This guide sets out the operating rules of United States export control, sanctions, and customs law for companies that ship, license, hire, or acquire across borders. It begins with jurisdiction — which regime governs an item and which persons are covered — then works through classification, destination analysis, party screening, and end-use controls in the order a real determination follows. Sanctions are treated separately because they turn on identity rather than product, with attention to blocking, reporting deadlines, the ownership rule, and facilitation. A full part addresses the import side: entry, classification, valuation, origin, and the reasonable care standard. The enforcement part covers penalties, voluntary self-disclosure, and parallel proceedings. The guide closes with program design, recordkeeping, and the diligence questions that belong in every acquisition and every hiring decision involving controlled technology.