15 CFR § 768.2 - Foreign availability described.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t15/s768.2"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "15 CFR § 768.2 - Foreign availability described."
title_number: 15
title_name: "Commerce and Foreign Trade"
section_number: "768.2"
section_name: "Foreign availability described."
chapter_name: "BUREAU OF INDUSTRY AND SECURITY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE"
subchapter_number: "C"
subchapter_name: "EXPORT ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS"
part_number: "768"
part_name: "FOREIGN AVAILABILITY DETERMINATION PROCEDURES AND CRITERIA"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-04-05"
last_updated: "2026-04-05"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "50 U.S.C. 4601  50 U.S.C. 1701  E.O. 13222, 66 FR 44025, 3 CFR, 2001 Comp., p. 783; Notice of August 15, 2017, 82 FR 39005 (August 16, 2017)."
regulatory_source: "61 FR 12915, Mar. 25, 1996, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "768"
---


# 768.2 Foreign availability described.

(a) *Foreign availability.* Foreign availability exists when the Secretary determines that an item is comparable in quality to an item subject to U.S. national security export controls, and is available-in-fact to a country, from a non-U.S. source, in sufficient quantities to render the U.S. export control of that item or the denial of a license ineffective. For a controlled country, such control or denial is “ineffective” when maintaining such control or denying a specific license would not restrict the availability of items that would make a significant contribution to the military potential of the controlled country or combination of countries detrimental to the national security of the United States (see sections 5(a) and 3(2)(A) of the EAA.)

(b) *Types of foreign availability.* There are two types of foreign availability:

(1) Foreign availability to a controlled country; and

(2) Foreign availability to a non-controlled country.

See § 768.7 of this part for delineation of the foreign availability assessment procedures, and § 768.6 of this part for the criteria used in determining foreign availability.