As president of Tri-Link FTZ, I’ve been working in the logistics industry for over 35 years. In that time, I’ve helped dozens of companies not only establish themselves in foreign trade zones but also maintain compliance through detailed reporting.
One of the most overlooked tasks—until it becomes a problem—is the foreign trade zone annual report. This report may seem like just another form to file, but it’s a vital piece of staying in good standing with the Foreign-Trade Zones Board.
At Tri-Link, we help businesses treat it not as a burden, but as an opportunity to strengthen operations.
A foreign trade zone annual report is a yearly filing that all active FTZ operators must submit to the FTZ Board. It provides a summary of the year’s activity within the zone, including merchandise received, exports, inventory levels, and employment data.
Think of it as an operational snapshot that reflects both your compliance and your economic impact. The report also serves as a benchmark for trends in trade activity.
If you’ve been improving your efficiencies or growing your FTZ footprint, this is your chance to show it.
When we guide clients through this process, we start by gathering the basics. What merchandise came in?
What went out? How much of it was exported?
And what kind of labor did it take to manage those operations? These questions form the foundation of a strong FTZ annual report.
One of our long-term clients uses an integrated ERP and WMS platform, and because of that, they’re able to pull real-time reports that match exactly what the FTZ Board requires. For those that don’t have that kind of automation, we step in to organize the data, track inputs, and avoid any surprises come filing season.
The deadline for submitting your foreign trade zone annual report is always March 31st. That means your report must cover the full previous calendar year and be submitted via the government’s Online FTZ Information System (OFIS).
OFIS is fairly straightforward once you get used to the interface. But we’ve seen many businesses wait until the last minute, only to realize they’re missing key data or misreporting inventory transfers.
Filing late—or filing with errors—can result in serious setbacks, including monetary fines or suspension of zone operations. For that reason, we encourage clients to treat annual reporting as a rolling process.
We start organizing by January to avoid the March panic. Read more here.
Once you’re ready to submit the report, you’ll use the official template from OFIS, which includes all the required sections. Most of our clients use software to extract inventory, export, and staffing data.
We recommend cross-verifying every entry. Even one incorrect figure could trigger a request for clarification or a formal review.
One time, a client misclassified $3 million worth of domestic shipments as exports, which set off an audit. That’s the kind of mistake that costs more in time and resources than getting it right the first time.
Here’s a table to summarize the key elements you need to report:
Required Section | Details to Include |
Merchandise Received | Total foreign and domestic goods received |
Exports | Goods shipped out of the FTZ and exported abroad |
Inventory Levels | Year-end balances, adjustments, and transfers |
Employment Data | Full-time, part-time, and seasonal worker counts |
Zone Activity Summary | Production and shipment breakdown by industry code |
At Tri-Link FTZ, we believe in making compliance proactive, not reactive. That means building systems that track activity in real time.
In our own warehouse operations, we’ve implemented live dashboards that update shipment data as it moves in and out. This not only makes the foreign trade zone annual report easier to complete, but it also reduces human error and boosts reporting confidence.
For new FTZ operators, we suggest starting small with manual logs and growing into automation over time. What matters most is consistency and accuracy.
One thing we try to emphasize to our clients is that this report isn’t just about compliance—it’s about insight. By reviewing the full year’s data, you begin to see where your zone excels and where there’s room to optimize.
For instance, a client of ours noticed that one product line had a 30% longer average dwell time in the FTZ. That led them to revisit their demand forecasting and reduce storage costs by six figures annually.
None of that would have come to light without the attention required by the annual reporting process. Read more here.
The foreign trade zone annual report is a cornerstone of responsible FTZ operations. At Tri-Link FTZ, we’ve built our reputation on helping businesses take this seriously and use it to their advantage.
With the right systems in place, this doesn’t have to be a source of stress. It can be a moment to reflect, refine, and re-invest in smarter logistics.
We’ve seen firsthand how clients thrive when compliance becomes second nature—and we’re proud to be a part of that process year after year.
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