Export Controls & Sanctions Compliance

International Travel

If you are traveling internationally on UK business, on a UK-funded or explicitly endorsed trip, or with UK property, you are responsible for complying with U.S. sanctions and export control laws and regulations. When traveling internationally, everything you take is considered an export. A license may be required depending on where you are going, what you are taking with you, and what you will be doing abroad.

Mandatory Registration with the University of Kentucky

You must register international travel with the UK International Center before your departure if:

  • You are a faculty or staff member travelling internationally in the course and scope of your UK employment or representation.  The UK faculty and staff registry is available here.
  • You are a UK student or postdoctoral fellow travelling abroad on trips explicitly endorsed by UK.  The UK Student Registry is available here.

If you have questions regarding registration, please email jasonhope@uky.edu.

Travel Destinations

Travel to countries that have been placed under an embargo or sanctioned by the U.S. Government may be restricted or require a license. 

Please refer to Economic Sanctions and Embargoes.

Country-specific details on Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions programs are available on OFAC’s website.  

The U.S. Department of State also issues travel advisories for certain countries. It is recommended that you check those advisories prior to travelling. As a matter of University policy, students may engage in educational travel in countries or regions where the U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 3 or Level 4 Advisory, or where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Warning Level 3, only after completion of a mandatory review process and with the approval of the Associate Provost for Internationalization.

Taking UK-Owned Equipment Abroad

Most UK-owned equipment that you take abroad may be exported without a license under the Temporary Export License exemption (TMP). If you qualify for the TMP exemption, you will not need an export license for the items or equipment you take abroad.

The TMP exemption is part of the EAR and does not apply to the export of ITAR items or technical data.  The TMP exemption is also subject to certain other restrictions.  For example, the exemption does not apply to any EAR satellite or space-related equipment, components, or software, or to any technology associated with high-level encryption products. 

The following checklist will help you assess whether you qualify for the TMP exemption.  It is to be used for temporary international shipments or hand carries of UK-owned equipment, components, prototypes and materials as well as laptops, tablets, cell phones and other digital storage devices. 

The TMP exemption can be used only if you check ALL of the below boxes.

Does the TMP Exemption Apply to UK-Owned Equipment Taken Abroad?

The item will be used for professional purposes.

The item will be under your “effective control” during the entire trip (i.e., either with you or in a secured space)

The item will be returned to the U.S. within one year.

The item will not be taken to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria or Sudan.

The item is not a defense article on the USML 

The item will not directly or indirectly be used for nuclear, weapon/defense, chemical/biological, aircraft, missile or space-related activity.

The item does not have any non-mass market encryption software or encryption source code. 

The item will not be used to support or assist any foreign military or space programs.

The item is not specifically designed or modified for a military or space application.

The item does not contain any information, data or software that is related to military or space technology not in the public domain.

Any technology or software on the Commerce Control List (CCL) will be secured against unauthorized access and will not be disclosed to foreign nations unless authorized under export control regulations.

You have no reason to believe that there are export constraints on any of the equipment, or on any software, data, or information stored on the equipment.


Note: the EAR has a separate exemption, the Baggage (BAG) Exemption, that allows individuals to take most personally-owned items, commodities, technology (information), or software for personal use while abroad without a license.

Controlled Activities Abroad

Will you be doing research abroad?

If yes, refer to Researcher Guidance

Warning: The Fundamental Research Exclusion does not apply to research conducted overseas.

Who will you be interacting with?

Make sure nobody you will be interacting with is a restricted party or associated with a restricted entity.  Please refer to the U.S. Government’s Consolidated Screening List.

Will you be teaching?

Ensure that your teaching is covered by the Educational Information Exclusion to the EAR and ITAR [link to section].

Additional UK Resources

The following UK resources provide more information on international travel:

Quick links