SNAP-R Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

 

General

SNAP-R Account Administrator

Users/Accounts

Application

Business

 
 

General

Why should I set-up the security questions/answers feature in SNAP-R?

In order to retrieve your Login ID or CIN and reset your password as a self-service, you must successfully set-up the security questions/answers by choosing four questions and four answers and knowing your SNAP-R e-mail address. The answers can be any text you like but each answer must be unique. You may chose not to use this feature at this time by clicking CANCEL at the bottom of the security questions/answers page but at each future log-in, you will be redirected to the security page until you have selected questions and provided answer. Setting up security questions/answers is to your benefit because doing so will help avoid the time and effort lost by contacting the SNAP-R Help Desk.

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What do I need for access to SNAP-R?

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What are the minimum system requirements to access SNAP-R?

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How do I obtain a Company Identification Number (CIN)?

Go to the On-line Registration Page for instructions on how to obtain a CIN.

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How do I activate a user account or add a new one?

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Is SNAP-R secure?

To provide for secure data transmission, https is the only supported protocol (you cannot log in via http).

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What happened to PINs and the term “PIN holders”?

PINs are no longer required in setting up user accounts so the term “PIN holders” is no longer used.  User accounts are now referred to as “Users.”

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What happened to the Company (First Party) and Third Party Certification Letters?

Due to the implementation of the on-line registration system, certification letters are no longer required and companies no longer need to claim a status (i.e., first party vs. third party) during the registration process [all new registrants are considered to be First Party]. 

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What is a “First Party”?

A First Party is an exporter and/or a company that submits applications, a classification requests, and/or a notification to BIS for their company's use.

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What is a “Third Party”?

A Third Party is an exporter and/or a company that submit applications, a classification requests, and/or a notifications to BIS on behalf of another company's use.

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How are “Third Party” submissions handled now that all new companies registering on-line are considered “First Party”?

The necessary information is collected during the Work Item submission process. An indicator within SNAP-R allows every company to submit Work Items as either a First or Third Party.

The system will default the Work Item Party Indicator on new submissions as follows:

Remember, no matter what the default Work Item party indicator is, you always have the option to change it during the work Item submission process.

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I see the term “Work Item” being used often in the SNAP-R documentation and in the application itself. What is a Work Item?

A Work Item is one of the four types of submissions that can be made through SNAP-R: applications for export, reexport or transfer (in-country) licenses, requests for commodity classifications, License Exception AGR notices, and License Exception STA eligibility requests.

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I notice you ask for a valid email address as part of my User Profile. How do you use this information?

SNAP-R will use your email address to notify you of any messages sent to you by BIS concerning Work Items you have submitted. These include acknowledgments of the receipt of your Work Item submissions, requests for additional information, and validation and license approval notices. The texts of these messages are not included in the emails, you must log into SNAP-R to view them.

Additionally, your email address is utilized to notify you when if your SNAP-R Account Administrator resets your password or the email address on file for your account has changed (one notification goes to the old address and one to the new address verifying the change was requested). Your email address is also used to help validate your account with the new password reset module

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Is the messaging system secure?

All communications between your browser and SNAP-R are encrypted, as are all communications between BIS employees and SNAP-R. Your browser should indicate it is communicating using the secure HTTP protocol (“https”). In Internet Explorer 8.0, this is indicated by an icon of a closed padlock on your web browser’s status bar at the bottom right of the browser window. For other browsers, see the help documentation to determine how it indicates secure communication is taking place.

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How do I contact the SNAP-R Help Desk?

BIS maintains multiple help desks to assist you with SNAP-R questions and technical difficulties, available Monday-Friday during regular business hours. If you have questions about applying for a CIN and/or user accounts, please review the information specific to these issues included in these FAQs. For software-related technical performance questions (e.g., browser incompatibility, difficulty loading attachments), you may contact the SNAP-R Help Desk via e-mail at snapr@bis.doc.gov. For CIN and login ID questions, please call BIS’s Outreach and Educational Services Division at (202) 482-4811 for assistance. For general assistance with SNAP-R, please 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 e-mail ECODOEXS@bis.doc.gov

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SNAP-R Account Administrator

What is a SNAP-R Account Administrator?

