is referred to as having none. This means they cannot view or access the Work Item or any associated supporting documents or messages, even if they are within the same company.

A user that has been granted view rights is defined as having access to the Work Item and is only allowed to view the Work Item and associated supporting documents and messages. The Work Item is visible to the user on the Work Item List page and can appear in Work Item search results. The user can also view the Work Item details. They cannot, however, edit the Work Item, edit supporting documents, respond to requests, nor can they submit or delete the Work Item.

A user that has been granted edit rights may view and edit the Work Item and associated supporting documents (including reusing, uploading, and deleting documents), as well as respond to requests. They cannot submit or delete the Work Item.

A user that has been granted submit rights may perform all functions associated with the Work Item, including submitting and deleting the Work Item, with the exception that they cannot grant or remove rights to/from other users.

A user that has been granted administrative (admin) rights may perform all functions associated with the Work Item, including submitting and deleting the Work Item. They can also grant or remove rights to other users within the same company. They are able to assign any of the 5 rights (None, View, Edit, Submit, Admin) to any user within their company, with the exception that they cannot change the rights of the Work Item owner, nor can they change the Work Item owner.

The person who assigns a right to another user is referred to as the Grantor (identified by the Grantor Login ID). The person who receives the right is referred to as the Grantee (identified by the Grantee Login ID and Grantee Name). The Grantor is often, but not necessarily, the Work Item creator. Only users with admin rights to the specific Work Item can ever be Grantors for that Work Item.

Note: the rights granted or revoked from any one Work Item affect only that Work Item (and its corresponding supporting documents). In order to have access to any Work Item or any supporting documents, you must either be the owner (creator) of that Work Item, or you must have been granted rights to that Work Item specifically.

Controls

To change rights for a user, select the radio button that represents the amount of authority you wish that user to have over the Work Item. Please note that permission to edit a Work Item implies a permission to view it, and permission to submit a Work Item implies permission to edit it. The "admin" permission grants the ability for other users to modify permissions for this Work Item using this screen – assign this permission with care.

Save changes made to permissions by clicking on the Save Change button.

Search Supporting Document Form

The Search Supporting Document form is used to specify search terms that will be used to look for a document. None of the parameters are required; submitting this form empty will cause all uploaded documents to be returned in the search. Please note that the documents returned by the search are limited to documents the user has (at least) viewing rights and have been submitted through SNAP-R.

Document Search Form

Title

Enter all or part of the target document title.

Note: This field is limited to 80 characters.

Author Name

Enter all or part of the document author's name(s).

Note: This field is limited to 80 characters.

Keywords

Enter one or more keywords, separated by spaces or commas, with which the documents have been specified when the document was initially uploaded. Note: keywords are case-sensitive.

Note: This field is limited to 100 characters.

Created On or After (mm/dd/yyyy)

Enter the date after which the document was created (not necessarily the date the document was uploaded to SNAP-R). Dates must be in the format of mm/dd/yyyy where mm is the 2-digit code for the month (01-12), dd is the two digits of the day (01-31), and yyyy is the 4 digits of the year.

Created On or Before (mm/dd/yyyy)

Enter the date before which the document was created (not necessarily the date the document was uploaded to SNAP-R). Dates must be in the format of mm/dd/yyyy where mm is the 2-digit code for the month (01-12), dd is the two digits of the day (01-31), and yyyy is the 4 digits of the year.

Controls

Click on the Search button to return a list of all supporting documents matching your search query. Note: you will be able to search for all documents attached to Work Items you have at least view rights to. (see Managing User Rights for a Work Item)

Document Upload and Edit Form

The Document Upload and Edit form is used to upload a supporting document and edit its description.

Documents can now be electronically uploaded to BIS with the Work Item, rather than having to be mailed in separately. Any document uploaded to a Work Item automatically becomes part of that Work Item. For more information on what type of documents your application may require, please refer to section 748.9 of the EAR.

Document upload form

Document Upload and Edit Form

Choose a file to upload

You can manually type in the pathname to the file you wish to upload, or you can click on the Browse… button to select the document through your web browser's interface. The file must be in Portable Document Format (PDF), smaller than 10MB, and cannot contain attachments. Note: This field is only visible before the file has been uploaded.

Title

Enter the title of the document as it will appear in the list of documents attached to the Work Item or response.

Note: This field is limited to 80 characters.

Author Name

Enter the author's full name(s).

Note: This field is limited to 80 characters.

Document Type

Select one of the document types from the drop-down box. You have the choice of the following: BXA-711, Import/End User Certificate, Technical Specification, Nuclear Certification, Letter of Explanation, Foreign Availability, Letter of Assurance, or Other. Please refer to section 748.9 of the EAR for the kind of documents you may need to submit with your application.

Document Creation Date

Enter the creation date of the document itself (not necessarily today's date).

Keywords

Keywords are words or phrases that can be used to tag a document for easier searching later on. Think of a keyword as a personal label for a document. They are purely for your convenience. You can enter up to 20 keywords that you think would be helpful to you in locating the document in the future. For example, you may tag all documents written in Italian with the keyword “Italian”. Note: keywords are case-sensitive.

Note: This field is limited to 100 characters.

Controls

Click on Browse… to locate the file you wish to upload by using your web browser's file management interface. Note: This button is only visible before the file has been uploaded.

Click on the Submit button to change the descriptive details of the document and, if applicable, to upload the document.

Edit Work Item Form

The Edit Work Item Form is a large, multi-part form used to edit Work Items. The user must have edit rights to change this document. What follows is a detailed explanation of how to use each subform, presented in the order of their appearance on the web page.

This form is used to edit all types of Work Items, though not all fields are applicable to all types of Work Items. See the field descriptions for more information.

Note: The numbers in the fields refer to the block number in the BIS-748P Multi-purpose Form that contains the corresponding information. The fields do not need to be completed in any specific order, nor do all of the fields need to be completed (except where noted). If you need assistance with the completion of the form, or you find another document referring to the BLOCK NUMBER of the BIS-748P form, you may use these numbers for reference.

