Ultimate Consignee

What is the ultimate consignee?

The ultimate consignee is the intended recipient of the imported merchandise sold by the shipper. In many cases the consignee is the same party as the ultimate consignee.

A U.S. business will need to act as the ultimate consignee for a foreign importer.

If you're shipping to Amazon U.S. as a foreign importer (importing without a U.S. entity or presence), Amazon can act as the ultimate consignee. Use the Amazon fulfillment center you have been assigned as the business address.

Example:

Amazon.com.dedc

[My Business, Inc] c/o Amazon

500 McCarty

Lewisberry, PA 17339

Identifying the ultimate consignee is mandatory in the Automated Export System (AES). Four types of ultimate consignees are described in the AES:

• Direct Consumer. A non-government entity that will consume or use the exported good without reselling or redistributing.
• Government Entity. A government owned or government controlled entity.
• Reseller. A non-government entity that acts as a reseller, retailer, wholesaler, distributor, distribution center, or trading company.
• Other/Unknown. An entity that is not a direct consumer, government entity, or reseller. This also applies if the ultimate consignee type is not known at the time of export.

The ultimate consignee differs from the intermediate consignee, who acts as the intermediary agent and recipient for the ultimate consignee.

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Related Glossary Terms

Consignee

Automated Export System (AES)