Introduction

Overview

The purpose of the Redesigned Simplified Network Application Process (SNAP-R) is to enable exporters to submit Export License applications, Re-export applications, License Exception Agricultural Commodities (AGR) notices, and associated supporting documents to the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) via the Internet. SNAP-R enables exporters to provide submissions directly to BIS via an Internet connection and a web browser. This manual provides information specific for accessing and using SNAP-R.

SNAP-R Help Desk

For additional information not covered in this manual, BIS maintains multiple help desks to assist you with SNAP-R questions and technical difficulties, available Monday-Friday, during reqular business hours. If you have questions about applying for a CIN and/or user accounts, please review our SNAP-R Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page. For software-related technical performance questions (browser incompatibility, difficulty loading attachments), you may contact the BIS SNAP-R Help Desk by email at snapr@bis.doc.gov . For CIN or login ID questions or to verify or reassign an account, call BIS`s Outreach and Educational Services Division at (202) 482-4811 for assistance. For general assistance with completing a license application or a commodity classification request in SNAP-R, call BIS's export counselling desks at (202) 482-4811(Washington, DC), (949) 660-0144 (Irvine, CA) or (408) 998-8806 (San Jose, CA) or email to: ECDOEXS@bis.doc.gov.

Application Requirements

SNAP-R is accessible through a number of different browsers, including Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer 8.0 or higher via the internet. To provide for secure data transmission, https is the only supported protocol (you cannot log in via http).

The minimum requirements for accessing SNAP-R are:

• A PDF Reader, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, if you want to read previously uploaded supporting documents online.
• A browser equivalent to Microsoft Internet Explorer version 8.0 or later with Active X, session cookies, and PDF file download enabled for SNAP-R.
  • The default Internet Explorer installation configuration settings are sufficient to run SNAP-R.
• Adobe Acrobat Writer or another utility capable of creating PDF files if you want to upload supporting documents.

For optimal experience, your screen resolution should be 1024 x 768 or higher.

To ensure Active X is enabled in Internet Explorer:

Note: Some settings are managed by your local System Administrator and may not be altered. Contact your local System Administrator if you have difficulties with enabling Active X in Internet Explorer. Mozilla Firefox and Chrome do not require Active X.

1. Choose the Tools --> Internet Options... (drop down, main menu).
2. Click the Security tab, highlight <your security zone>, then click Custom Level.
3. Scroll down to the Scripting header, choose Enable under the Active X option.

To ensure session cookies are enabled:

1. When using Internet Explorer 8.0.
2. Choose the Tools --> Internet Options... (drop down, main menu).
3. Click the Privacy tab, select Medium high, click Apply, then OK.
4. Mozilla Firefox and Chrome are similar to Internet Explorer.

or

1. When using Internet Explorer 8.0.
2. Choose the Tools --> Internet Options... (drop down, main menu).
3. Click the Privacy tab, click Sites.
4. Enter https://snapr.bis.doc.gov then click Allow, then click OK.
5. Mozilla Firefox and Chrome are similar to Internet Explorer.

To ensure PDF file downloads are enabled:

1. Choose the Tools --> Internet Options... (drop down, main menu).
2. Click the Security tab, highlight <your security zone>, then click Custom Level...
3. Scroll down to the Downloads header, choose Enable under the File Download option.

Note: the steps above will affect the behavior of all sites in the security zone you modified. Alternatively, you can add https://snapr.bis.doc.gov as a trusted site. To do so:

1. Choose the Tools --> Internet Options... (drop down, main menu).
2. Choose the Security tab, click Trusted Sites then click the Sites... button
3. In Add This Web Site to the Zone, enter https://snapr.bis.doc.gov then click Add, then click OK, then click Add, then click OK.

SNAP-R Cookies and Privacy

For a better user experience, SNAP-R stores a small text file, known as a "cookie", in the user's browser for the duration of the user's session, i.e. from the time a user logs in until there has been no activity for 20 minutes, or the user logs out of SNAP-R. Used in many popular web applications, the cookie helps SNAP-R identify a user who has already logged in, so the user does not have to enter his/her login ID and password for every request.

The use of these cookies does not pose a risk to the user's privacy, which BIS takes very seriously. For example,

• SNAP-R cookies do not contain any personal information, such as login ID or password.
• SNAP-R cookies are first party cookies. No information is shared with any third party as a result of using these cookies.
• SNAP-R cookies are session cookies, which are destroyed when the user closes the browser. No one will have access to them afterwards even with access to the user's computer.

