Title 19Customs DutiesRelease 119-73

§2435 Commercial agreements

Title 19 › Chapter CHAPTER 12— - TRADE ACT OF 1974 › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER IV— - TRADE RELATIONS WITH COUNTRIES NOT RECEIVING NONDISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT › Part Part 1— - Trade Relations With Certain Countries › § 2435

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The President can approve one-on-one trade deals that give equal treatment to goods from countries that did not have it before, if he decides the deals help the goals of this law and are in the national interest. Such deals must follow the limits and rules below. Each deal must start with a period no longer than 3 years and can be renewed in 3-year steps only if there is a fair balance of trade concessions and the other country properly matches U.S. tariff and non-tariff reductions from multilateral talks. The deal must allow suspension or ending for national security. It must include quick consultations and possible import limits if imports harm the market. If the other country is not in the Paris or Universal Copyright Conventions, the deal must give U.S. citizens at least the same patent, trademark, and copyright protections. Deals begun or renewed after January 3, 1975 must protect industrial rights and may include trade-promotion steps (like trade offices, fairs, and missions), ways to settle commercial disputes, regular reviews, and other commercial arrangements that advance the law’s goals. The agreement and any presidential proclamation only take effect after the specific joint resolution described in section 2191(b)(3) is passed into law.

Full Legal Text

Title 19, §2435

Customs Duties — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Subject to the provisions of subsections (b) and (c) of this section, the President may authorize the entry into force of bilateral commercial agreements providing nondiscriminatory treatment to the products of countries heretofore denied such treatment whenever he determines that such agreements with such countries will promote the purposes of this chapter and are in the national interest.
(b)Any such bilateral commercial agreement shall—
(1)be limited to an initial period specified in the agreement which shall be no more than 3 years from the date the agreement enters into force; except that it may be renewable for additional periods, each not to exceed 3 years; if—
(A)a satisfactory balance of concessions in trade and services has been maintained during the life of such agreement, and
(B)the President determines that actual or foreseeable reductions in United States tariffs and nontariff barriers to trade resulting from multilateral negotiations are satisfactorily reciprocated by the other party to the bilateral agreement;
(2)provide that it is subject to suspension or termination at any time for national security reasons, or that the other provisions of such agreement shall not limit the rights of any party to take any action for the protection of its security interests;
(3)include safeguard arrangements (A) providing for prompt consultations whenever either actual or prospective imports cause or threaten to cause, or significantly contribute to, market disruption and (B) authorizing the imposition of such import restrictions as may be appropriate to prevent such market disruption;
(4)if the other party to the bilateral agreement is not a party to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, provide rights for United States nationals with respect to patents and trademarks in such country not less than the rights specified in such convention;
(5)if the other party to the bilateral agreement is not a party to the Universal Copyright Convention, provide rights for United States nationals with respect to copyrights in such country not less than the rights specified in such convention;
(6)in the case of an agreement entered into or renewed after January 3, 1975, provide arrangements for the protection of industrial rights and processes;
(7)provide arrangements for the settlement of commercial differences and disputes;
(8)in the case of an agreement entered into or renewed after January 3, 1975, provide arrangements for the promotion of trade, which may include arrangements for the establishment or expansion of trade and tourist promotion offices, for facilitation of activities of governmental commercial officers, participation in trade fairs and exhibits, and the sending of trade missions, and for facilitation of entry, establishment, and travel of commercial representatives;
(9)provide for consultations for the purpose of reviewing the operation of the agreement and relevant aspects of relations between the United States and the other party; and
(10)provide such other arrangements of a commercial nature as will promote the purposes of this chapter.
(c)An agreement referred to in subsection (a), and a proclamation referred to in section 2434(a) of this title implementing such agreement, shall take effect only if a joint resolution described in section 2191(b)(3) of this title that approves of the agreement referred to in subsection (a) is enacted into law.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a) and (b)(10), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 93–618, Jan. 3, 1975, 88 Stat. 1978, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

References in Text

note set out under section 2101 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

1990—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 101–382 amended subsec. (c) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (c) read as follows: “An agreement referred to in subsection (a) of this section, and a proclamation referred to in section 2434(a) of this title implementing such agreement, shall take effect only if (1) approved by the Congress by the adoption of a concurrent resolution referred to in section 2191 of this title, or (2) in the case of an agreement entered into before January 3, 1975, and a proclamation implementing such agreement, a resolution of disapproval referred to in section 2192 of this title is not adopted during the 90-day period specified by section 2437(c)(2) of this title.” 1979—Subsec. (b)(8). Pub. L. 96–39 substituted “may include arrangements” for “may include those”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1979 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 96–39 effective July 26, 1979, see section 1114 of Pub. L. 96–39, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 2581 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

19 U.S.C. § 2435

Title 19Customs Duties

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73