Implementation of the Census Bureau Voluntary Self-Disclosure (VSD) Form

January 30, 2025

In an effort to improve the Voluntary Self Disclosure (VSD) process, the Census Bureau’s Trade Regulations Branch (TRB) has piloted the use of a fillable VSD form since August 2024. TRB’s evaluation of the pilot has shown that the data received is more timely and complete, and allows for more efficient processing of VSDs. The feedback received from VSD submitters has been positive and TRB is implementing the use of the VSD Form on March 3, 2025.

The fillable VSD form will collect the following data required under Section 30.74 of the Foreign Trade Regulations:

• The kind of violation involved, for example, failure to file EEI, failure to correct fatal errors, failure to file timely corrections;
• Describe all data that was either not reported or reported incorrectly;
• An explanation of when and how the violations occurred;
• The complete identities and addresses of all individuals and entities, whether foreign or domestic, involved in the activities giving rise to the violations;
• If the party in violation was notified of the violation by any federal agency(ies);
• Were the exports subject to any export controls from federal agency(ies)?;
• A description of any mitigating factors;
• Corrective measures taken; and
• ITNs of the missed and/or corrected shipments.

The implementation of this fillable VSD form will allow companies to submit the necessary VSD information in a uniform format.

For information regarding the VSD process, please visit our website here.

If you have any questions about the VSD Form or VSD process, please contact the TRB at 1-800-549-0595, Option 3 or email emd.askregs@census.gov.

Additional Resources:

The fillable VSD Form can be found here.

The VSD Form Instruction Guide can be found here.

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About the Census Bureau

We serve as the nation’s leading provider of quality data about its people and economy. The Census Bureau is the federal government's largest statistical agency. As the world’s premier statistical agency, we are dedicated to making our nation a better place. Policy-makers, businesses, and the public use our data to make informed decisions.