Many terms and acronyms used here are defined in the EAR or on the BIS website. Please see Appendix C for a list of links to these helpful resources
If the Work Item is not editable, the user will only be able to see the View Work Item form. (see View Work Item Form)

Status and Contact Data Subform

At the top of the Edit Work Item Form is the Work Item type (Export License Application, in the example below), Reference Number (AAA1234), and Status (DRAFT). Following this is the Status and Contact Data Subform.

Important: You are only able to modify Work Items with a status of DRAFT or REJECTED. After you submit the Work Item (its status will change to SUBMITTED), you will not be able to further edit the details, nor will you be able to attach more documentation to your application, unless BIS rejects your Work Item, and then the status will be changed to REJECTED. Any further updates to the SUBMITTED Work Item will take place as BIS requests further information; in that case, you will be given the opportunity to add further textual information and attach additional documentation to your application. (see Responding to Requests)

Status and Contact Data Subform

Status and Contract Data Subform

Reference Number (AAA9999)

This field contains the Reference Number that the Work Item owner assigned to the Work Item when it was created. It cannot be modified, except when the Work Item is being created

Contact Person (First, Last)

Enter the first name (left text box) and last name (right text box) of the person who will answer questions concerning the application. The default values for these fields are taken from your User Profile. (see User Profile for details)

Note: These fields are limited to 27 characters each, and the combined length can not exceed 30 characters.

Telephone Number (999-999-9999)

Enter the business voice phone number of the person who will answer questions concerning the application. The default value for this field is taken from your User Profile.

Fax Number (999-999-9999)

Enter the business facsimile phone number of the person who will answer questions concerning the application. The default value for this field is taken from your User Profile.

Email

Enter the business email address of the person who will answer questions concerning the application. The default value for this field is taken from your User Profile.

Note: This field is limited to 50 characters.

Creation Date

This field contains the date that this Work Item was created. This value cannot be modified.

Type of Application

This field contains the type of the Work Item being edited. This value cannot be modified.

Controls

Click on the Save Draft button to save the changes made to all subforms of this Work Item. Note: Clicking Save Draft does not submit the Work Item for final review; it only saves the changes made to this Work Item so that you can resume editing later. (see Creating a New Work Item)

Click on Manage User Rights to grant (or revoke) rights to other users for this Work Item. You can permit them to view, edit, and/or submit this Work Item. (see Managing User Rights for a Work Item)

Click Delete to delete this Work Item. Important: Deletion is irreversible. It can only be done while the Work Item is editable, meaning the Work Item has not been SUBMITTED and the user has the right to delete the Work Item.

Click on expand all to expand all the subforms below this point on the page.

Click on collapse all to collapse all the subforms below this point on the page.

Document Check List Subform

The Document Check List Subform is the list of supporting documents necessary for Work Item submission. Previously, when an exporter user submits a BIS-748P, the user can submit a list of supporting documents, or indicate a list of supporting documents the exporter has and/or can provide if necessary. The document check list is broken into two blocks. The first block indicates the documents that will be submitted with the Work Item(Block 6). The second block indicates the documents the exporter has and can provide upon request (Block 7).

This subform is not applicable to Commodity Classification requests.

Document Check List

Document submitted with application

Review the documentation you are required to submit with your application in accordance with the provisions of part 748 of the EAR, and check all applicable checkboxes.

"Export Items" box will be automatically checked if you have entered more than one export item.

"End Users" box will be automatically checked if you have entered more than one end user.

Check the "Technical Specification" box if you are submitting descriptive literature, brochures, technical specifications, etc. with application.

Check the "Foreign Availability" box if you are submitting an assertion of foreign availability with your license application. See part 768 of the EAR for instructions on foreign availability submissions.

If you check "Other", you may provide a description for the document type.

Note: This field is limited to 40 characters.

Document on file with applicant

Certify that you have retained on file all applicable documents as required by the provisions of part 748 of the EAR by checking the appropriate box(es).

If you check "Other", you may provide a description for the document type. Note: This field is limited to 40 characters.

Controls

License Information Subform

The License Information subform contains miscellaneous important details about the license.

License Information Subform

Special Purpose

Enter information in this field for certain items or types of transactions only if specifically required in Supplement No. 2 to Part 748 of the EAR.

Note: This field is limited to 50 characters.

Resubmission ACN

If your original application was Returned Without Action (indicated by an ECASS status of "RWA"), provide the Application Control Number (ACN). This does not apply to Work Items returned for additional information which have a SNAP-R status of SUBMITTED or REJECTED.

Note: This field is limited to 7 characters.

Replacement License Number

If you have received a license for identical items to the same ultimate consignee, but would like to make a modification that is not excepted in Section 750.7c of the EAR, to the license as originally approved, enter the original license number and complete the rest of the form parts that are applicable.

Note: This field is limited to 7 characters.

Previous License Number

Enter the License number, License exception symbol (for exports under General Licenses, enter the appropriate General license symbol), or author authorization under which the items were originally exported, if known.

Note: This field is limited to 7 characters.

Note: Previous License Number is Only applicable to Re-Export License applications.

Import Certificate Country and Import Certificate Number

Enter the name of the country and number of the Import or End User Certificate obtained in accordance with provisions of Part 748 of the EAR.

Note: This field is limited to 20 characters.

Controls

Applicant Information Subform

The Applicant Information subform contains information about the Applicant Company. If you are a first party user (filing on behalf of your own company), the information in this subform was submitted to BIS when the company applied for access to the SNAP/SNAP-R system. If the applicant information on file is inaccurate, please contact the BIS Help Desk. If you are a third party user (filing on behalf of a client), the subform is blank, allowing you to fill in the client's information.

This subform differs in view and functionality depending on whether the user is first or third party.

First Party

If the user is a first party user filing on behalf of his own company, the Applicant Information subform will be populated with the exporter information on file. Only the Employer Identification Number (EIN) will be editable. All other information will be read only.

