Promote:
Export from the Northern Mariana Islands
A short guide for companies selling from the Northern Mariana Islands: the export figures, the agreements and their limits, the main steps and who can help, each with its source.
1. What the Northern Mariana Islands sells, and who buys it
Goods exports
US$3.61 million
Partners reported US$3.6 million of imports from the Northern Mariana Islands in 2025, from 49 reporting countries, each valued by the importer.
Source: Comtrade, partners' imports from Northern Mariana Islands, by partner 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Visitor spendingEstimate
US$225 million
Services exports were US$225 million in 2022, mostly visitor spending, a preliminary BEA estimate; the figure is more than three years old.
Source: BEA, Northern Mariana Islands GDP release, November 2024 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2022
Top goods exports
2025
- 1. Aluminum scrap (HS 7602)US$885,182
- 2. Jewelry (HS 7113)US$746,075
- 3. Copper scrap (HS 7404)US$542,543
- 4. Iron and steel scrap (HS 7204)US$449,054
- 5. Aircraft parts (HS 8807)US$292,634
- 6. Watches (HS 9102)US$147,688
- 7. Paper and paperboard boxes (HS 4819)US$103,862
- 8. Trunks, cases and bags (HS 4202)US$86,005
- Partners reported US$3.6 million for 2025, while BEA estimated goods exports of US$19 million for 2022; the measures differ, and the Commonwealth's own trade tables could not be read. Source (opens in a new tab)
- No prior-year change is shown because 49 countries reported for 2025 and 57 for 2024, a gap of 14.0 percent, above the 10 percent limit. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Scrap metals are 52.0 percent of the total, and each scrap line rests on one or two importing countries, so one report can move the ranking. Source (opens in a new tab)
Source: Comtrade, partners' imports from Northern Mariana Islands, products 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Where the goods go
2025, share of goods exports
- South Korea44.5%
- Hong Kong33.4%
- India11.5%
- Ireland4%
- France0.9%
- Singapore0.8%
- Malaysia0.8%
- Czechia0.7%
- Reported by the buying countries as imports, valued by each importing country (CIF or FOB, as each reports it), not at export. Source (opens in a new tab)
- The United States and Guam are not among the 49 reporting countries, so the largest buyer may be missing; shares are of the summed reporter total. Source (opens in a new tab)
Source: Comtrade, partners' imports from Northern Mariana Islands, by partner 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
- Eight lines are each at least 0.5 percent of the total and US$50,000, so the list is short; no line is added to fill it. Source (opens in a new tab)
2. What to look into next
Our reading
The research marks aluminum scrap, jewelry and copper scrap as lines a small or mid-sized company could be in. If yours is one, check which markets buy that line, not only the Northern Mariana Islands’s top destinations overall.
Source: Comtrade, partners' imports from Northern Mariana Islands, products 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Based on: Top goods exports
South Korea takes 44.5% of the Northern Mariana Islands’s goods exports. If you sell there, its import rules and buyer channels come first; either way, compare at least one other market before you commit.
Source: Comtrade, partners' imports from Northern Mariana Islands, by partner 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Based on: Where the goods go
Promote:Global’s reading of the figures above, not a source’s statement, and not advice.
3. Trade agreements
What each arrangement can mean for a seller, and its limits. A preference is conditional: check the rules of origin before you quote.
Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America, Section 603(c)
Goods the Commonwealth ships into the United States customs territory get the treatment given to goods from Guam.
As of November 1, 2026, Covenant Section 603(c) is the operative text and the tariff schedule's insular possessions note does not name the Commonwealth; confirm duty treatment with CBP.
Source: CNMI Law Revision Commission, Covenant text (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
4. Steps to export
The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.
Exporting from the Northern Mariana Islands
- Commonwealth: Get a business license; a corporation also needs the Registrar certificate, a workers compensation application and zoning registration.Division of Revenue and Taxation, Department of FinanceOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: CNMI Revenue and Taxation, business license requirements (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Commonwealth: A business mainly manufacturing for export can apply in January or February for a yearly excise tax exemption certificate; check the current rule.Division of Customs and Biosecurity, Department of FinanceOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: CNMI customs service regulations, Title 70-10 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Commonwealth: Declare goods to the Division of Customs and Biosecurity, which inspects and clears cargo at the ports of entry.Division of Customs and Biosecurity, Department of FinanceOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: CNMI Public Law 24-36, Customs and Biosecurity, August 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of August 6, 2026
- Federal: Ask the Bureau of Industry and Security whether your item needs an export license and whether its rules cover your shipment.Bureau of Industry and SecurityOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: BIS, About Licensing page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Show 1 more export step
- Federal: For goods entering the United States customs territory, confirm duty treatment and origin rules with CBP; the Covenant treats them like goods from Guam.U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: CNMI Law Revision Commission, Covenant text (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
5. Organizations that help exporters
Start with Customs and Biosecurity. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets
Export development and market information
- Get advice
Small business advisory network
SBDC Network
CNMI Small Business Development Center Network
Advises existing and new small businesses on planning, marketing and export assistance.
