ITAR-01Edition 1.0 · November 2026

Reading a DSP-5

An ITAR licence, from the receiving side

A step-by-step method for non-US companies to read the DSP-5 behind the defense articles they receive — parties, items, end use, provisos, duration — and to test every change against it.

A4 PDF · 18 pages · English · 4 templates · regulatory references checked October 2026

Buy the guide · €89Look inside

Prices excl. VAT · single user · revisions included for 12 months

Cover of Reading a DSP-5

What this guide settles

  • A DSP-5 covers the items, end uses and parties described in the application and letters of explanation, unless a condition limits it — and DDTC relies on those representations
  • Any resale, transfer, reexport or disposal to a different end user, end use or destination needs prior written DDTC approval unless an exemption or authorization expressly allows it — §123.9(e) still requires written notice to DDTC within 30 days
  • A licence lasts four years, or less once its value or quantity is used; quantity, foreign consignee, end user, end use and destination cannot be changed by amendment
  • Provisos, DSP-83 commitments and the Destination Control Statement only work if they become actions on the receiving side

What you get

  • The guide: explanations, method, conditions and limits
  • Worked examples: where to find each answer on the licence, §123.9 paragraph by paragraph, the Airbus case commented and ten pitfalls
  • Tools printed in the guide: four templates, including a provisos register and a change check, and a readiness check
  • Sources with section references and their verification date
  • Revisions included for 12 months

Printed tools: T1 · Licence reading sheet · T2 · Scope and provisos register · T3 · Change and retransfer check · T4 · Decision record and review triggers · Readiness check

Contents

  1. Before you start: scope and limits
  2. Why reading the DSP-5 matters
  3. The rule in one page
  4. Conditions and changes
  5. The method in six steps
  6. Templates T1 to T4
  7. Ten pitfalls
  8. Case study: Airbus, 2020
  9. Readiness check

What it does not cover

  • Requesting a reexport or retransfer
  • TAAs and MLAs
  • ITAR exemptions

Assumed knowledge. Knowing that the item is a defense article on the USML, and the basic difference between licences, agreements and exemptions.

Sample pages

Cover
Cover
The rule in one page: five things to read
The rule in one page: five things to read
Conditions and changes: §123.9, amendments, DSP-83
Conditions and changes: §123.9, amendments, DSP-83
Template T2: scope and provisos register
Template T2: scope and provisos register
Case study: Airbus, 2020
Case study: Airbus, 2020

Open an image for the full-size page.

Where it connects

CJ-03

Reading the USML

Reading the USML confirms the item is a defense article; Reading a DSP-5 reads the licence that authorizes it.

EAR-06

EAR License Exceptions

EAR License Exceptions tests an EAR authorization step by step; Reading a DSP-5 does the same for an ITAR licence from the receiving side.

ITAR-02

ITAR Reexports & Retransfers

Reading a DSP-5 shows what the licence allows; ITAR Reexports & Retransfers handles any move beyond it.

SUP-04

Working Under a Supplier’s BIS License

Working Under a Supplier’s BIS License reconstructs an EAR authorization held by someone else; Reading a DSP-5 reads an ITAR licence’s scope, parties and provisos.

ITAR-05

Managing ITAR Provisos

Reading a DSP-5 shows where provisos sit on a licence; Managing ITAR Provisos turns them into actions and evidence.

Part of a collection

Reading a DSP-5 is one of the eight guides of ITAR: Licenses, Agreements & Transfers (Understand the Rules), available together at €390 instead of €89 each.

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