- @ – At (referring to price)
- A. & C.P. – Anchors and chains proved
- a.a. – “Always afloat, after arrival”
- A.A.D. – Annual aggregate deductible
- a.a.r. – Against all risks
- A.B. – Able-bodied seaman
- A.B.S. – American Bureau of Shipping is an American ship classification society.
- a.c. – Account
- A.C.A.S. – “Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service”
- A.C.I.I. – Associate of Chartered Insurance Institute
- A.C.V. – Air cushion vehicle (hovercraft)
- A.F. – Advanced freight
- a.f.a.a. – as far as applicable
- A.G.W.I. – “Atlantic, Gulf, West Indies Limits”
- a.h. – After hatch
- A.H.F. – American hull form (insurance policy)
- A.I.M.U. – American Institute of Marine Underwriters
- A.I.R.M.I.C. – Association of Insurance and Risk Managers
- A.M.I. – Absolute maximum loss
- A.M.V.E.R. – Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue
- A.O. Voy. – Any one voyage
- A.O.B. – Any one bottom
- A.O.E. – Any one event
- A.O.L. – Any one loss
- a.o.loc. – Any one location –
- A.O.O. – Any one occurrence
- A.O.R. – Any one risk
- A.O.V. – Any one vessel
- A.P. – Additional premium
- A.P.L. – As per list
- A.R. – All risks
- A.S.E.A.N. – Association of South East Asian Nations
- A.T.L. – Actual total loss
- A/C – Account current
- A/o – Account of
- A/P – Additional premium
- A/R – All risks. Against all risks
- A/S – “After sight, Account sales, Alonside (chartering)”
- A/T – American terms (grain trade)
- A/v – “Average, ad valorem (according to value)”
- AADFI – Association of African Development Finance Institutions
- AAEI – American Association of Exporters and Importers
- AAIB – Arab-African International Bank
- AATP – Association of African Trade Promotion Organizations
- ABC – American Business Center
- ABCA – Association des Banques Centrales Africaines
- Abdnt. – Abandonment
- ABEDA – Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa
- ABI – “American Business Initiative, Automated Broker Interface”
- Absorption – “Absorption is investment and consumption purchases by households,businesses, and governments, both domestic and imported. When absorption exceeds production, the excess is the country’s current account deficit.”
- Abt. – About
- ABTA – Association of British Travel Agents
- Abu Dhabi Fund for Arab Economic Development. – “ADFAED promotes economic and social development in African, Arab, and Asian developing countries. The Fund, which was created in July 1971, began operations in September 1974; headquarters are in Abu Dhabi”
- ACAB – Association of Central African Banks
- ACC – Arab Cooperation Council
- Acc. – Acceptance. Accepted
- Accession – “Accession is the process by which a country becomes a member of an international agreement, such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) or the European Community. Accession to the GATT involves negotiations to determine the specific obligat”
- Accession – “This refers, in general, to the process of a country joining the GATT. During accession to the GATT, a country accords tariff and other concessions that are its ‘price of admission’ to the GATT. Although accession to the GATT binds a country to the Genera”
- ACCJ – American Chamber of Commerce in Japan
- accomplished bill of lading – Original bill of lading surrendered to the carrying ship at the discharge port in exchange for the goods.
- ACCT – Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation
- Acct – Account
- ACDA – Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
- ACEP – Advisory Committee on Export Policy
- ACH – Automated Clearinghouse
- ACP – “African, Caribbean, and Pacific”
- ACP – “African, Caribbean and Pacific States”
- ACPC – Association of Coffee Producing Countries
- ACS – Automated Commercial System
- ACTPN – Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations
- ACU – Asian Clearing Union
- AD – Antidumping
- Ad Val – Ad Valorem
- Ad Valorem – “Literally: according to value. Any charge, tax, or duty that is applied as a percentage of value. “
- Ad Valorem Equivalent – “AVE is the rate of duty which would have been required on dutiable imports under that item, if the United States customs value of such imports were based on the United States port of entry value. “
- AD Valorem Tariff – “A tariff assessed as a percentage of the value of the goods cleared through customs. For example, 10 percent Ad Valorem means the tariff is 10 percent of the value of the goods.”
- Ad. val. – Ad valorem-according to value
- ADB – Asian Development Bank
- ADB – Asian Development Bank
- ADF – “African Development Foundation, African Development Fund, Asian Development Fund”
- ADFAED – Abu Dhabi Fund for Arab Economic Development
- Administrative Exception Notes – “CoCom controls exports at three levels, depending on the item and the proposed destination. At the lowest level, “”national discretion”” (also called “”administrative exception””), a member nation may approve the export on its own, but CoCom must be notified”
- Administrative Protective Order – “An Administrative Protective Order, APO, is used to protect proprietary data that is obtained during an administrative proceeding.”
