Washington State Department of Commerce (Export Washington)

Washington Export Voucher Program (STEP) & FTZ Guide (2026–2027)

Max Cap: $10,000 across up to 3 vouchers Match Rate: 75%

Baseline Eligibility Floor: In business 1+ year; Washington headquarters or substantial export production in Washington State; SBA small business size standard; and ≥ 51% U.S. content across manufactured goods, connected hardware, SaaS, or U.S.-billed engineering services.

Calculate My Washington STEP Grant & Cash Float → Start My Custom WA 6-Step Export Plan → Official Export Washington Portal ↗ WA SBDC Free NDA Advising ↗

2026–2027 Reimbursable Caps & Sub-Limits

Up to $10,000 fiscal-year ceiling at 75% reimbursement split across up to 3 pre-approved Export Vouchers.
Airfare strictly capped at lowest Basic Economy / Coach fare on U.S.-flag carriers (Fly America Act).
U.S. Commercial Service Gold Key ($3,250), International Partner Search ($2,500 / $3,300), overseas trade show booths, and website/SaaS localization eligible with advance sign-off.

Washington Audit Traps (Read Before Spending)

Mandatory Written Pre-Approval: Paying booth deposits, airfare, or Trade.gov invoices before your Export Voucher is signed automatically disqualifies the receipt.
Basic Economy Airfare Ceiling: Seat upgrades, Economy Plus, and foreign-carrier codeshares violating Fly America are stripped out of reimbursement.
Tier 4 Reporting Footprint: Requires active SAM.gov UEI, 51% U.S. content attestation, and post-activity export sales follow-up surveys.

SAM.gov Anti-Spam Privacy Tip (WA): When registering or renewing your SAM.gov Unique Entity ID (UEI) for WA STEP eligibility, uncheck "Allow Public Display" in the SAM Entity Core Data screen so overseas list-brokers and unsolicited grant spammers cannot scrape your executive phone and address. Prefer confidential 1-on-1 prep first? Washington SBDC International Trade advisors are bound by federal statutory non-disclosure under 15 U.S.C. § 648(a).

Industry Eligibility & Duty-Deferral Gateways

How Washington Industries Stack Export Vouchers & Foreign-Trade Zones

Washington's trade mix spans Puget Sound maritime/subsea engineering, aerospace, Central WA precision agriculture & food processing, and Greater Seattle enterprise software.

Eligible Expenses Across Hardware, Maritime, AgTech, SaaS & Engineering

Maritime, Subsea & Aerospace Manufacturers: Subsidizes USA Pavilion pods (SMM Hamburg, Nor-Shipping, Farnborough), ATA Carnet demo gear logistics, and DNV/ABS/MED Wheelmark or CE compliance testing.
AgTech & Food/Seafood Producers: AgTech robotics, soil sensors, and crop-input makers use WA STEP for CE RED / ANATEL RF testing and Agritechnica booths, while physical food, wine, seafood, and wood exporters stack WUSATA FundMatch (50% up to $300k/yr) on separate non-overlapping invoices.
B2B SaaS & Naval/Civil Engineering (≥ 51% U.S. Labor): Reimburses Gold Key embassy matchmaking, software UI/checkout localization, and international IP protection without requiring physical freight shipments.

Washington Foreign-Trade Zones (Duty Deferral & Inverted Tariff Relief)

Manufacturers and distributors importing dutiable components into Washington to assemble, test, outfit vessels, or re-export can defer customs duties—or eliminate them completely upon re-export—inside 4 major FTZ gateways:

FTZ #5 — Port of Seattle Puget Sound Maritime & Air Cargo

FTZ #86 — Port of Tacoma Northwest Seaport Alliance Industrial

FTZ #128 — Whatcom County / Lummi Nation Tribal FTZ U.S.–Canada Border & Tribal Manufacturing

FTZ #203 — Port of Moses Lake Central WA Aerospace & Ag Processing

Washington Export Grant & FTZ FAQs

What is the maximum Washington Export Voucher (STEP) grant for 2026–2027?

Administered by the Washington State Department of Commerce (Export Washington), the Washington Export Voucher Program reimburses 75% of pre-approved international business development expenses up to $10,000 per fiscal year, split across up to 3 pre-approved Export Vouchers.

What is Washington's Basic Economy airfare rule on STEP export travel?

Washington strictly caps travel airfare reimbursement at the lowest Basic Economy / Coach fare on U.S.-flag carriers compliant with the federal Fly America Act. Business class, Economy Plus seat upgrades, and non-compliant foreign-carrier codeshares are stripped out during claim audit.

Do Washington maritime, AgTech, software, and naval/engineering firms qualify for Export Washington vouchers?

Yes. Washington businesses operating 1+ year that meet SBA small business size standards and maintain ≥ 51% U.S. content (across physical components, software engineering, or U.S.-billed naval/civil design labor) qualify for USA Pavilion booths, U.S. Commercial Service Gold Key matchmaking ($3,250), website localization, and CE/MED Wheelmark/RF compliance testing.

Can Washington food, wine, seafood, and timber exporters combine WA STEP with WUSATA FundMatch?

Yes, provided there is zero invoice overlap. Physical Washington agricultural, seafood, wine, and forest-product exporters with ≥ 50% U.S. farm/fish/forest content can use WUSATA FundMatch (50% reimbursement from $50,000 to $300,000/yr) on overseas marketing campaigns while applying Washington STEP vouchers to separate, non-duplicated export activities.

Next Steps for Washington Exporters

Run Free Washington Export Calculators

Pre-Filled for Washington (75% Match) Open Washington STEP Grant & Cash-Float Calculator → Enter your booth, Fly America travel, website localization, and $3,250 Gold Key budget to see upfront float vs. net cost. Port of Seattle & Tacoma Privacy CBP 19 CFR § 103.31 Ocean Manifest Confidentiality Letter → Hide your Northwest Seaport Alliance ocean Bills of Lading from public scraper databases for 2 years ($0 fee). Margin & Tax Gross-Up Cross-Border FX, DDP & Withholding Tax Calculator → Cut 2.8% CAD/EUR/JPY wire spreads and calculate SaaS or naval-engineering withholding tax gross-ups. EAR Cat 8 & Buyer Screening Consolidated Screening List & 50% Ownership Check → Screen foreign buyers against BIS/OFAC 50% ownership rules and download a 5-year compliance audit sheet.