Popup Blockers

SNAP-R does not use popup windows. However, for better user experiences, when requested by the user, SNAP-R will open a new browser window to display the contents of a previously uploaded supporting document. While this mechanism works with most popup blockers, some may mistakenly block the new windows. In such cases, please refer to your popup blocker's instructions to determine how to allow SNAP-R document windows.

Understanding the Registration Process

If your company does not already have a SNAP-R account, register for one at: (https://snapr.bis.doc.gov)

Alternatively, this page can be found on the BIS website, www.bis.doc.gov, under the Licensing tab on the top toolbar. Choose the link for SNAP-R Online Registration and Login.

Register for a new SNAP-R account

Click on the underlined text, circled above, to view the SNAP-R Registration page, shown below.

SNAP-R Registration Page

Fill in the requested information, designate an Account Administrator, and click Submit my Registration button at the bottom of the page. The electronic registration form includes contact information for the company (name, address, etc.) as well as for the individual company employee designated as the SNAP-R administrator for the company, and requires acceptance from both the company and the administrator.

SNAP-R Registration Page Example

Note: When you select United States , the drop down selection for States will display. When any other country is selected, the State selection will change to a text box for the Company's local Province. If this field is sot entered, an error message will display the State/Province must be selected from the drop down or manually entered.

SNAP-R Registration Page, Country

If there is a mistake on the form as shown below (The Phone field is left blank!), after clicking on the two acceptance statements and clicking "Submit my Registration", an error page will display, informing you of the mistake.

SNAP-R Registration Page Error

All fields marked with * are required to be filled in. I did not fill in the phone field, an error.

Enter your designated Administrator's phone number. Note: The phone length can be up to 18 characters long with the digits 0 to 9, a space " ", open parenthesis "(", close parenthesis ")", period ".", and hyphens "-" only.

SNAP-R Registration Page Corrected

Read and accept the two user acceptance terms at the bottom of the page and click "Submit my Registration".

The application will verify the address entered in the application. If it cannot verify or find the address, you will be presented with a page informing you so, and asking "Do you still want to continue to register?"

SNAP-R Registration Address Failed

If you are sure you correctly entered the address, Click on the "Continue" link to self verify the address. The next page will accept your address self verification and give you instructions on what happens next

SNAP-R Registration Address Submitted and in Processing

Your application will be marked as "ACCEPTED"in the system and given an ACN number.

Important Note: You will receive and e-mail from BIS to confirm your e-mail address for purposes of registration. Click on the link with the e-mail and respond within five days to activate your registration. If you fail to respond, your account will not be activated and you will not receive a Company Identification Number (CIN).

 

If your application submission was successful, a page will be displayed informing you of the next step in the process.

SNAP-R Registration successful

 

You may receive an email asking for Company verification. Reply to the email verifying the Company information and respond to any specific request.

SNAP-R email requesting Company verification

 

When SNAP-R is satisfied with the Company information you submitted, you will receive an email confirming your email address. Note: You must respond to this email within 5 (five) days. Clink on the link provided in the email to verity your email.

SNAP-R email Registration Confirmation

 

When your registration is successfully activated, your will be issued a Company Identification Number (CIN), also known as the Applicant ID, by email. Click on the link provided in the email to view the SNAP-R Account Activation page.

SNAP-R email for Account Invitation

 

New User Activation Form

The New User Activation Form is used to activate a new user account after the SNAP-R administrator has created the user's SNAP-R account. To use this form, you or your company must have first obtained a CIN (Applicant ID) as displayed above. Use the link in the SNAP-R Account invitation emailed to you or select the "About SNAPP-R" menu item on the DNSP-R login page at https://snapr.bis.doc.gov and click on the "activate your SNAP-R account with your CIN".

Sample: New User Activation Form

CIN

Enter the CIN you received during the SNAP-R registration process. The CIN is a seven digit number beginning with an alphabetic character and followed by six digits.

Note: This field is limited to 7 characters.

Login ID

Create and enter a Login ID. It must be between 4 and 18 characters in length and it must be unique. It should only contain letters, numbers, and/or the underscore symbol "_".

Note: This field is limited to 18 characters.

