Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
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Short answer: “TAA compliant countries” are the countries the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) calls designated countries in FAR 25.003. As of the FAR text checked on 2026-10-30, the definition names four groups: WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) countries, Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries, least developed countries and Caribbean Basin countries. In everyday procurement use, a product is called “TAA compliant” when it is a designated country end product (or a U.S.-made end product), and that turns on where the article was made or last substantially transformed, not on where the seller is based.
This page is general regulatory information for procurement and lab staff, not legal or contracting advice. Your contracting officer and the clause text in your solicitation control.
Definition and scope
The Trade Agreements Act (TAA) is implemented in the FAR through Part 25 and the clause at FAR 52.225-5, Trade Agreements (Nov 2023 version). FAR 25.003 defines “designated country” as any country in one of four lists, and “designated country end product” as a WTO GPA country end product, an FTA country end product, a least developed country end product or a Caribbean Basin country end product. The United States is not in that list; FAR 25.003 defines a separate category, the “U.S.-made end product”, as an article mined, produced or manufactured in the United States or substantially transformed there into a new and different article of commerce.
“TAA compliant” is a shorthand used by buyers and sellers. The regulation itself speaks of designated country end products, so the list below is the thing to check, not a vendor’s marketing label.
How the designated-country test works
For each of the four groups, FAR 25.003 uses the same two-part origin test. The article is a designated country end product if it:
- is wholly the growth, product or manufacture of that country; or
- consists in whole or in part of materials from another country but has been substantially transformed in that country into a new and different article of commerce with a name, character or use distinct from that of the articles it was transformed from.
Two consequences follow directly from that wording. First, origin is about the product: the test asks where the end product was made or last substantially transformed. Second, a company headquartered in a listed country does not make its products qualify if the article is transformed elsewhere, and a company headquartered elsewhere can offer a qualifying product if it is made in a listed country. The Caribbean Basin definition adds one extra condition: the article must not be excluded from duty-free treatment for Caribbean countries under 19 U.S.C. 2703(b), and FAR 25.003 lists some excluded articles (for example, prepared or preserved tuna in airtight containers and petroleum products).
The four groups, with counts
The table lists each group exactly as it appears in the FAR 25.003 “designated country” definition (checked 2026-10-30). Counts were computed from the text of those lists; they are counts of names, and several names are territories rather than sovereign states (for example Hong Kong, Aruba, Bonaire and Taiwan, which FAR 25.003 lists under its World Trade Organization name, the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu).
| Group | Names | Countries listed in FAR 25.003 |
|---|---|---|
| WTO GPA country | 47 | Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Kingdom |
| FTA country | 17 | Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Korea (Republic of), Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama, Peru, Singapore |
| Least developed country | 47 | Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia |
| Caribbean Basin country | 21 | Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saba, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago |
The four lists add up to 132 entries but name 127 distinct countries and territories, because five names appear in two groups:
- Aruba: WTO GPA and Caribbean Basin
- Australia: WTO GPA and FTA
- Korea (Republic of): WTO GPA and FTA
- Singapore: WTO GPA and FTA
- Haiti: least developed and Caribbean Basin
Two placements surprise people who work from memory. Canada appears in the WTO GPA list but not in the FTA list, while Mexico appears in the FTA list but not in the WTO GPA list. Either way, both are designated countries.
Which countries are not on the list
A country that appears in none of the four lists is not a designated country under FAR 25.003. The FAR 25.003 designated-country definition (checked 2026-10-30) has no entry for China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Egypt or Turkey. The FAR text does not give reasons for any country’s absence, and this page does not offer one. Absence from the list is a statement about this definition only; it is not a sanctions, export-control or security finding. Those are separate regimes (see embargoed countries and export control and the DOE sensitive country list).
Where it matters for lab and clinic purchasing
The designated-country concept appears in federal supply contracts through the Trade Agreements clause at FAR 52.225-5. For the representations and certifications offerors complete, see our guide to FAR 52.212-3. For a lab or clinic that buys equipment under a federal contract or a federal schedule, the practical question is a factual one: in which country was this exact item made or last substantially transformed, and is that country in one of the four lists?
A checklist that follows from the FAR wording (each line maps to a definition above, not to a purchasing preference):
- Identify the end product you are being offered, since the origin test applies to the article as offered.
- Identify the country where it was wholly produced or where it was last substantially transformed into a new and different article.
- Check that country by name against the four lists, noting which group applies (and whether it is one of the five names in two groups).
- If the country is in the Caribbean Basin group, check the 19 U.S.C. 2703(b) exclusion condition in FAR 25.003.
- Record the FAR version and date you checked, because the lists are part of the regulation and can change.
TAA origin is a different test from the Buy American Act’s domestic content test. See Buy American Act compliance for federally funded medical equipment for that comparison, and GSA Schedule vs open-market purchasing for the purchasing-channel side.
Common misunderstandings
Is “TAA compliant” the same as “Made in USA”?
No. FAR 25.003 defines “U.S.-made end product” and “designated country end product” as separate terms. A designated country end product is one made or substantially transformed in a listed country, not in the United States.
Does the manufacturer’s headquarters decide it?
No. The definition looks at where the article was wholly produced or substantially transformed, not at the company’s address.
Do all components have to come from designated countries?
The FAR text does not require that. It allows an article that includes materials from another country if it has been substantially transformed in a designated country into a new and different article of commerce.
Is the list permanent?
The list reflects the FAR text checked on 2026-10-30, and the clause version is Nov 2023. Check the current FAR when you rely on it.
FAQ
What are TAA designated countries?
They are the countries in FAR 25.003’s definition of “designated country”: WTO GPA countries, FTA countries, least developed countries and Caribbean Basin countries. The full lists are in the table above.
Is China TAA compliant?
China does not appear in any of the four lists in the FAR 25.003 designated-country definition as of 2026-10-30. FAR 25.003 defines U.S.-made end products separately, so the answer for a given item depends on where that item was made or substantially transformed.
Is India a TAA compliant country?
India does not appear in any of the four lists in that definition as of 2026-10-30.
Is Canada or Mexico a TAA compliant country?
Yes, both are named: Canada in the WTO GPA list and Mexico in the FTA list.
Which country groups does a country belong to?
Most names appear in one group. Aruba, Australia, Korea (Republic of), Singapore and Haiti appear in two.
Sources
- FAR 25.003, Definitions (designated country; WTO GPA, FTA, least developed and Caribbean Basin country end products; U.S.-made end product), acquisition.gov, https://www.acquisition.gov/far/25.003, date checked 2026-10-30.
- FAR 52.225-5, Trade Agreements (Nov 2023), acquisition.gov, https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.225-5, date checked 2026-10-30.
