Reasons for control are the short codes in each ECCN's License Requirements section that say why the item is controlled under the EAR, for example NS for national security or AT for anti-terrorism. Most of them point to a column on the Commerce Country Chart, such as NS1 or AT1. If any reason that applies to your paragraph is marked with an X for your destination, a licence is required.
Where do you find an ECCN's reasons for control?
They are in each ECCN's License Requirements section. Each reason is listed with the paragraphs it applies to and the Country Chart column to check. Where a paragraph has its own reasons, use those and not the entry-wide ones. Our guides on how to read an ECCN entry and how to use the Country Chart show both steps.
What each reason for control means
| Code | Name | Chart columns | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| NS | National Security | NS1, NS2 | Items on the Wassenaar Arrangement dual-use list |
| MT | Missile Technology | MT1 | Items that could contribute to missile delivery systems, from the Missile Technology Control Regime |
| NP | Nuclear Nonproliferation | NP1, NP2 | Nuclear Suppliers Group items and others |
| CB | Chemical and Biological Weapons | CB1, CB2, CB3 | Australia Group items, such as precursors, agents and equipment |
| RS | Regional Stability | RS1, RS2 | Items that could affect regional stability, including many 600 series items and, more recently, advanced computing items |
| CC | Crime Control | CC1, CC2, CC3 | Items such as certain police equipment and restraints |
| FC | Firearms Convention | FC1 | Firearms and related items under the Inter-American Convention |
| AT | Anti-Terrorism | AT1, AT2 | Controls for countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism; most CCL entries carry AT |
| UN | United Nations | No chart column | Items restricted by UN arms embargoes, applied through Part 746 |
| EI | Encryption Items | No chart column | Encryption controls in Category 5 Part 2, applied through § 742.15 |
| SL | Surreptitious Listening | No chart column | Special controls for specific items, applied through their own section |
| SI | Significant Items | No chart column | Special controls for specific items, applied through their own section |
| SS | Short Supply | No chart column | Controls on certain commodities in short supply, applied through Part 754 |
What do NS1, NS2, AT1 and the other column numbers mean?
A reason with numbered columns lets controls vary by destination. NS2, for example, is marked for fewer countries than NS1, so an item controlled only under NS2 needs a licence to fewer places. The entry states which column applies to which paragraph. An entry line such as "NS Column 1" or "AT Column 1" tells you to check NS1 or AT1 for your destination and nothing else under that reason. Checking NS1 when the entry says NS2, or the reverse, gives the wrong answer, and so does checking every column for every reason.
AT-only items are a common trap. An item controlled only for AT needs a licence for the small number of destinations marked under the AT columns, and it is still subject to embargoes and to end-use and end-user controls. AT-only does not mean "no licence anywhere".
Reasons that work outside the Country Chart
EI, SL, SI, SS and UN work through specific sections of the EAR, with no X marks on the chart. When an entry lists one, follow the section it cites. EI, for example, sends you to § 742.15 and the encryption rules covered in our guide to ECCN 5A002, 5D002 and 5A992.c.
Reading several reasons together
Most entries carry more than one reason, for example NS and AT, or NS, MT and AT. A licence is required if any applicable reason is marked for the destination. The most restrictive reason decides.
Suppose an accelerometer meets a paragraph controlled for NS (Column 2), MT (Column 1) and AT (Column 1). For a destination with no X under NS2 but an X under MT1, a licence is required for MT reasons. MT items are also among those for which most licence exceptions are unavailable.
Where reasons for control come from
Most reasons reflect international commitments. NS items come from the Wassenaar Arrangement, MT from the Missile Technology Control Regime, NP from the Nuclear Suppliers Group and CB from the Australia Group. AT, CC and RS, along with the special controls, are U.S. policy. As a result, NS, MT, NP and CB items tend to be controlled in a similar way by other countries' regimes, while AT-only items are mainly a U.S. concern.
The ECCN itself also hints at the main reason. Our guide to ECCN number structure explains how.
Reasons for control beyond the Country Chart
Reasons for control also decide licence exception eligibility (see the licence exceptions overview), de minimis calculations and reporting obligations. For that reason the paragraph and its exact reasons belong in your classification record.
Reasons for control in ECCN.help
Every result in the rule-based ECCN.help Classification Workflow shows the reasons for control for the paragraph the item met. The licence check then applies them to the Country Chart for your destination, as described in when an export licence is required.
ECCN.help provides research and assistance, not legal advice. Verify every result against the regulation.