Foreign trade zones allow entry of foreign or domestic merchandise without formal customs entry or government excise tax. The trade zones allow this merchandise to be handled and re-shipped without entering U.S. customs.

Merchandise entering a zone may be stored, tested, sampled, relabeled, repackaged, displayed, repaired, manipulated, mixed, cleaned, assembled, manufactured, salvaged, destroyed or processed. Louisiana has foreign trade zones in

• New Orleans
• Lake Charles
• Gramercy
• Shreveport
• Baton Rouge.

For more information visit http://www.ia.ita.doc.gov/ftzpage/info/ftzstart.html