First Party: Applicant Information Subform

Third Party

If the user is from a third party filing on behalf of a client, the Applicant Information subform will not be populated. All fields within this subform will be editable.

Third Party: Applicant Information Subform

Applicant

Enter the applicant's BIS registered complete company name. Required.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

CIN

Enter the applicant's Company Identification Number (CIN) assigned by BIS and associated to the BIS registered company name provided in the applicant name block. Required.

Note: This field is limited to 7 characters.

Address Line 1

Enter the applicant's address. Please note that PO Box addresses are not acceptable. Required.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

Address Line 2

Enter the second line of the applicant's address here if necessary. Please note that PO Box addresses are not acceptable.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

City

Enter the applicant's city. Required.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

State/Province

If the applicant's address is in the United States, select the state from the drop down list. Otherwise, enter the applicant's province or state.

Note: This field is limited to 50 characters.

Postal Code

Enter the applicant's postal code. Required.

Note: This field is limited to 18 characters.

Country

Select the applicant's country from the drop-down box. Required.

EIN

Enter the applicant's Employer Identification Number (EIN).

Note: This field is limited to 11 characters.

Controls

Other Party Information Subform

The Other Party Information subform contains information about the other party authorized to receive licenses. Designation of another party to receive the license does not alter the responsibilities of the applicant.

If you are a first party user (filing on behalf of your own company), the subform is blank, allowing you to fill in the information of other party authorized to receive licenses. If you are a third party user (filing on behalf of a client), the information in this subform was submitted to BIS when your company applied for access to the SNAP/SNAP-R system. If the other party information on file is inaccurate, please contact the BIS Help Desk.

This subform differs in view and functionality depending on whether the user is first or third party. This subform is not applicable to Commodity Classification requests.

Third Party

If the user is from a third party filing on behalf of a client, this subform will be populated with the third party information on file. Only the Telephone or Fax field will be editable. All other information will be read only.

Other Party subform

Third Party: Other Party Information Subform

First Party

If the user is a first party user filing on behalf of his own company, this subform will not be populated. All fields within this subform will be editable. Designation of another party to receive the license does not alter the responsibilities of the applicant.

Other Party subform

First Party: Other Party Information Subform

Other Party ID

Enter the other party's Company Identification Number (CIN) assigned by BIS.

Note: This field is limited to 7 characters.

Other Party

Enter the other party's complete name. Required.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

Address Line 1

Enter the other party's address. Please note that PO Box addresses are not acceptable. Required.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

Address Line 2

Enter the second line of the other party's address here, if necessary. Please note that PO Box addresses are not acceptable.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

City

Enter the other party's city. Required.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

State/Province

If the other party's address is in the United States, select the state from the drop down list. Otherwise, enter the applicant's province or state.

Note: This field is limited to 50 characters.

Postal Code

Enter the other party's postal code. Required

Note: This field is limited to 18 characters.

Country

Select the other party's country from the drop-down box. Required.

Telephone or fax

Enter the other party's full telephone or facsimile number. Required.

Note: This field is limited to 12 characters.

Controls

Purchaser Information Subform

The Purchaser Information subform contains the purchaser's contact information. Refer to Section 748.5(c) of the EAR for a detailed definition of 'purchaser'. The purchaser is the person abroad who has entered into the transaction to purchase an item for delivery to the ultimate consignee. In most cases, the purchaser is not a bank, forwarding agent, or intermediary. The purchaser and ultimate consignee may be the same entity. You are required to fill out this subform unless the purchaser is also the ultimate consignee; if that is the case, fill out the Ultimate Consignee Information Subform further down the page and leave this subform blank. Note: Leave blank if unused. Do not enter "N/A" into any of the fields.

This subform is not applicable to Commodity Classification requests.

Purchaser Information Subform

Purchaser

Enter the purchaser's complete name. Required if you are filling out this subform.

Address Line 1

Enter the purchaser's address. Please note that PO Box addresses are not acceptable. Required if you are filling out this subform.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

Address Line 2

Enter the second line of the purchaser's address here if necessary. Please note that PO Box addresses are not acceptable.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

City

Enter the purchaser's city. Required if you are filling out this subform.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters. The character sets allowed in this field are:

English Alphabet ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Special Characters -.,&()~ and a blank space

Postal Code

Enter the purchaser's postal code.

Note: This field is limited to 18 characters.

Country

Select the purchaser's country from the drop-down box. Required if you are filling out this subform.

Telephone or fax

Enter the purchaser's full telephone or facsimile number.

Note: This field is limited to 12 characters.

Controls

Intermediate Consignee Information Subform

The Intermediate Consignee Information subform contains the intermediate consignee's contact information. Refer to Section 748.5(d) of the EAR for a detailed definition of intermediate consignee. The intermediate consignee is the person that acts as an agent for a principal party in interest and takes possession of the items for the purpose of effecting delivery of the items to the ultimate consignee. The intermediate consignee may be a bank, forwarding agent, or other person who acts as an agent for a principal party in interest. If your proposed transaction involves the use of more than one intermediate consignee, information for each additional intermediate consignee should be supplied in the Additional Information Subform ( BIS-748P Multi-purpose Form Block 24). Note: Leave blank if unused. Do not enter "N/A" into any of the fields.

Intermediate Consignee information is not applicable to Commodity Classification requests.

Intermediate Consignee Information Subform

Intermediate Consignee

Enter the intermediate consignee's complete name. If your proposed transaction does not have an intermediate consignee, leave the entire subform blank, otherwise this field is required.

Address Line 1

Enter the intermediate consignee's address. Please note that PO Box addresses are not acceptable. Required if you are filling out this subform

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

Address Line 2

Enter the second line of the intermediate consignee's address here if necessary. Please note that PO Box addresses are not acceptable.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

City

Enter the intermediate consignee's city. Required if you are filling out this subform

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters. The character sets allowed in this field are:

English Alphabet ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Special Characters -.,&()~ and a blank space

Postal Code

Enter the intermediate consignee's postal code.

Note: This field is limited to 18 characters.