A SNAP-R Account Administrator has the authority to do the following:

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Can a SNAP-R Account Administrator reassign work-items?

No. The SNAP-R Account Administrator does not have access or authority over work-items.

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Is there a limit to the number of SNAP-R Account Administrators?

No. There is no limit to the number of account administrators within a company. BIS encourages the designation of multiple account administrators.

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Why is SNAP-R saying I need someone from my company to accept the role of “SNAP-R Account Administrator”?

Pursuant to Section 748 of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), each company with a SNAP-R account must give at least one individual user the duty and responsibility of keeping accounts current for the company. The individual with this responsibility is the account administrator. The designation of at least one individual as the SNAP-R account administrator by each company with a SNAP-R account companies to have control over who is allowed to make changes to their account information.

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What can I do if I or anyone else from my company doesn’t want to accept the role of “SNAP-R Account Administrator”?

In order to use SNAP-R, a company must designate at least one account administrator.

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Someone claimed the administrator role without proper authority. What should I do?

If possible, have the individual who claimed the role without authority update a current user to be an administrator and then the new administrator can remove the administrator functions from the user who initially claimed the role, or contact the SNAP-R Help Desk for assistance via e-mail at snapr@bis.doc.gov.

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Our only company administrator left. What should I do?

Contact the SNAP-R Help Desk via e-mail at snapr@bis.doc.gov and they will re-enable the “Claim Administrator” function. Once the Help Desk has re-enabled the function, another user within your company will need to log into SNAP-R and claim the role of administrator.

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Users/Accounts

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I forgot my Login ID or password. How do I regain access to my SNAP-R account?

There are several options available to reset your Login ID and password. If you have forgotten your Login ID but remember your password and CIN and have set up security questions, click on Forgot Login ID/Password/CIN (Applicant ID)? at the bottom of the SNAP-R home screen. On the “forgotten information” landing page, click on the find login ID link and, on the next screen, enter your e-mail address and CIN and click Submit. The next page to open will be the security questions page. Once you answer all four security questions correctly and click Submit, you will be sent your login ID. If you have forgotten your login ID and do not remember your password and CIN, see your SNAP-R Account Administrator, send an email to snapr@bis.doc.gov.

If you have forgotten your password but remember your login ID and your CIN, you can reset it if by answering the security questions set up while registering for your SNAP-R account (or as part of the 2017 SNAP-R upgrades). Click on Forgot Login ID/Password/CIN (Applicant ID)? in the “Login to SNAP-R” form. On the “forgotten information” landing page, click on the Reset Password link and, on the next screen, enter your login ID and CIN and click Submit. The next page to open will be the security questions page. Once you answer all four security questions correctly and click on Submit, you will be sent directed to a screen that will allow you to reset your password. Keeping the standard requirements for passwords in mind, enter your new password twice and click Reset Password. A message verifying your password has been successfully reset will appear. Click login to SNAP-R to access the SNAP-R system. If you have forgotten your password and do not remember your login ID and CIN, see your SNAP-R Account Administrator, send an email to snapr@bis.doc.gov.

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What do I do if I forgot my CIN?

If you have forgotten your CIN but remember your password and login ID and have set up security questions, click on Forgot Login ID/Password/CIN (Applicant ID)? at the bottom of the SNAP-R home screen. On the “forgotten information” landing page, click on the Find CIN link. On the next screen, enter your e-mail address and login ID, and then click Submit. The next page to open will be the security questions page. Answer all four of your security questions and click Submit. If you are able to answer all four security questions correctly, you will be sent your CIN.

If you have forgotten your CIN and do not remember your password or login ID, see your SNAP-R Account Administrator, send an email to snapr@bis.doc.gov.

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I know the EAR forbids the sharing of SNAP-R account information. I am going on vacation, and there are a few Work Items I have created that have not been submitted to BIS. Is there a way for me to grant other SNAP-R users within my company permission to edit and/or submit these Work Items to BIS?

