U.S. BIS removes Cambodia from U.S. arms embargoed country list under Export Administration Regulations
Restrictions related to military and military-intelligence end uses and end users continue to apply.
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce today released a final rule amending the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to reflect that Cambodia is no longer classified as a Country Group D:5 country, which denotes U.S. arms embargoed countries. The change follows the Department of State’s November 2025 final rule amending section 126.1 of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), pursuant to a determination by the Secretary of State to lift the arms embargo on Cambodia.
The White House on October 26, 2025, announced the removal of the arms embargo on Cambodia, and the following day, the Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls indicated it would review ITAR-controlled activity applications for Cambodia on a case-by-case basis. The State Department’s November 2025 rule cited Cambodia’s renewed engagement with the United States on defense cooperation and combating transnational crime as the basis for lifting the embargo.
Consistent with these developments, BIS has deleted the “X” designation for Cambodia in Country Group D:5 to avoid confusion among exporters, reexporters, and transferors. Cambodia remains listed in Country Group D:1, and restrictions related to military and military-intelligence end uses and end users under sections 744.21 and 744.22 of the EAR continue to apply.
The effective date of the final rule is February 3, 2026.