Country

Select the intermediate consignee's country from the drop-down box. Required if you are filling out this subform

Telephone or fax

Enter the intermediate consignee's full telephone or facsimile number.

Note: This field is limited to 12 characters.

Controls

Ultimate Consignee Information Subform

The Ultimate Consignee Information subform contains the ultimate consignee's contact information. It must be completed if you are submitting a license application. The ultimate consignee is the party who will actually receive the material for the end-use specified in the End Use Information Subform. The ultimate consignee is the principal party in interest located abroad who receives the exported or re-exported items. Refer to Section 748.5(e) of the EAR for a detailed definition of "ultimate consignee." A bank, freight forwarder, forwarding agent, or other intermediary may not be identified as the ultimate consignee. Government purchasing organizations are the sole exception to this requirement. This type of entity may be identified as the government entity that is the actual ultimate consignee in those instances when the items are to be transferred to the government entity that is the actual end-user, provided the actual end-use and end-user is clearly identified in the End Use Information Subform.

Ultimate Consignee information is not applicable to Commodity Classification requests.

Ultimate Consignee Information Subform

If your application is for the re-export of items previously exported, enter the new ultimate consignee's complete information into the form (PO Boxes are not acceptable). If your application involves a temporary export or re-export, the applicant should be shown as the ultimate consignee in care of (i.e. C/O) a person or entity who will have control over the items abroad.

If there is more than one ultimate consignee, information for each additional ultimate consignee should be supplied in the Additional Information Subform. Note: Leave blank if unused. Do not enter "N/A" into any of the fields.

Ultimate Consignee

Enter the ultimate consignee's complete name. Required.

Address Line 1

Enter the ultimate consignee's address. Please note that PO Box addresses are not acceptable. Required.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

Address Line 2

Enter the second line of the ultimate consignee's address here if necessary. Please note that PO Box addresses are not acceptable.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

City

Enter the ultimate consignee's city. Required.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters. The character sets allowed in this field are:

English Alphabet ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Special Characters -.,&()~ and a blank space

Postal Code

Enter the ultimate consignee's postal code.

Note: This field is limited to 18 characters.

Country

Select the ultimate consignee's country from the drop-down box. Required.

Telephone or fax

Enter the ultimate consignee's full telephone or facsimile number.

Note: This field is limited to 12 characters.

Controls

End User Information Subform

The End User Information subform is used to enter the contact information for a single end user, or for multiple end users. You are no longer required to attach documentation for multiple end users as supporting documents for a Work Item (previously referred to as BIS-748P-B). All end users may be entered on the End User Information Subform. Upon entering an end user, the form will automatically check the checkbox corresponding to the BIS-748P-B under Document Submitted With Application. You do not need to submit any BIS-748P-B documents for end users if you fill out the End User Information Subform.

End User information is not applicable to Commodity Classification requests.

End User Information Subform

Only complete this subform if the ultimate consignee previously specified is not the end user. The end user is the person abroad that receives and ultimately uses the exported or re-exported items. The end user is not a forwarding agent or intermediary, but may be the purchaser or ultimate consignee. Previously added end users, if any, will appear below this subform (as in the example above).

End User

Enter the end user's complete name. Required if you are filling out this subform.

Address Line 1

Enter the end user's address. Please note that PO Box addresses are not acceptable. Required if you are filling out this subform.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

Address Line 2

Enter the second line of the end user's address here if necessary. Please note that PO Box addresses are not acceptable.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

City

Enter the end user's city. Required if you are filling out this subform.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters. The character sets allowed in this field are:

English Alphabet ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Special Characters -.,&()~ and a blank space

Postal Code

Enter the end user's postal code. Required if you are filling out this subform.

Note: This field is limited to 18 characters.

Country

Select the end user's country from the drop-down box. Required if you are filling out this subform.

Telephone or fax

Enter the end user's full telephone or facsimile number.

Note: This field is limited to 12 characters.

Controls

Click on the Add End User button to add this end user to the list below the form; this button also has the side effect of saving the changes made to all subforms of this Work Item. Note: Clicking Add End User does not submit the Work Item for final review; it only saves the changes made to this Work Item so that you can resume editing later.

If you wish to delete an end user, click on the checkbox next to the end user's name (so that a check mark appears in the previously empty box) and click on the Delete button. Information on all subforms will also be saved. Note: This is an irreversible action; once you delete an end user from the form, you will have to re-enter the information for that end user if you want to add them back to the form.

Original Ultimate Consignee Information Subform

The Original Ultimate Consignee Information subform is available and mandatory for Re-Export License applications only.

The Original Ultimate Consignee Information subform contains the information about the ultimate consignee specified in the original Export License Application.

Original Ultimate Consignee Information Subform

Original Ultimate Consignee

Enter the original ultimate consignee's complete name. Required.

Address Line 1

Enter the original ultimate consignee's address. Please note that PO Box addresses are not acceptable. Required.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

Address Line 2

Enter the second line of the original ultimate consignee's address here if necessary. Please note that PO Box addresses are not acceptable.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters.

City

Enter the original ultimate consignee's city. Required.

Note: This field is limited to 35 characters. The character sets allowed in this field are:

English Alphabet ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Special Characters -.,&()~ and a blank space

Postal Code

Enter the original ultimate consignee's postal code.

Note: This field is limited to 18 characters.

Country

Select the original ultimate consignee's country from the drop-down box. Required.

Telephone or fax

Enter the original ultimate consignee's full telephone or facsimile number.

Note: This field is limited to 12 characters.

Controls

Click on the Save Draft button to save the changes made to all subforms of this Work Item. Note: Clicking Save Draft does not submit the Work Item for final review. It only saves the changes made to this Work Item so that you can resume editing later.

Specific End Use Subform

The Specific End Use subform contains a complete and detailed description of the end-use intended by the ultimate consignee and/or end user(s).

screen shot Specific End Use Subform

Specific End Use Subform

If you are requesting approval of a re-export, provide a complete and detailed description of the end-use intended by the new ultimate consignee or end-user(s) and indicate any other countries for which resale or re-export is requested. Be specific. Such vague descriptions as 'research', 'manufacturing,' or 'scientific uses' are not acceptable.

