On Oct. 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) opened the annual U.S. grain exporter registration period and waiver requests for the 2026 calendar year.
The United States Grain Standards Act, 7 U.S.C. 87f-1, requires registration of people who 1) are engaged in the business of buying grain for sale in foreign commerce or 2) handle, weigh or transport grain for sale in foreign commerce.
How to Register
Grain exporters must register annually with FGIS before shipping grain overseas. To register or renew registration as a grain or oilseed exporter, visit the following website: https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/fgis/ddr-export-registration-instructions. Registrations are not complete until payment is received. Payments can be made using Pay.gov. Instructions for completing payment via Pay.gov can also be found on the website.
Entities registered by December 15 will be added to the FGIS Registered Grain Exporters Directory and Registered Grain Exporting Locations report Jan. 1, 2026, and upon approval thereafter.
FGIS will publish the Registered Grain Exporters Directory on the AMS website at https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/fgis/international. The list will include entity name, business address and phone number. Any other facilities/addresses marked for public release will be published on the Registered Grain Exporting Locations report; this list will also be shared with foreign governments upon request to assist U.S. grain movement in various markets.
Requesting a Waiver
The act waives official inspection and weighing for exporters who exported less than 15,000 metric tons (MT) of grain on an individual elevator basis during the preceding calendar year and plan to export less than 15,000 MT of grain during the current calendar year. Such exporters and individual elevator operators must request and receive a waiver from FGIS.
To request a waiver for High Quality and Specialty Grain (HQSG) or Less Than 15,000 MT, exporters and individual elevator operators must send written notification to the FGIS Quality Assurance and Compliance Division at FGISQACD@usda.gov. Include: the exporter or elevator operator’s name, address, and phone number, as well as a statement providing the previous year’s export volume and the current calendar year’s expected volume for each facility; and, if being requested on behalf of a facility, submit the facility’s name, address and phone number.
Contact FGISQACD@usda.gov if you have questions regarding the registration requirements or process.