- Administrative Review – “Each year, beginning on the anniversary of the date of publication of an antidumping duty order, the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration is required to review and determine the amount of any antidumping duty.”
- ADRs – American Depository Receipts
- ADS – Agent Distributor Service ADS provides a custom search overseas for interested and qualified foreign representatives on behalf of a U.S. exporter. Officers abroad conduct the search and prepare a report identifying up to six foreign prospects that have examined the U.S. firm’s product literature and have expressed interest in representing the U.S. firm’s products.
- Advanced Technology Products – “About 500 of some 22,000 commodity classification codes used in reporting U.S. merchandise trade are identified as “”advanced technology”” codes.”
- Advisory Committee on Export Policy – “The Advisory Committee on Export Policy, ACEP, is an interagency dispute resolution body that operates at the Assistant Secretary level.”
- Advisory Committee on Trade Negotiations (ACTN) – “A group appointed by the U.S. President to advise him on matters of trade policy and related issues, including trade agreements.”
- Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations – “The ACTPN is a group (membership of 45; two-year terms) appointed by the President to provide advice on matters of trade policy and related issues, including trade agreements.”
- Advocacy Center – “The Advocacy Center, established in November 1993, facilitates high-level U.S. official advocacy to assist U.S. firms competing for major projects and procurements worldwide.”
- AECA – Arms Export Control Act
- AEF – Africa Enterprise Fund
- AEN – Administrative Exception Note
- AERP – Automated Export Reporting Program
- AfDB – African Development Bank
- AfDF – African Development Fund
- AFESD – Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development
- Affiliate – An affiliate is a business enterprise located in one country which is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by a person of another country to the extent of 10 percent or more of its voting securities for an incorporated business enterprise.
- Affiliated Foreign Group – An affiliated foreign group means (a) the foreign parent, (b) any foreign person, proceeding up the foreign parent’s ownership chain, which owns more than 50 percent of the person below it up to and including that person
which is not owned more than 50 percent by another foreign person, and (c)
any foreign person, proceeding down the ownership chain(s) of each of these
members, which is owned more than 50 percent by the person above it. - “Affreightment, contract of ” – “An agreement by a steamship line to provide cargo space on a vessel at a specified time for a specified price to accommodate an exporter or importer, who then becomes liable for payment even if he is later unable to make the shipment.”
- AFREXIMBANK – African Export-Import Bank.
- Africa Enterprise Fund – “The AEF, operating under the International Finance Corporation, began operations in late 1989. The Fund assists small and medium-size enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa, supports investment projects, and promotes development of private enterprises in Africa”
- Africa Project Development Facility – The APDF seeks to accelerate development of productive enterprises sponsored by private African entrepreneurs as a means of generating self-sustained economic growth and productive employment in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- African Development Bank – AfDB (French: Banque Africaine de Developpement) provides financing through direct loans to African member states to cover the foreign exchange costs incurred in Bank-approved development projects in those countries.
- African Development Foundation – “ADF provides economic assistance to groups and institutions involved in development projects at the local level. The foundation’s assistance, designed as a complement to the U.S. foreign aid program.”
- African Development Fund – Established in 1972, the ADF, which comprises the ADB and State Participants, became operational in 1974. Its main objective is to reduce poverty in RMCs by providing low-income RMCs with concessional loans and grants for projects and programs, as well as technical assistance for studies and capacity-building activities.
- African Export-Import Bank – “AFREXIMBANK offers short-term export trade financing to African exporters aimed at enhancing intra-African trade and Africa’s exports.
- African Management Services Company – “AMSCO provides temporary managers and management training to support the development of African companies.
- African Regional Organization for Standardization – “ARSO (French: Organisation Regionale Africaine de Normalisation, ORAN) promotes and coordinates standardization, quality control, certification, and metrology practices in Africa.
- aft – At or towards the rear of a ship.
- AFTA – ASEAN Free Trade Area
- After Date – “A term used on a draft, bill of exchange or note indicating the date from which a draft will begin counting days until maturity.
- AG – “Aktiengesellschaft, Australia Group”
- Agence de Cooperation Culterelle et Technique – “The ACCT (English: Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation) was created in 1970 to promote cultural and technical cooperation among French-speaking countries.”
- Agency for International Development – “AID was created in 1961 to administer foreign economic assistance programs of the U.S. Government. AID has field missions and representatives in approximately 70 developing countries.”
- Agent/Distributor Service – “The Agent/Distributor Service, ADS, is an International Trade Administration (ITA) fee-based service which locates foreign import agents and distributors.”
- Agrement – Agreement by one government to accept the accreditation of an ambassador from another government.
