Trade Compliance Critical Guardrails - Read First

## When NEVER to Use Copilot for Trade Compliance

**Copilot prepares; it never classifies, screens, or clears. NEVER use it to:**

- Assign an export classification (ECCN, USML/ITAR category, dual-use, EU Annex I)
- Decide whether a party is a sanctions/restricted-party match or "clear" it
- Determine whether a licence is required, or which licence/exception applies
- Decide a country/embargo, end-use, or end-user is permitted
- Clear, approve, or release a shipment, transaction, or technology transfer
- Give a determination on customs/HS classification or origin

**Why it matters:** export-control and sanctions errors carry civil and criminal penalties. These are determinations for a qualified trade-compliance professional, made against current official sources.

**Screening note:** restricted/denied-party and sanctions screening must be run in your screening tool against current, official lists — never in a chat. Copilot does not have live lists and may be out of date.

**Jurisdiction:** rules differ (US EAR/ITAR/OFAC, EU dual-use, UK, others). Copilot does not know which apply.

**Golden Rule:**
> "Copilot prepares the file. Trade compliance classifies, screens, and decides."