Exporting products to California (United States) is an excellent opportunity for expanding the commercial horizons of any company. California offers a number of business opportunities, and the export process involves various steps that ensure that shipping goods from Spain is a success.

The United States is one of the main markets for exporting to from Europe. Because of the need to cross the Atlantic Ocean, sea transport by container ship and air transport by cargo plane are necessary, not to mention land transport within Spain to take the goods to the port or airport, and within the state of California to get the products to their destination. What steps do we need to take to get our goods to California?

• Know the demand: It is important to know if our products are going to be in demand in this region of the western U.S. For example, it is a good idea to have one or more buyers at the destination to help us sell and distribute our products.
• Regulations and documentation: Exporting to California involves complying with U.S. customs regulations. That is why it is necessary to consider and be familiar with customs requirements such as the exporter identification number, the tariffs applicable to our products from the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) database, the commercial invoice, the packing list, the certificate of origin or the specific FDA documentation if we export food or medicine.
• Choose the best trade route: We can send our goods by plane or by ship. Transport by plane is faster but more expensive. In addition, if our merchandise is bulky, we will have no choice but to load it on a container ship that crosses the Atlantic Ocean and the Panama Canal in order to reach one of the U.S. ports. Maritime transport is slower than air transport and also more economical.

Trade agreement between California and Spain

Spain, as part of the European Union (EU), has a solid trade relationship with California. Free trade agreements between the EU and the U.S., such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), facilitate trade operations between the two regions. The most exported products are:

• Food and beverages, such as wines, olive oil or Spanish ham
• Chemical products
• Clothing
• Drugs and pharmaceuticals
• Vehicles, with special relevance for those that run on electric power
• Industrial machinery and equipment

If you want to export products from any city in Spain to California transparently, efficiently, safely and in a personalized way, contact Logisber now and our team of professionals will advise you on the entire logistics process.