Getting Started in the U.S.

On this page you will find resources for investing and starting a business in the U.S.

SelectUSA

SelectUSA is the U.S. Federal Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Promotion Agency and is linked to the U.S. states, cities, counties, and regions FDI Promotion Agencies. Companies requesting information about investing, expanding, or leaving the United States market should contact SelectUSA’s website. The SelectUSA’s website contains the following information:

Summaries and links to federal programs, incentives, resources, and tools relevant to business start-up and operation in the United States.
Background facts and figures on business investment in general, and the role of investment in the U.S. economy.
Schedule of recent and upcoming SelectUSA outreach events.
Links to investment guides.
Individual U.S. state information, such as links to state Economic Development websites.
Additional relevant private and public sector contacts, including links to various industry associations, government agencies, and chambers of commerce.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

The SBA’s website provides information on starting and managing a small to medium size business (SME) in the U.S. Among other important topics to SMEs, the website provides information on legal, taxation, licensing, and funding issues in the U.S.

Information about trade shows in the U.S.:
Export.gov – International Buyer Program
The Better Business Bureau

Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Program Expired on December 31, 2020

The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program expired on December 31, 2020. As a result, imports entering the United States from 122 eligible countries that were previously eligible for duty-free treatment under GSP are now subject to regular, Normal Trade Relations (MFN) rates of duty. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a beneficiary country under this special program and we expect it to retain this status in the future.

GSP authorization has expired on several previous occasions, most recently in 2017 and lasted through April 22, 2018. In the past, when Congress acted to extend the program, duty-free treatment was applied retroactively to GSP-eligible products that were imported during the lapse period, allowing importers to seek refunds of duties paid. However, it is not known whether any future action on GSP will be made retroactive. Discussions between Congress and the executive branch regarding potential GSP renewal are ongoing.

For additional BiH-specific information on the program, including how to determine if a product is eligible for duty-free treatment under GSP, please see the presentation (PPTX 6,485KB). For more general information on the GSP program, please see the guidebook (PDF 432KB).