Specific End Use

Enter detailed description of end use.

Note: This field is limited to 1440 characters.

Export Items Subform

The Export Items subform is used to enter the details for a single or multiple export items. This form must be filled out for every item to be exported. If you are completing a classification request, you need not supply Quantity, Units, Unit Price, or Total Price.

You are no longer required to attach documentation for multiple export items as supporting documents for a Work Item (previously referred to as BIS-748P-A). All export items may be entered on the Export Items Information Subform. Upon entering an export item, the form will automatically check the checkbox corresponding to the BIS-748P-A under Document Submitted With Application. You do not need to submit any BIS-748P-A documents for export items if you fill out the Export Items Information Subform.

Export Items Subform

ECCN

Select the Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) that corresponds to the item you wish to export from the drop-down box. For Commodity Classification requests, you can provide a recommended classification here. Required, except for Commodity Classification requests. Please refer to part 774 Supplement No.1– the Commerce Control List in the EAR for a listing of ECCNs.

APP

You must enter the "Adjusted Peak Performance"("APP") in the Block if your application includes a digital computer or equipment containing a computer as described in Supplement No. 2 to this part. Instructions on calculating the APP are contained in a Technical Note at the end of Category 4 in the CCL.

APP must be in the format of d.ddddddd. This number is expressed in Weighted TeraFlops (WT), in units of 1012 adjusted floating point operations per second.

Product/Model Number

Enter the product name or Model Number for the item.

Note: This field is limited to 30 characters.

CCATS Number

If the exporter received a classification for this item from BIS, provide the Commerce Classification and Tracking System (CCATS) number shown on the classification issued by BIS.

Note: This field is limited to 7 characters.

Quantity

Identify the quantity to be exported. If the "unit" for an item is "$ value," enter the quantity in units commonly used in trade. 0 (zero) is not allowed. Required.

Quantity is not applicable to Commodity Classification requests.

Note: This field is limited to 9 characters.

Units

Provide the units of measurement such as "each," "pounds," "tons," etc. The "Unit" paragraph within each ECCN will list a specific "Unit" for those items controlled by the entry. The "Unit" must be entered on all license applications submitted to BIS. If an item is licensed in terms of "$ value", the unit of quantity commonly used in trade must also be shown on the license application. This may be left blank on license applications only if the "Units" for the ECCN entered for this export item is shown as "N/A" on the CCL.

Units is not applicable to Commodity Classification requests.

Note: This field is limited to 10 characters.

Unit Price

Provide the fair market value of the item to be exported in U.S. dollars. SNAP will automatically round all prices to the nearest whole dollar. If normal trade practices make it impractical to establish a firm contract price, state in the Additional Information Subform (BIS-748P Multi-purpose Form Block 24) the precise factors upon which the price is to be ascertained and from which the contract price may be objectively determined. If the Unit Price is less than $.50, state the amount in Additional Information. Do not enter "N/A". (see Additional Information Subform)

Unit Price is not applicable to Commodity Classification requests.

Note: This field is limited to 14 characters.

Total Price

Provide the total price of the item(s) described in U.S. dollars. Required.

Total Price is not applicable to Commodity Classification requests.

Note: This field is limited to 16 characters.

Manufacturer

Provide the name of the manufacturer, if known.

Note: This field is limited to 25 characters.

Technical Description

Provide a description of the item to be exported. When necessary to identify the specific item, provide details that include all characteristics or parameters using the identified measurements in the applicable ECCN (e.g., basic ingredients, composition, electrical parameters, size, gauge, grade, horsepower, etc.). These characteristics must be identified for the items in the proposed transaction when they are different from the characteristics described in promotional brochure(s). Note: This field is limited to 250 characters. Required.

Note: This field is limited to 250 characters.

Total Dollar Value

The total dollar value of the entire Work Item is automatically computed by SNAP-R and displayed here. It cannot be edited by the users.

Total Dollar Value is not applicable to Commodity Classification requests.

Controls

Click on the Add Export Item button to add this export item to the list below the form; this button also has the side effect of saving the changes made to all subforms of this Work Item. Note: Clicking Add Export Item does not submit the Work Item for final review; it only saves the changes made to this Work Item so that you can resume editing later.

If you wish to delete an export item, click on the checkbox next to the export item's name (so that a check mark appears in the previously empty box) and click on the Delete button.

Delete Export Item

Note: This is an irreversible action; once you delete an export item from the form, you will have to re-enter the information for that export item if you want to add it back to the form.

Additional Information Subform

screen shot Additional Information Subform

Additional Information Subform

The Additional Information subform allows you to enter Additional Information pertinent to the application as required by the EAR. Include special certifications, names of interested parties not disclosed elsewhere, explanation of documents sent by mail, etc. Do not include information concerning item ECCNs, etc. in this space. If this application represents a previously denied application, the applicant must provide the application control number ACN) for the original application.

If you are asking BIS to classify your product, use this space to explain why you believe the ECCN entered in the Export Item Information Subform for your product is appropriate. This explanation must contain an analysis of the item in terms of the technical control parameters specified in the appropriate ECCN. If you do not identify a recommended classification in the Export Item Information Subform, you must state the reason you cannot determine the appropriate classification, identifying any ambiguities or deficiencies in the regulations that precluded you from determining the correct classification.

Note: This field is limited to 1440 characters.

Supporting Document List Subform

For your convenience, a list of supporting documents currently attached to the Work Item is also displayed on this page. Click on View and Manage Supporting Documents link to view and manage supporting documents.

Supporting Document List Subform

Controls

If you have finished all work on the Work Item, clicking on Check for Errors button will check for any errors on the Work Item without submitting it.