Yes. From the Work Item overview page for the Work Item in question, click on the ‘Manage User Rights’ link. From this link you can assign permissions for any Work Item under your control to any other SNAP-R users within your company, regardless of whether or not Work Item has been submitted. More information is available from the ‘SNAP-R Manual for Exporters’, which is available from the SNAP-R home page (the page displayed after you first log into the system). A direct link to the relevant section of that document is provided on the ‘Manage User Rights’ page.

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An employee who was an active SNAP-R user has suddenly left the company. The EAR requires exporters to inform BIS in the event of the termination of a SNAP-R user so the user account can be disabled. However, we need to be able to access all draft and submitted Work Items created by that user. How will SNAP-R address this issue?

You can contact the SNAP-R Help Desk via e-mail at snapr@bis.doc.gov. They will be able to assist in the reassignment of ownership of the affected Work Items to any other SNAP-R user within your company, allowing these Work Items to be viewed, edited, and submitted by that user. This situation can be avoided by having a company policy of giving at least two people full access rights to each Work Item.

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My company has moved to another location within the same state and I need to update my SNAP-R account. What do I need to do?

Your account administrator can update your account with the company’s new address within the SNAP-R Administration module. See Sections 748.6(f) and 750.7(c) of the EAR for additional information.

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My company has moved to another state and I need to update my SNAP-R account. What do I need to do?

BIS no longer requires you to obtain a new CIN after a move within the United States; all you need to do is have the account administrator for your account update the company’s address information via the SNAP-R Administration module. See Sections 748.6(f) and 750.7(c) of the EAR for additional information.

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My company’s name has changed; the first letter of the new name remains the same as the first letter of the old name (e.g., from Intelligent Imaging Systems to International Biometrics Corporation). What do I need to do to update my SNAP-R account?

BIS no longer requires you to obtain a new CIN; all you need to do is have the account administrator for your account update the company’s name via the SNAP-R Administration module. Note: If BIS has issued licenses to your company, you may also need to report the changes to BIS’s licensing staff. See Sections 748.6(f) and 750.7(c) of the EAR for additional information.

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My company’s name has changed; the first letter of the old and new name are different (e.g., from Goldstar Corp., to Star Technology). What do I need to do to update my SNAP-R account?

BIS no longer requires you to obtain a new CIN; all you need to do is have the account administrator for your account update the company’s name via the SNAP-R Administration module. Note: If BIS has issued licenses to your company, you may also need to report the changes to BIS’s licensing staff. See Sections 748.6(f) and 750.7(c) of the EAR for additional information.

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My company’s name has changed; it is a minor change in the name of the company. The first letter of the name and the rest of the name remain the same (e.g., Imex, Inc., to Imex Corp. (or LLC, LLP.) What do I need to do to update my SNAP-R account?

Simply have the account administrator for your account update the company’s name in the SNAP-R Administration module. Note: If BIS has issued licenses to your company, you may also need to report the changes to BIS’s licensing staff. See Sections 748.6(f) and 750.7(c) of the EAR for additional information.

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What information is required if I only need a company identification number (CIN)?

You need to register the company via the on-line registration process. Though you will be assigned the role of account administrator for the company and given instructions on setting up the user account within SNAP-R, you don’t necessarily need to complete that step of the process to obtain a CIN (though BIS advises you to do so in the event the company moves and you need to update the information in the future).

Note: Any company that has submitted an application to BIS will have a BIS assigned CIN on file with BIS. The applicant and/or third party company may verify this information by contacting the Office of Exporter Services 202-482-4811, 949-660-0144 or 408-998-8806.

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I’ve registered but never received an email. What should I do?

Try the following:

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My registration says it has expired. Why and what should I do?

There is an expiration of five (5) working days for each of the following actions when they are done by the SNAP-R Help Desk:

If five (5) working days have passed without verification, the action must be resubmitted (i.e. re-register, reset the password, etc.)

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Application

What kinds of messages can BIS send to me?

