What is Notify U.S.?

Notify U.S. free, web-based e-mail subscription service that offers U.S. entities (citizens, industries, organizations) an opportunity to review and comment on proposed foreign technical regulations that can affect their businesses and their access to international markets.

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Version

Version 2.0 - May 2006

Version 1.0 - July 2005

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Why is Notify U.S. Useful?

Member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to report to the WTO all proposed technical regulations that could affect trade with other Member countries. The WTO Secretariat distributes this information in the form of "notifications" to all Member countries.

Member countries can review and comment on each other's proposed regulations while the regulations are still in the draft stage and subject to revision. In this way, international transparency, international harmonization of standards, and international free trade are encouraged.

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How Does Notify U.S. Work?

By subscribing to the Notify U.S. service, U.S. entities receive, via e-mail, notifications of drafts or changes to domestic and foreign technical regulations for manufactured products. From the e-mail, subscribers link to the Notify U.S. website where they can read more information and order complete texts of the regulations for review and comment.

Subscribers may customize their information profiles to receive notifications of regulations by one or more (or all) specified fields of interest and by one or more (or all) WTO Member countries. Fields of interest are industry sectors defined by the International Classification for Standards (ICS) scheme as developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

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Who is Responsible for Notify U.S.?

Notify U.S. is a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Notify U.S. is a free service intended only for the purpose of collecting and fulfilling subscriber requests for information on the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).

Notify U.S. is reserved for the use of U.S. individuals and U.S. entities only. Any unauthorized use is prohibited.

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Where Can I Learn More?

Visit these related websites:

• National Center for Standards and Certification Information (NCSCI)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)
• About the WTO
• WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

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Need More Information?

Please contact Notify U.S. at:

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