Password and Password Confirmation

Create and enter a password. You will need to enter it a second time in the Confirm Password box for verification. Please choose a strong password, keep it secure, and change it regularly.

Passwords:

• Must be 12 to 64 characters in length.
• Contain at least one number and one alphabetic character.
• May contain the special characters ! @ # $ % & *.

A strong password:

• Has never been written down.
• Is easy to remember.
• Is known only by the person using the account.
• Is at least 12 characters in length.
• Is not the same password used for other accounts, such as your email account.
• Is not composed of personal information that can be easily guessed, such as your date and place of birth, the names of family members, your own name, your company, etc.
• Contains at least one letter of each case (lower and upper), one number, and one non-alphanumeric symbol.
• Is not composed of one or more unscrambled words from any language, slang, dialect, or jargon.
• Is easy to remember. Try to create passwords easily remembered. One way to do this is create a password based on a song title, affirmation, or other phrase. For example, the phrase might be: "This May Be One Way To Remember" and the password could be: "TmB1w2R!" or "Tmb1W>r~" or some other variation. Note: Do not use either of the two above examples as passwords.

Note: This field is limited to 64 characters.

Controls

Clicking the Activate button will submit the New User form. The system will attempt to authenticate the information you entered, create a new user account, and activate it for your use. If successful, you will be automatically logged into SNAP-R and taken to the User Profile Management page.

Clicking the Back button will return you to the SNAP-R homepage and will not activate your SNAP-R account.

Your User Profile is used by SNAP-R to pre-populate the contact information for all Work Items. After providing information in your User Profile, you will not have to re-enter contact information for Work Item forms (unless you choose to do so). Although none of the information is required, you are strongly encouraged to provide and maintain a complete and accurate User Profile with SNAP-R.

The form below is used to update User Profile information:

User Profile Update Form

Note: The Phone and Fax number boxes with digits 0 to 9, a space " ", open parenthesis "(", close parenthesis ")", period ".", and hyphens "-" only. The maximum number of characters is 18.

CIN

Company Identification Number (CIN). This field is not editable.

First Name

Your first name, as provided to BIS when your SNAP-R account was created. This field is not editable by users; contact BIS if you need to make a change to your name.

Last Name

Your last name, as provided to BIS when your SNAP-R account was created. This field is not editable by users; contact BIS if you need to make a change to your name.

Phone: Digits 0 to 9, a space " ", open parenthesis "(", close parenthesis ")", period ".", and hyphens "-" only.

Enter your business voice phone number, 18 characters maximum.

Fax: Digits 0 to 9, a space " ", open parenthesis "(", close parenthesis ")", period ".", and hyphens "-" only.

Enter your business facsimile phone number, 18 characters maximum.

Email

Enter your business email address in this field. Although this field is not required, SNAP-R will use this email address to notify you when new messages (i.e., acknowledgments, notifications and requests) are sent to you within the SNAP-R system. You may find the convenience of receiving such notifications a bonus. BIS will not use your e-mail address for any other purpose.

Note: This field is limited to 50 characters.

Controls

Click the Modify button to update your user profile with the changes you made in the form. Click the Cancel button to cancel any changes and return to the previous screen.

 

User Security Questions and Answers

A new feature of SNAP-R is the ability for a user who has forgotten their Login ID (Applicant ID), Password, or CIN to "Self-Help" the recovery of the forgotten item. To enable self-help and keep it secure, security questions and answers are used. The User Security Questions and Answers page lets you make an initial choice of four security questions and provide answers or to review four previously selected questions and answers. You may view your current answers by clicking Show Answers.

Note: the four questions and the answers to questions must be unique, but the answers may be anything you can think of. You may answer the question of your favorite shoe brand is "BLUE". Make it something only you can know and remember, it does not have to be a real answer.

Security Questions

 

If you have previously selected four questions, you may select four new questions from the drop-down selection box and enter new answers. After any changes, select Back, Submit or, Refresh to go back to the previous page, submit your new security questions and answers, or refresh the screen.

Security Questions create/edit

After successfully submitting your security questions and answers; you can retrieve a forgotten password, login ID, or CIN by clicking the Forgot Password/Login ID/CIN(Application ID)? at the bottom of the Login to SNAP-R page and follow the instructions.

Select the SNAP-R FAQ link on the SNAP-R home page for additional information on SNAP-R (https://snapr.bis.doc.gov).