Packing your bags – what are you taking with you?
When you leave the country, everything that you take with you is an export, whether it is equipment, data or other information, or software.
You cannot take abroad ITAR controlled articles or technical data without a State Department license. Note: obtaining a license from the US Department of State travel can take several months. This includes controlled tangible items that are products of fundamental research.
Software is considered technical data. When traveling abroad you cannot have ITAR controlled technical data on your laptop, smartphone, or digital storage device, etc…, without a license.
In most cases, researchers can take EAR-controlled items and software, including laptops, smartphones, or digital storage devices, using EAR license exception TMP (for university owned items) or BAG (for personally owned).
You should plan to travel with "clean" electronic devices, such as your laptop, smart phone, electronic storage media, etc. Please remember that it is violation of U.S. export regulations to take export-controlled technical data (controlled information) out of the U.S. without a U.S. export control license or applicable exemption, even if you do not share it with anyone while you are abroad. There are also certain activities such as providing technical assistance to a Foreign Person that may require government approval.
Traveler's Responsibilities
It is the traveler's responsibility to ensure that his/her electronic devices and presentations do not contain any export-controlled technical data or other export-controlled information. If you need to obtain a “clean laptop”, you may be able to rent a “clean” computer. Please for additional information.