ITAR-04Edition 1.0 · November 2026
MLA for Foreign Manufacturers
Licensed production, from outside the US
A step-by-step method for non-US licensees to read a Manufacturing License Agreement, make only what it licenses, sell only to the buyers and territories it allows, and report and close it properly.
What this guide settles
- An MLA authorizes manufacture abroad; assembly can stay under a TAA only if no production rights or manufacturing know-how are conveyed
- Articles made from the US technical data stay controlled: no transfer outside the agreement's bases, and each sale carries the §124.9(a)(6) statement in a contract, invoice or other appropriate document
- Sales are limited to governments in the licensed territory and private entities under contract with them; for SME, an agreement DSP-83 (§124.10) and an end-user DSP-83 before transfer (§124.9(b)(1))
- The party named files an annual sales report — including “No Sales” years; manufacture after expiry needs new DDTC authorization, which the non-US party may request itself
What you get
- The guide: explanations, method, conditions and limits
- Worked examples: anatomy of an MLA, the six §124.9(a) clauses, the two DSP-83s for SME, Congressional certification, who does what between the US applicant and the foreign licensee, an illustrative audit and ten pitfalls
- Tools printed in the guide: four templates and a readiness check
- Sources with section references and their verification date
- Revisions included for 12 months
Printed tools: T1 · MLA file and manufacturing scope · T2 · Sales territory and buyer register · T3 · Sale and transfer check · T4 · Production, reporting and life cycle · Readiness check
Contents
- Before you start: scope and limits
- Why an MLA is different
- The rule in one page
- Reading the MLA
- The method in six steps
- Templates T1 to T4
- Ten pitfalls
- Case study: a production audit
- Readiness check
What it does not cover
- Distribution abroad and offshore procurement
- Classified articles and technical data
- §126.1 countries and nationals
Assumed knowledge. Knowing how a TAA works for a foreign party, what a retransfer is, and that the articles are on the USML.
Sample pages
Open an image for the full-size page.
Where it connects
Part of a collection
MLA for Foreign Manufacturers is one of the eight guides of ITAR: Licenses, Agreements & Transfers (Understand the Rules), available together at €390 instead of €89 each.