If you are ready to submit a Work Item, you may click on Preview Work Item to Submit button. This will run an error check on the draft Work Item and if no errors are found, give you a last change to preview the Work Item in the Preview Work Item Form before submitting it to BIS. This button is only available if the Work Item has not been submitted and the user has submit rights to the Work Item. If you have changed your mind, click on Edit Work Item to return to the page where further changes can be made to the Work Item. Note: Submitting a Work Item to BIS is an irrevocable act that disables any future editing of the Work Item.

Preview Work Item Form

The Preview Work Item Form contains the same information as the View Work Item Form.

Controls

Click on the Submit button to submit this Work Item. The Signature and Submission Form will be displayed to allow the user enter signer information.

Click on Edit Work Item to go back to the Edit Work Item page.

Click on Return to Work Item List to go back to the list of Work Items without submitting it.

Signature and Submission Form

The Signature and Submission form is the final step in submitting a Work Item.

screen shot Signature and Submission Subform

Signature and Submission Subform

Enter the Signer's Name in the format: First Initial, Middle Initial and Last name (Ex. F.M.LNAME or F.LNAME). Make sure to place a period (.) after the first and middle initial. Also required is the Title of Signer or agent duly authorized to sign the application. If this is an agent of the applicant, enter the company's name in the Additional Information Subform.

Controls

Click on the Submit button to submit this Work Item.
Note: Submitting a Work Item to BIS is an irrevocable act that disables any future editing of the Work Item.

Click on Cancel to go back to the Edit Work Item page. (see Edit Work Item Form)

Once the Work Item is submitted, a confirmation page is displayed:

Confirmation messages

Submission Confirmation

View Work Item Form

The View Work Item Form contains the same information as the Edit Work Item form, except the information is not editable. Please refer to the Edit Work Item form for a definition of all the fields on the View Work Item Form, keeping in mind that on the overview form you cannot edit the fields. (see Edit Work Item Form)

Work Items will be displayed in the View Work Item Form if either the Work Item has been successfully submitted to BIS or the user only has view rights to the Work Item.

Other features of the View Work Item Overview that do not exist on the Edit Work Item form include viewing messages by clicking either View Acknowledgements and Validations or View Requests (for acknowledgements and messages, respectively). (see Viewing Messages)

Controls

Click on Return to Work Item List to go back to the list of Work Items.

Appendices

Appendix A: Electronic Submission Letter

Note: If you already know your company's CIN, please include it on your Electronic Submission letter. Since this letter must be provided to BIS in hard copy on company letterhead, we recommend that you "cut and paste" the text of the sample letter below on to a copy of your company letterhead, fill in the blanks (i.e. applicant company, etc.), insert the PIN holder information, and add original signatures.

Company Certification

The applicant company ("Company") hereby requests authorization for the Company to submit Export License applications, re-export authorization requests, Agriculture License Exception notices, classification requests and multipurpose reporting requirements to the Bureau of Industry and Security ( BIS) using the Internet. The company understands that an electronic submission has the same legal force and effect as a written submission. The company recognizes that in order to apply for export licenses (as opposed to re-export authorizations, notifications or classification requests), the Company must be subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. The Company further understands that each individual authorized to submit requests via the Internet on behalf of the Company will be assigned a Personal Identification Number ( PIN) for his or her exclusive use. I also understand that a company identification number will be assigned to the Company for use by all persons authorized to submit electronically for the Company. On behalf of the Company, I have read and understand Section 748.7 of the Industry and Security Regulations ( EAR).

The Company Agrees that each submission made via the Internet shall constitute a certification that:

To the best of its knowledge and belief, all information submitted in accordance with this procedure, including the description of the items and their end-uses or end-users, and any documents in support of Internet submissions, are correct and complete and that they fully and accurately disclose all the terms of such orders and other facts of such transactions or requests;
Submissions will conform to the instructions accompanying printed applications and the EAR;
The Company will retain records pertaining to these transactions or requests and make such records available as required by Part 762 of the EAR;
The Company will report promptly to the Bureau of Industry and Security any material changes in the terms of these orders or other facts or intentions of the export or re-export transactions or classification requests as reflected in these applications and supporting documents, whether the application/request is still under consideration or an authorization has been granted; and,
If such authorizations are granted, the Company will be strictly accountable for their use in accordance with the EAR and all terms and conditions placed on the authorizations.

The Company hereby certifies that the individuals listed below are authorized by the Company to act for the Company to submit export licenses, re-export authorizations, notification requests and classification requests via the Internet.

Company Name: _____________________________

Address: _____________________________

City, State, & Zip/Postal Code: _____________________________

Country: _____________________________

Telephone and Facsimile Number: _____________________________

Company ID No. (if known): _____________________________

Corporate Officer's Certification:

I am an officer of the Company and have the power to bind the Company herein.

Signature _____________________________

Print/Type Name and Title _____________________________

PIN Holder Certification:

I certify that:

I have read and understand Part 748 of the EAR;
I have read this submission in its entirety;
I understand how my PIN will be communicated to me;
I understand my duties to safeguard my PIN;
I understand that I may be personally liable for false statements contained in a submission made via the Internet; and,
I understand that each Internet submission I make shall constitute my certification and the certification of the Applicant Company as described above.

Name	Title	Telephone	Signature	Date

Appendix B: Third-Party Certification Letter

Third Party Certification Letter

The applicant company ("Company") hereby requests authorization to electronically submit license applications and classification requests on behalf of exporters and re-exporters to the Bureau of Industry and Security ( BIS) using the Internet/ SNAP. The Company acknowledges that all license applications and classification requests it submits electronically will have the same legal force and effect as a written submission.

Certifications

In submitting this application, the Company certifies that it will comply with the Export Administration Act, the requirements of the Export Administration Regulations ( EAR) including specifically Sections 748 and 750 and BIS's instructions for submitting applications electronically. The Company recognizes that in order to apply for licenses the Company and the exporter must be subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and the Company certifies that it will not submit such applications unless both it and the exporter are subject to U.S. jurisdiction. This U.S. jurisdiction requirement does not apply to re-export authorization and classification requests.