BIS sends out three types of messages pertaining to individual Work Items:

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Why does SNAP-R limit number of messages from Exporters to Licensing Officers?

The number of messages Exporters can send to Licensing Officers is limited in order to allow BIS to process license applications efficiently. Therefore, for each request message sent from the Licensing Officer, there is only one reply allowed from the Exporter. The Licensing Officer must initiate the request message. Once a Work Item has been validated, the Exporter will be unable to respond to any outstanding messages sent before validation. However, the Licensing Officer may initiate a new message after the Work Item has been validated and the exporter may reply.

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I understand SNAP-R allows a user to upload documents and attach them to Work Items or message responses. What formats does BIS currently accept?

At the present time, BIS accepts PDF (Portable Document Format) documents. This requirement guarantees BIS employees can view any submitted document because BIS does not have access to the numerous specialized pieces of software used by exporters or manufacturers use to generate their documentation. Using only PDF documents also limits the risk of virus transmission.

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I have submitted an application and later I realized I made a mistake on the application form. Can I correct the mistake?

Yes, but not directly. You can contact BIS's Office of Export Services at 202-482-4811, 949-660-0144 or 408-998-8806 and provide the staff with your CIN and let them know there is an error in your application. The Exporter Services staff will notify the BIS licensing officer assigned to the application (case) and inform him/her of the problem. The licensing officer will subsequently mark your application “Returned without Action” (RWA), which is a rejection of your application without prejudice to future resubmissions of the application. Once the application has been RWA’d, you can then copy it within SNAP-R , correct the error(s), and resubmit it to BIS.

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I have submitted an application and later I realized I forgot to attach supporting documents. Can I provide these to BIS?

Yes, but not directly. You can contact BIS's Office of Export Services at 202-482-4811, 949-660-0144 or 408-998-8806. The Exporter Services staff will notify the BIS licensing officer assigned to the application (case) and inform him/her of the issue. The licensing officer will subsequently send you a message requesting the documentation. You can attach the documentation to your response.

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Can I reuse the information I entered in a previously submitted application to avoid re-entering all of that data? I routinely submit applications containing the same information.

Yes. From the Create Work Item page, click on the button labeled Search to Reuse, and search for the Work Item you want to reuse. In the search result page, click the Reuse link associated to that Work Item. On the ‘Copy and Reuse Work Item's page, choose and enter a new Reference Number (as if you were creating a new Work Item from scratch) and click on the Create button. A new Work Item will be created with the same content as the parent copy. Remember to update the new Work Item with any changes before submitting it to BIS. Please note: documents attached to the original Work Item are not copied and attached to the new Work Item by default.

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Can I reuse a document I submitted previously for other export related applications?

Yes. From the Work Item overview page, click on the ‘View [and Manage] Supporting Document's link and then click on Search Documents for Reuse to search for an existing document. In the search results table, click on the ‘Reuse’ button next to the document you wish to attach to the current Work Item.

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I made changes to a Work Item before leaving my desk for an extended period of time. When I came back and I clicked on a button, my browser returned to the SNAP-R homepage. What happened? Can I recover the changes I made? Were they saved?

No, not if you didn’t save the changes before stepping away Before leaving your computer unattended for any period of time, click the Save Page button to save your work. Saving your Work Item is not the same as submitting it; your Work Item will remain in Draft status and you will still be able to make changes to it.

For security reasons, SNAP-R browser sessions expire automatically (log out) after sixty (60) minutes of inactivity between your browser and the SNAP-R server. For this reason, you should click on Save Page from time to time while you are in the process of creating or editing a Work Item.

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What kind of help is available for SNAP-R, and where can I find help information?

There are several types of help available:

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I have read the help document but I still have questions, or I have encountered an error while using SNAP-R. How can I contact BIS for assistance?

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, call BIS’ Outreach and Educational Services Division at (202) 482-2148 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 (Santa Clara, CA) or email ECODOEXS@bis.doc.gov

If you have encountered an error, please be sure you tell whomever you contact what you were doing before the error message was displayed. This will help us to correct these problems in a time-efficient manner.

