Bureau of Industry & Security

What Bureau of Industry & Security does

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is a U.S. federal regulatory agency within the Department of Commerce, headquartered at 1401 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, D.C. Established in 1987 as the Bureau of Export Administration and renamed in 2002, BIS administers the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) under the Export Control Reform Act of 2018, regulating exports of dual-use goods and emerging technologies including semiconductors, AI chips, quantum computing items, encryption, aerospace items, and connected vehicle technology. Its operational portfolio consists of regulatory frameworks rather than commercial products: the SNAP-R portal for license applications, the STELA tracking system, the Consolidated Screening List, and the Entity List, supported by the Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services (OICTS) for ICT supply chain security.

The agency's core functions are rulemaking, license adjudication, and enforcement. It processes export license applications (currently averaging 76 days for AI chip licenses to allied nations, up from 38 days in 2023), conducts Section 232 national security investigations across sectors such as semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, and commercial aircraft, and imposes civil penalties on violators, including a record $252.5 million settlement with Applied Materials and a $140 million fine against Cadence Design Systems. BIS coordinates enforcement with the Department of Justice, Treasury (OFAC), State Department (DDTC), and SEC domestically and participates in the Wassenaar Arrangement internationally.

BIS does not generate commercial revenue and is funded through congressional appropriations. Its regulated constituency includes U.S. exporters, foreign persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction, and other government agencies, with enforcement reach extending to commercial AI model providers, semiconductor equipment makers, automotive suppliers, and EDA software vendors.

Name

Bureau of Industry & Security

Legal name

Bureau of Industry and Security

Website

https://bis.doc.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bureau of Industry and Security is a U.S. Department of Commerce agency that administers export controls on dual-use and emerging technologies, processing export licenses, enforcing the Entity List, and conducting national security investigations across semiconductors, AI, quantum, and connected vehicles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Export Administration and Trade Compliance Regulation

akta.pro primary industry

Export Controls (ITAR/EAR) Classification & Licensing (TLACAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trade, Import/Export Controls & Sanctions Regulators (BPAIAOAO), Product Regulatory Compliance for Cross-Border Trade (e.g., FDA, USDA, CPSC, CE/REACH/RoHS) (TLACAGAH), HTS/Tariff Classification & Binding Rulings Advisory (TLACAGAA), Duty Optimization & Special Programs (Drawback, FTZ, Bonded Warehouses, Inward/Outward Processing) (TLACAGAF)

Keywords

• Export administration regulations
• Export license processing
• Dual-use technology controls
• Entity list enforcement
• National security investigations

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Regulatory fees and export license processing: BIS is a U.S. government regulatory agency that does not generate commercial revenue. The agency processes export license applications and imposes civil penalties for export control violations. Revenue collected includes license fees and administrative settlement payments from enforcement actions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bureau of Industry & Security administers the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) governing U.S. exports of dual-use commercial, emerging, and less-sensitive military items, processing export license applications and enforcement actions. It publishes the Commerce Control List, maintains the Entity List of restricted parties, screens controlled technologies, and conducts Section 232 national security investigations across sectors such as semiconductors, copper, pharmaceuticals, and timber.

Product overview

Bureau of Industry & Security is a U.S. federal regulatory agency within the Department of Commerce that advances national security through technology leadership and export controls. Rather than a unified software product, BIS operates a portfolio of regulatory frameworks and digital platforms: the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) serve as the primary governing framework, supported by the SNAP-R portal for license applications and STELA for application tracking. The Consolidated Screening List provides compliance screening capabilities, while OICTS addresses ICT supply chain security concerns. BIS also conducts Section 232 national security investigations across critical sectors including semiconductors, copper, timber, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SNAP-R (Simplified Network Application Process-Refined) Online portal for submitting export license applications to BIS, enabling exporters to apply for licenses required to ship controlled items internationally under the Export Administration Regulations.
• STELA (System for Tracking Export License Applications) Public-facing system for tracking the status of export license applications submitted through SNAP-R, allowing exporters and interested parties to monitor license application progress.
• Consolidated Screening List Searchable database hosted on Trade.gov that consolidates multiple restricted party lists, allowing exporters to screen customers and partners against denied parties, Entity List entries, and sanctions lists.
• Export Administration Regulations (EAR) Primary regulatory framework administered by BIS governing the export of commercial, dual-use, and less-sensitive military items, codified under 15 CFR parts 730-774, with Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCNs) and the Commerce Control List (CCL).
• Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services (OICTS) BIS office responsible for investigating national security risks in information and communications technology and services supply chains, including connected vehicle regulations and other ICT supply chain protections.

