What is ITAR?
ITAR, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, is the US rule set that controls the export of defense articles, defense services and the technical data that describes them, including showing that data to a foreign person inside the United States.
Also called International Traffic in Arms Regulations
What it means.
ITAR is a set of State Department regulations in Title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations, issued under section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act and administered through the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. A defense article is any item or technical data designated on the United States Munitions List. Technical data includes information needed to design, build, operate, repair, test, maintain or modify defense articles, including in the form of blueprints, drawings, photographs, plans, instructions or documentation.
An export is not only a shipment overseas. It includes releasing or otherwise transferring technical data to a foreign person in the United States, which the rule calls a deemed export. ITAR is not an OSHA rule, but some industrial sites work under both at once.
Releasing or otherwise transferring technical data to a foreign person in the United States (a deemed export)
Where it shows up on a job.
At a site that makes defense parts, a photo attached to a safety report, a drawing in a permit or a procedure in a shared folder can be technical data. Sites in that position decide who may see which records before anything is shared.
Where this comes from.
Each source was read on 22 October 2026. Guidance is advice; a regulation is the rule.
- 22 CFR 120.1Code of Federal Regulations, Title 22. Regulation. Authority under the Arms Export Control Act, and the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.
- 22 CFR 120.31Code of Federal Regulations, Title 22. Regulation. Defense article.
- 22 CFR 121.1Code of Federal Regulations, Title 22. Regulation. The United States Munitions List.
- 22 CFR 120.33Code of Federal Regulations, Title 22. Regulation. Technical data, including photographs and drawings.
- 22 CFR 120.50Code of Federal Regulations, Title 22. Regulation. Export, including a deemed export.
A plain-language definition, not legal advice. For a decision on your site, read the standard that applies to it.
Related terms
- permit to work
A permit to work is a written authorization, signed by someone allowed to sign it, for a specific hazardous job to go ahead under named controls for a set period.
- safety data sheet
A safety data sheet is the document that comes with a hazardous chemical and explains, in sixteen numbered sections, what it is, how it can hurt people and what to do about it.
- contractor prequalification
Contractor prequalification is checking a contractor's safety record, insurance, training and written programs before they are allowed to start work on your site.