Visit SBDC Network (opens in a new tab)Source: CNMI SBDC Network, about page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Get advice
Regional development organization
SPC
The Pacific Community
Regional body
Hosts the Pacific Data Hub, which carries consumer price series for the Commonwealth.
Visit SPC (opens in a new tab)Source: Pacific Data Hub, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Show 1 more organization
- Research markets
Federal statistics agency
BEA
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Published GDP estimates for the Commonwealth through 2022, including exports of goods and services; production is paused.
Visit BEA (opens in a new tab)Source: BEA, Northern Mariana Islands GDP page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Customs and tax
- Meet requirements
Customs and biosecurity division
Customs and Biosecurity
Division of Customs and Biosecurity
Enforces excise taxes, inspects and clears cargo and baggage, and applies quarantine and biosecurity controls at the ports of entry.
- Meet requirements
Tax and licensing division
Revenue and Taxation
Division of Revenue and Taxation
Takes business license applications and sets the documents each type of business must file.
Visit Revenue and Taxation (opens in a new tab)Source: CNMI Revenue and Taxation, business license requirements (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Show 1 more organization
- Meet requirements
Federal customs agency
CBP
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Lists three federal ports of entry in the Commonwealth, at the airports on Rota, Saipan and Tinian.
Visit CBP (opens in a new tab)Source: CBP, ports of entry in the Northern Mariana Islands (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Standards and sector requirements
Federal export control authority
BIS
Bureau of Industry and Security
Runs export licensing and item classification under the Export Administration Regulations; confirm with it that they cover your shipment.
Visit BIS (opens in a new tab)Source: BIS, About Licensing page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Chambers and industry associations
- Get advice
Chamber of commerce
Chamber
Saipan Chamber of Commerce
Runs committees, events and membership meetings for businesses on Saipan.
Visit Chamber (opens in a new tab)Source: Saipan Chamber of Commerce, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
6. Worth knowing
Customs territory
The Commonwealth is outside the customs territory of the United States, and the Covenant treats its imports into that territory like imports from Guam.
What to do: Confirm duty treatment and origin rules with CBP before you price a shipment to the mainland.
Sources: CNMI Law Revision Commission, Covenant text (opens in a new tab); Code of Federal Regulations, 19 CFR 101.1, 2025 edition (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Thin trade data
Partners reported US$3.6 million of imports from the Commonwealth for 2025, and the United States is not among the reporting countries; BEA estimated goods exports at US$19 million for 2022.
What to do: Treat partner data as a floor and ask the Department of Commerce for its own trade tables.
Sources: Comtrade, partners' imports from Northern Mariana Islands, by partner 2025 (opens in a new tab); BEA, Northern Mariana Islands GDP release, November 2024 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Typhoon recovery
The Governor declared Typhoon Condition II on April 12, 2026, and the Saipan Chamber of Commerce is collecting impact data from businesses hit by Super Typhoon Sinlaku.
What to do: Check port, power and flight status with the agencies before you set delivery dates.
Sources: CNMI Governor, Typhoon Sinlaku bulletin 2, April 2026 (opens in a new tab); Saipan Chamber of Commerce, Typhoon Sinlaku resources hub (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Logistics and border performance
The Ports Authority reports that airport revenue fell 30 percent and seaport revenue 12 percent in fiscal 2025, with harbor fees down 9 percent on reduced cargo.
What to do: Confirm sailing and flight schedules before you commit to delivery dates.
Sources: Commonwealth Ports Authority, citizen centric report, fiscal 2025 (opens in a new tab); CBP, ports of entry in the Northern Mariana Islands (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
7. How Promote:Global helps
- Compare potential export marketsSee which markets import what you sell, ranked on public trade data, and read each country before you commit.
- Check duties and document requirementsCheck the duty, the origin conditions for a preferential rate and the documents a shipment needs.
- Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
- Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.
Turn this guide into your Northern Mariana Islands project.
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Promote:Northern Mariana Islands is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.
Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of November 1, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.