Quantifiable outcome

• $252.5 million penalty imposed on Applied Materials for 56 export violations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)coreOthersBIS coordinates with DOJ on criminal export control violations, including joint enforcement actions and referrals for prosecution. DOJ has filed criminal charges against exporters violating BIS regulations.
• U.S. Department of the Treasury (OFAC)coreOthersBIS works with the Office of Foreign Assets Control on coordinated sanctions enforcement. Both agencies update sanctions and export control lists simultaneously to maintain consistent restrictions.
• U.S. Department of State (DDTC)coreOthersBIS coordinates with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls on dual-use and defense trade controls. Joint rules on space-related export controls demonstrate inter-agency cooperation.
• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)coreOthersBIS collaborated with SEC on investigations involving export control violations that also implicated securities disclosures, as seen in the Applied Materials settlement where SEC closed related investigations.
• Wassenaar ArrangementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIS participates in the Wassenaar Arrangement, a multilateral export control regime of 42 countries that coordinates controls on conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies.
• Project Glasswing Alliance PartnerscoreTechnology or IntegrationBIS actions affected companies in Anthropic's Project Glasswing early-access program, including Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Cisco, which retained access to AI models through pre-existing compliance frameworks aligned with national security requirements.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Export Control Joint Unit (UK): The UK's Department for Business and Trade issues strategic export controls and licensing decisions; as a fellow Wassenaar Arrangement participant with comparable dual-use export licensing authority, it is a close international peer to BIS.
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP): CBP enforces import/export regulations at the border, screens shipments against BIS's Entity List and Consolidated Screening List, and conducts seizures; it is the operational enforcement counterpart to BIS's regulatory rulemaking.
• Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM): EXIM is another Commerce Department bureau that engages in trade-related economic policy with overlapping industry stakeholders (U.S. exporters in semiconductors, aerospace, critical tech), making it a sibling agency peer within BIS's institutional context.
• Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) China: MOFCOM administers China's Export Control Law of 2020 and Unreliable Entity List, the principal Chinese counterpart regulatory regime to BIS's Entity List and EAR; comparable in scope of technology trade regulation.
• DG TRADE, European Commission: DG TRADE oversees EU export control policy, including the EU Dual-Use Regulation, and coordinates member-state implementation. It is the EU-level counterpart to BIS for multilateral export control coordination through Wassenaar.

Regional players

• Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Japan: METI administers Japan's export controls including Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act implementation and participates in Wassenaar; it is a regional peer that aligns with BIS on strategic technology controls.

Direct peers

• Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC): OFAC administers U.S. economic sanctions and embargo programs and is BIS's primary inter-agency partner; both agencies simultaneously update restricted party lists and coordinate on enforcement, making OFAC the closest functional peer for trade compliance regulation.
• Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC): DDTC administers the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) for defense articles and services, splitting the U.S. export control architecture with BIS for dual-use items; BIS and DDTC have jointly issued rules (e.g., space-related export controls) and are the two pillars of U.S. export licensing.
• U.S. Department of Justice, National Security Division: DOJ-NSD prosecutes criminal export control violations referred by BIS and has filed charges in connection with Bosch, Cadence, and other major export cases, making it BIS's primary enforcement partner for criminal matters.

Others

• Bureau of Export Administration (BXA) - predecessor: BIS's own predecessor organization (1987-2002) administered the same export control mission; referenced as the historical lineage peer for institutional continuity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/BISgov
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bureauofindustryandsecurit6965
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bureau-of-industry-and-security-u-s-department-of-commerce

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bureau of Industry & Security