Conditions

Assignment and Use of Personal Identification Numbers (PINs)

The Company Agrees that it will comply with all the requirements set out in Sections 748 and 750 of the EAR concerning, among other things, the control, use, and disclosure of PINs assigned to the Company by BIS.

Power of Attorney

Prior to making any electronic submissions for an exporter or re-exporter, the Company will possess a valid power of attorney, or other written authorization, that authorizes the third party Company to submit license applications and/or classification requests for the exporter/re-exporter.

Obligations

In making this application, the Company obligates itself, with regard to each license application and/or classification request electronically submitted, to ensure that:

The requisite power of attorney will be kept current;
All information submitted, including the description of the items or technical data and their end-uses, and any documents in support of electronic applications/requests, will be correct and complete, to the best of the Company's knowledge and belief;
The Company has apprised the exporter/re-exporter that Section 764.2(g) of the EAR prohibits the exporter/re-exporter from:

providing the Company with any false or misleading representation or certification; or
falsifying to the Company or concealing for the Company any material fact in connection with the preparation, submission, issuance, use or maintenance of any export control document, as defined in Section 772 of the EAR;

All the terms and facts concerning the export/classification request known to the Company will be fully and accurately disclosed;
The license application or classification request will conform with the BIS Form 748P instructions (as appropriate) and the EAR;
The Company will retain records pertaining to all submissions (to include the requisite power of attorney) and will make them available as required by Sections 748, 750 and 762 of the EAR;
The Company will maintain a log recording each electronic submission as required by BIS's instructions for submitting a license application or classification request electronically; and
The Company will promptly report to the Bureau of Industry and Security any material changes in the technical control parameters of the item, terms of the order or other facts or intentions of the export/re-export transaction relating to the application/request and supporting documents, whether the application/request is still under consideration or a license/authorization has been granted.

The individual executing this application affirms that he or she is authorized to make the above certifications for the Company and to bind the Company to the conditions and obligations set forth above. The Company hereby certifies that listed below are the individuals authorized by the Company to act for the Company to submit license applications and/or classification requests by electronic means.

Company Name: _____________________________

Address: _____________________________

City, State, & Zip/Postal Code: _____________________________

Country: _____________________________

Telephone and Facsimile Number: _____________________________

Company ID No. (if known): _____________________________

Corporate Officer's Certification:

I am an officer of the Company and have the power to bind the Company herein.

Signature _____________________________

Print/Type Name and Title _____________________________

PIN Holder Certification:

I certify that:

I have read and understand Part 748 of the EAR;
I have read this submission in its entirety;
I understand how my PIN will be communicated to me;
I understand my duties to safeguard my PIN;
I understand that I may be personally liable for false statements contained in a submission made via the Internet; and,
I understand that each Internet submission I make shall constitute my certification and the certification of the Applicant Company as described above.

Name	Title	Telephone	Signature	Date

Appendix C: Related Online Resources

Below are links to resources that may be of assistance to you as you create Work Items in SNAP-R.

Note: Use any links to external resources at your own risk. BIS cannot guarantee the reliability or accuracy of information over which it has no control.

BIS homepage
http://www.bis.doc.gov/

Definitions of acronyms related to export licensing
http://www.bis.doc.gov/licensing/acronym.htm

EAR (Export Administration Regulations) Database maintained by US Government Printing Office
http://www.access.gpo.gov/bis/ear/ear_data.html
(see Part 748 for information specific to applications)

SNAP-R Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Browser requirements:

SNAP-R is accessible through Internet 6.0 or higher via the internet. To provide for secure data transmission, https is the only supported protocol (you cannot log in via http://).
The minimum requirements for accessing SNAP-R are:

A PDF Reader, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, if you want to read previously uploaded supporting documents online.

Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6.0 or later with Active Scripting, session cookies, and PDF file download enabled for SNAP-R.

The default Internet Explorer installation configuration settings are sufficient to run SNAP-R

Adobe Acrobat Writer or another utility capable of creating PDF files if you want to upload supporting documents.

For optimal experience, your screen resolution should be 1024 x 768 or higher.

I already have valid SNAP account credentials, consisting of Applicant ID and PIN. Do I need to re-register with BIS in order to obtain access to SNAP-R?

If you already have an Applicant ID and PIN, you do not need to re-register. To obtain access to SNAP-R, click on the Create SNAP-R Login ID and Password link, located on the SNAP-R homepage. You will then need to enter your Applicant ID and PIN, and select a Login ID and password.

I forgot my Login ID or password. How do I regain access to my SNAP-R account?

You may contact the SNAP-R Help Desk at (202) 482-2227 or by e-mail at snapr@bis.doc.gov. Please do not include your CIN and PIN in any e-mail. The Help Desk can both retrieve your Login ID and reset your password. They can tell you your Login ID and if you forgot your password, can also reset your password so that you can log into SNAP-R. After a password reset, you are required to change your password again from the User Profile Management screen.

I see the term "Work Item" being used often in the SNAP-R documentation and in the application itself. What is a Work Item?

A Work Item can be any one of the four types of submissions that can be made through SNAP-R: applications for export licenses, applications for re-export licenses, requests for commodity classifications, and requests for agriculture exception notices.

I know that the EAR forbids the sharing of SNAP-R account information. I am going on vacation, and there are a few Work Items I have created that have not been submitted to BIS. Is there a way for me to grant other SNAP-R users within my company permission to edit and/or submit these Work Items to BIS?

Yes. From the Work Item overview page for the Work Item in question, click on the Manage User Rights link. From this link you can assign permissions for any Work Item under your control to any other SNAP-R users within your company, regardless of whether or not that Work Item has been submitted. More information is available from the SNAP-R Manual for Exporters, which is available from the SNAP-R home page (the page displayed after you first log into the system). A direct link to the relevant section of that document is provided on the Manage User Rights page.

An employee who was an active SNAP-R user has suddenly left the company. The EAR requires exporters to inform BIS in the event of the termination of a SNAP-R user so that the user's PIN can be disabled. However, we need to be able to access all draft and submitted Work Items created by that user. How will SNAP-R address this issue?

