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Title 50, War and National DefenseRelease 119-110

§4801 Definitions

Title 50 › CHAPTER 58 — EXPORT CONTROL REFORM › § 4801

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines important words used in the chapter so people know what the rules mean. "Controlled" means an item the United States has authority over under subchapter I. "Dual-use" means an item used for normal civilian purposes and also for military, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, or law-enforcement purposes. "Export" includes sending an item out of the United States or giving related technology or source code to a foreign person while they are in the United States. "Export Administration Regulations" means either the EAR that were codified on August 13, 2018 in 15 C.F.R., chapter VII, subchapter C, or regulations made under subchapter I on or after August 13, 2018. "Foreign person" means a natural person who is not a U.S. citizen, not a lawful permanent resident, and not a protected individual (see 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)); it also includes entities not organized in the United States, plus international organizations and foreign governments and their parts. "In-country transfer" means changing the end-use or end user of an item inside the same foreign country. "Item" means a commodity, software, or technology. "Person" covers people and many kinds of organizations, including governments and successors. "Reexport" means sending an item from one foreign country to another or giving related technology or source code to a foreign person outside the United States. "Secretary" means the Secretary of Commerce unless stated otherwise. "Technology" means information needed to develop, make, or use an item. "United States" lists the states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, and other U.S. territories or possessions. "United States person" has specific meanings for subchapter I and for subchapter II, covering U.S. citizens, U.S. entities, people in the U.S., and certain residents, domestic concerns, and controlled foreign affiliates as set by the Secretary's regulations. "Weapons of mass destruction" means nuclear, radiological, chemical, and biological weapons and their delivery systems.

Full Legal Text

Title 50, §4801

War and National Defense, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In this chapter:
(1)Controlled
The term “controlled” refers to an item subject to the jurisdiction of the United States under subchapter I.
(2)Dual-use
The term “dual-use”, with respect to an item, means the item has civilian applications and military, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, or law-enforcement-related applications.
(3)Export
The term “export”, with respect to an item subject to controls under subchapter I, includes—
(A)the shipment or transmission of the item out of the United States, including the sending or taking of the item out of the United States, in any manner; and
(B)the release or transfer of technology or source code relating to the item to a foreign person in the United States.
(4)Export Administration Regulations
The term “Export Administration Regulations” means—
(A)the Export Administration Regulations as promulgated, maintained, and amended under the authority of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act [50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.] and codified, as of August 13, 2018, in subchapter C of chapter VII of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations; or
(B)regulations that are promulgated, maintained, and amended under the authority of subchapter I on or after August 13, 2018.
(5)Foreign person
The term “foreign person” means—
(A)any natural person who is not a lawful permanent resident of the United States, citizen of the United States, or any other protected individual (as such term is defined in section 1324b(a)(3) of title 8);
(B)any corporation, business association, partnership, trust, society or any other entity or group that is not incorporated in the United States or organized to do business in the United States, as well as international organizations, foreign governments and any agency or subdivision of a foreign government (e.g., diplomatic mission).
(6)In-country transfer
The term “in-country transfer”, with respect to an item subject to controls under subchapter I, means a change in the end-use or end user of the item within the same foreign country.
(7)Item
The term “item” means a commodity, software, or technology.
(8)Person
The term “person” means—
(A)a natural person;
(B)a corporation, business association, partnership, society, trust, financial institution, insurer, underwriter, guarantor, and any other business organization, any other nongovernmental entity, organization, or group, or any government or agency thereof; and
(C)any successor to any entity described in subparagraph (B).
(9)Reexport
The term “reexport”, with respect to an item subject to controls under subchapter I, includes—
(A)the shipment or transmission of the item from a foreign country to another foreign country, including the sending or taking of the item from the foreign country to the other foreign country, in any manner; and
(B)the release or transfer of technology or source code relating to the item to a foreign person outside the United States.
(10)Secretary
Except as otherwise provided, the term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Commerce.
(11)Technology
The term “technology” includes information, in tangible or intangible form, necessary for the development, production, or use of an item.
(12)United States
The term “United States” means the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and any other territory or possession of the United States.
(13)United States person
The term “United States person” means—
(A)for purposes of subchapter I—
(i)any individual who is a citizen or national of the United States or who is an individual described in subparagraph (B) of section 1324b(a)(3) of title 8;
(ii)a corporation or other legal entity which is organized under the laws of the United States, any State or territory thereof, or the District of Columbia; and
(iii)any person in the United States; and
(B)for purposes of subchapter II, any United States resident or national (other than an individual resident outside the United States and employed by other than a United States person), any domestic concern (including any permanent domestic establishment of any foreign concern) and any foreign subsidiary or affiliate (including any permanent foreign establishment) of any domestic concern which is controlled in fact by such domestic concern, as determined under regulations by the Secretary.
(14)Weapons of mass destruction
The term “weapons of mass destruction” means nuclear, radiological, chemical, and biological weapons and delivery systems for such weapons.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this subtitle”, meaning subtitle B (§§ 1741–1781) of title XVII of div. A of Pub. L. 115–232, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2208, known as the Export Control Reform Act of 2018, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of subtitle B to the Code, see section 1741 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a

Short Title

note below and Tables. Subchapter I, referred to in pars. (1), (3), (4)(B), (6), (9), and (13)(A), was in the original “part I”, meaning part I (§§ 1751–1768) of subtitle B of title XVII of div. A of Pub. L. 115–232, known as the Export Controls Act of 2018, which is classified principally to subchapter I of this chapter. For complete classification of part I to the Code, see section 1751 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a

Short Title

note below and Tables. The International Emergency Economic Powers Act, referred to in par. (4)(A), is title II of Pub. L. 95–223, Dec. 28, 1977, 91 Stat. 1626, which is classified generally to chapter 35 (§ 1701 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1701 of this title and Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

of 2025 Amendment Pub. L. 119–34, § 1, Aug. 19, 2025, 139 Stat. 488, provided that: “This Act [amending section 4815 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act’.”

Short Title

Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title XVII, § 1741, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2208, provided that: “This subtitle [subtitle B (§§ 1741–1781) of title XVII of div. A of Pub. L. 115–232, enacting this chapter, amending section 5314 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, and section 2516 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure, repealing sections 4601 to 4610 and 4614 to 4623 of this title, enacting provisions set out as notes under this section and section 4601 of this title, and repealing provisions set out as notes under section 4601, 4606, and 4609 of this title and section 3108 of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse] may be cited as the ‘Export Control Reform Act of 2018’.” Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title XVII, § 1751, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2209, provided that: “This part [part I (§§ 1751–1768) of subtitle B of title XVII of div. A of Pub. L. 115–232, enacting subchapter I of this chapter, amending section 2516 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure, repealing sections 4601 to 4610 and 4614 to 4623 of this title, enacting provisions set out as notes under section 4601 of this title, and repealing provisions set out as notes under section 4601, 4606, and 4609 of this title and section 3108 of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse] may be cited as the ‘Export Controls Act of 2018’.” Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title XVII, § 1771, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2234, provided that: “This part [part II (§§ 1771–1774) of subtitle B of title XVII of div. A of Pub. L. 115–232, enacting subchapter II of this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Anti-Boycott Act of 2018’.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

50 U.S.C. § 4801

Title 50, War and National Defense

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110