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How do I get access rights to Work Items reassigned and/or inactivate user accounts?

  • Your SNAP-R Application Administrator(s) has the ability to inactivate user accounts.
  • You must send a written request on company letterhead signed by an officer of the company, who is authorized to bind the company to the conditions and obligations as set forth on during the SNAP-R registration process.
  • When requesting reassignment of Work Items, provide the CIN, the name of the user to be inactivated and the name of the user to receive the access rights. Access to SNAP-R Work Items is only permissible for those individuals with user accounts associated with the same company identification number. The user who creates the Work Item is the owner of the Work Item and by default is initially granted sole administrative rights to the Work Item. Important Note: SNAP-R users should establish additional user access for every Work Item submitted to BIS by selecting the Manage User Rights link from either the View, Edit or Submit Work Item screens to ensure multiple users for the same CIN have access to each Work Item. Providing this access will minimize access issues when the Work Item originator is not available and another company employee needs to access the Work Item.

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What Identification Number should I provide to BIS when I have a question regarding a prior Work Item submission?

Once you have submitted your Work Item to BIS, you should check your Work Item acknowledgment queue to obtain your BIS status. A Work Item successfully registered into the BIS licensing system will be assigned a seven character Application Control Number (ACN). The format of the ACN is the alpha character Z followed by six numerals. When contacting BIS regarding a registered Work Item submission, please provide the ACN. The application reference number should only be referenced if your Work Item submission is rejected by BIS as denoted in the Work Item acknowledgment.

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I am the parent of a worldwide multinational company. I would like to submit applications on behalf of my subsidiaries. How can I accomplish this through SNAP-R?

Keeping in mind, only companies located in the United States may submit export license Work Items via SNAP-R, there are several options available:

  • Each subsidiary company can obtain a CIN using the on-line registration system.
  • One or more parent company employees can establish user accounts to process Work Items for subsidiary companies. (Note: Parent companies that do not want their subsidiaries to have SNAP-R accounts should note their subsidiaries will not have access to any parent company Work Item submissions.)
  • The parent company can submit Third Party Work Items for its subsidiaries.

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When should I utilize Block 10 (Resubmission ACN)?

This information should be provided only if your original application was Returned Without Action. Do not use Block 10, if your submission was rejected prior to registration by BIS.

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Business

How should a Third Party submitter acquire a First Party’s CIN?

If the first party already assigned by BIS, the third party should obtain the CIN from the First Party (exporter or re-exporter) on whose behalf they are submitting the applications.

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Can a foreign (non-U.S.) company submit an Export License Application?

Foreign parties are not authorized to submit export license applications: only parties located in the United States may submit export license applications. A foreign party subsidiary cannot submit an Export License Application on behalf of their US parent company.

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How should I fill out the address on a Deemed Export License Application?

When submitting a deemed export license application, BIS recommends for every foreign national contained on the license application, the applicant or third party submitter list the U.S. state (e.g., CT, VA) immediately following the city name in either the ultimate consignee and/or end-user information sub-forms of the Work Item. The state should denote the locale the foreign national will be visiting or working in while in the United States. In the same subforms, the country name denoting the foreign country in which the foreign national claims citizenship should listed immediately after the U.S. state (e.g., Anytown, VA, China).

BIS recommends this method because by placing the state code together with the city name, the foreign national address information will display properly on the final license validation.

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I have received an export license with a condition to submit report(s) to BIS, how do I send these in SNAP-R?

If you receive a license with reporting requirements to BIS, you will receive a SNAP-R message at the same time as the license, alerting you of this report requirement. Submit your report(s) to BIS by sending a SNAP-R reply message. As necessary, you can scan and attach PDF documents to your SNAP-R reply. If the requirement is for multiple reports (i.e., every 6 months), BIS will send you a SNAP-R message response acknowledging receipt of the first report. This SNAP-R message should be used to submit your next report when due.

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SNAP-RFAQ.html version 2018.11.12 November 12, 2018