You can contact the SNAP-R Help Desk at (202) 482-2227 or by e-mail at snapr@bis.doc.gov. They will be able to reassign ownership of the affected Work Items to any other SNAP-R user within your company, allowing these Work Items to be viewed, edited, and submitted by that user. This situation can be avoided by having a policy of giving at least two people administrative rights to each Work Item.

What kinds of messages can BIS send to me?

BIS sends out three types of messages pertaining to individual Work Items:

Acknowledgement. This message type informs you of intermediate status changes to the Work Item in question. One intermediate statuses is Accepted (the application has been received by BIS and accepted for processing). An acknowledgement of acceptance will include the ACN (Application Control Number) for that application. A Work Item may also be rejected, if it could not be processed due to inaccurate or incomplete information, which is also communicated to the user as an acknowledgement.

Validation. This message type informs you of final status changes to the Work Item in question. The four final statuses are Approved (license granted), Approved With Conditions (license granted with conditions that need to be adhered to), Return Without Action (no license was issued, often times because the application was 'cancelled' per the exporter's request - see question 8), and Denied. If the Work Item was approved, a license is also issued an is part of the validation.

Request. This message type informs you that further information is needed by BIS in order to further process the Work Item in question. You can respond with a text message and can optionally attach documents. This is the only message type to which you can directly respond to.

I understand that SNAP-R allows a user to upload documents and attach them to Work Items or message responses. What formats does BIS currently accept?

At this present time, BIS only accepts PDF (Portable Document Format) documents. This requirement guarantees that BIS employees can view any submitted document, since BIS does not have access to the numerous specialized pieces of software that exporters or manufacturers use to generate their documentation. In addition, the possibility of virus transmission with formats like Microsoft Word pose a security concern.

I have submitted an application and I realized I made a mistake on the application form. Can I correct the mistake?

Yes, but not directly. You can contact the SNAP-R Help Desk and inform them of the problem. They will mark your application "Returned Without Action" (RWA), which is a rejection of your application without prejudice to future resubmission of that application. You can then copy your application (see the answer to Question 11 below), correct the error(s), and resubmit it to BIS.

I have submitted an application and I realized I forgot to attach supporting documents. Can I provide these to BIS?

Yes, but not directly. You can contact the SNAP-R Help Desk and inform them of the problem. They will send you a message requesting the documentation. You can then attach the documentation to your response.

I notice that you ask for a valid email address as part of my User Profile. How do you use this information?

SNAP-R will use your email address to notify you of any messages for you sent by BIS concerning Work Items you have submitted. These include acknowledgements of the receipt of your Work Item submissions, requests for additional information, and validation and license approval notices. While the texts of these messages are not included in the emails, you can log into SNAP-R to view them.

Is the messaging system secure?

All communications between your browser and the SNAP-R are encrypted, as are all communications between BIS employees and SNAP-R. Your browser should indicate that it is communicating using the secure HTTP protocol ("https"). In Internet Explorer 6.0, this is indicated by an icon of a closed padlock on your web browser's status bar at the bottom right of the browser window. For other browsers, see the help documentation to determine how it indicates that secure communication is taking place.

Can I reuse the information I entered in a previously submitted application to avoid reentering all of that data? I routinely submit applications that contain the same information.

Yes. From the Create Work Item page, click on the button labeled Search to Reuse, and search for the work item you want to reuse. In the Search result page, click the "Reuse" link associated to that work item. On the Copy and Reuse Work Item page, choose and enter a new Reference Number (as if you were creating a new Work Item from scratch) and click on the Create button. A new Work Item will be created with the same content as the parent copy. Remember to update the new Work Item with any changes before submitting it to BIS. Please note that documents attached to the original Work Item are not copied and attached to the new Work Item by default.

Can I reuse a document I submitted previously for other export related applications?

Yes. From the Work Item overview page, click on the View [and Manage] Supporting Documents link. Click on Search Documents for Reuse to search for an existing document. In the search results table, click on the Reuse button next to the document that you wish to attach to the current Work Item.

I made changes to a Work Item before leaving my desk for an extended period of time. When I came back, and I clicked on a button, my browser returned to the SNAP-R homepage. What happened? Can I recover the changes I made? Were they saved?

No. Before leaving your computer unattended for any period of time, click the Save Page button to save your work. Saving your Work Item is not the same as submitting it; your Work Item will remain in Draft status, and you will still be able to make changes to it.

For security reasons, SNAP-R browser sessions are automatically expired (logged out) after 60 minutes of inactivity between your browser and the SNAP-R server. For this reason, you should click on Save Page from time to time while you are in the process of editing a Work Item.

What kind of help is available for SNAP-R, and where can I find help information?

There are several forms of help available:

The entire help document, SNAP-R Online Help for Exporters, can be viewed by clicking on the Help button on the left-hand navigation bar, and then clicking on "Table of Contents."

SNAP-R has one or more help icons on most of its pages. Hovering the mouse cursor over a help icon will cause a "tool tip," or brief help message, to be displayed.

Clicking on one of the help icons will open the SNAP-R Online Help for Exporters manual to the section that is relevant to the context in which the help icon is displayed.

I have read the help document but I still have questions, or I have encountered an error while using SNAP-R. How can I contact BIS for assistance?

You can contact the SNAP-R Help Desk at (202) 482-2227 or e-mail at snapr@bis.doc.gov. They will be able to answer whatever questions you might have about the process of submitting Work Items through SNAP-R. If you have encountered an error, please be sure that you tell them what you were doing before the error message was displayed. This will help us to correct these problems in a more time-efficient manner.

Why does SNAP-R limit number of messages from Exporters to Licensing Officers?

It was determined that the Licensing Officers do not want open ended message threads between them and Exporter Users. For each message sent from the Licensing Officer, there is only one reply allowed from an Exporter. The Licensing Officer must initiate the message. When the Work Item has been validated, then the message flow will be closed (even if the Exporter has not replied to a message from the Licensing Officer). Note: The Licensing Officer may initiate a new message after the Work Item has been validated and the exporter may reply.