- AGRICOLA – Agricultural OnLine Access
- Agricultural Marketing Service – “Among its activities, the Agriculture Deparment’s AMS is available to foreign buyers to assure that any product shipped overseas meets contract specifications.”
- Agricultural Officers – “Agricultural officers are embassy officials who are responsible for addressing agricultural trade policy issues and preparing reports on agricultural commodities such as rice, wheat, and dairy products.”
- AGRIS – Agriculture Information System
- Agt. – “Agent, Against, Agreement”
- AIB – Arab International Bank
- AIBD – Association of International Bond Dealers
- AID – Agency for International Development
- AID – Agency for International Development
- Aide-Memoire – A short written summary of oral remarks made to a foreign government representative and left with that individual.
- AIES – Automated Information Exchange System
- AIG – Airbus Industries Group
- AIMS – Agriculture Information and Marketing Services
- Air Cargo Agent – A type of freight forwarder who specializes in air cargo and acts for airlines that pay him a fee (usually 5%). The Air Cargo Agent is registered with the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
- Air Freight Forwarder – “A type of freight forwarder who specializes in air cargo. The Air Freight Forwarder usually consolidates the air shipments of various exporters, charging them for actual weight and deriving his profit by paying the airline the lower consolidated rate.”
- Air Waybill – (AWB) or air consignment note refers to a receipt issued by an international courier company for goods and an evidence of the contract of carriage, but it is not a document of title to the goods. Hence, the AWB is non-negotiable.
- Air Waybill (Of Lading) – “A signed receipt and a contract to deliver goods by air. Such bills are non-negotiable and do not convey title to the goods as do “”To Orders”” bills of lading used by ocean and land carriers.
- Airbus Industries Group – “AIG is a supernational management organization responsible for design, development, manufacture, marketing, sales and support of selected commercial aircraft. “
- Aircraft Agreement (ATCA) – “Formally known as the ”Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft.” (ATCA), this MTN agreement is the only major sector-specific civil aircraft agreement.”
- AIST – Agency for Industrial Science Technology
- AIT – American Institute in Taiwan
- AIT – American Institute in Taiwan
- AKA – Ausfuhrkredit-Gesellschaft
- Aktiengesellschaft – “AG (German, meaning: “”stock company””) is a corporation with a separate legal personality which must have at least five partners.”
- ALADI – Asociacion Latinoamericana de Integracion
- ALIDE – “Association Latinoamericana de Institutiones Financieras, de Desarrollo”
- All Risks Coverage – “All Risks Coverage, a type of marine insurance, is the broadest kind of standard coverage, but excludes damage caused by war, strikes, and riots.”
- All-Risk Clause – An insurance provision that all loss or damage to goods is insured except inherent vice (self-caused).
- Alongside – “A phrase referring to the side of a ship. Goods to be delivered “”alongside”” are to be placed on the dock or lighter within reach of the transport ship’s tackle so that they can be loaded aboard the ship.”
- AMB – Ambassador
- AMCHAM – American Chamber of Commerce
- Amendments – Article XXX of the GATT Agreement provides that amendments (that become effective upon acceptance by two thirds of the Contracting Parties) are to be effective only for those parties which accept them.
- American Business Center – “The ABC program provides U.S. companies which are exploring or establishing commercial opportunities in the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union.”
- American Business Initiative – “The ABI, or American Business and Private Sector Development Initiative for Eastern Europe, emphasizes the export of American telecommunciations, energy, environment, housing, and agriculture products and services to Eastern European countries. “
- American Depository Receipts – “ADRs are negotiable receipts for the securities of a foreign company which are kept in the vaults of an American bank, allowing Americans to trade the foreign securities in the United States while accruing any dividends and capital gains. “
- American Institute in Taiwan – “The AIT is a non-profit corporation that represents U.S. commerical, cultural, and other interests in Taiwan in lieu of an embassy.
- American Traders Index – “The American Traders Index, ATI, is the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service headquarters compilation of individual US&FCS domestic client files, for use by overseas posts to generate mailing lists. “
- AMF – Arab Monetary Fund
- amidships – At or towards the middle of a ship.
- AMS – “Agricultural Marketing Service, Automated Manifest System”
- AMSC – African Management Services Company
- amt. – Amount
- AMU – Arab Maghreb Union
- Andean Reserve Fund – “The Andean Reserve Fund (Spanish: Fondo Andina de Reservas), associated with the Andean Group, was established to strengthen the balance of payments positions of member countries by offering credit, guarantee loans, and promoting compatibility.”
- Andean Trade Preference Act – “The ATPA is a unilateral trade benefit program designed to promote economic development through private sector initiative in the four Andean countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.”