31 CFR § 526.206
Exempt transactions. — Hostages and Wrongful Detention Sanctions Regulations
An exemption is not a licence. Conduct this section exempts falls outside the Hostages and Wrongful Detention Sanctions Regulations' prohibitions altogether, so no OFAC authorization is needed for it. Read the limits with the grant: these sections routinely carve the exemption back, or point at a general licence for the part they do not cover.
Section text
(a) International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The prohibitions contained in this part do not apply to any transactions that are exempt pursuant to section 203(b) of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)).
(b) Official business. The prohibitions contained in § 526.201(a) do not apply to transactions for the conduct of the official business of the United States Government by employees, grantees, or contractors thereof.
Statutory exemptions this section carries
§ 526.206 reaches all four statutory exemptions in IEEPA § 1702(b) — often by adopting them by reference rather than restating them. Those four are:
- Personal CommunicationsIEEPA §1702(b)(1)
- Any postal, telegraphic, telephonic, or other personal communication that does not involve a transfer of anything of value.
- Donations of Humanitarian ArticlesIEEPA §1702(b)(2)
- Donations, by persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction, of articles such as food, clothing, and medicine intended to relieve human suffering.
- Informational Materials (Berman Amendment)IEEPA §1702(b)(3) / TWEA §5(b)(4)
- The import or export of information and informational materials — publications, films, posters, phonograph records, photographs, microfilm/microfiche, tapes, CDs, CD-ROMs, artworks, and news wire feeds — whether commercial or otherwise, regardless of format or medium of transmission.
- Travel-Related TransactionsIEEPA §1702(b)(4)
- Transactions ordinarily incident to travel to or from any country — importation of accompanied baggage for personal use, maintenance within a country (living expenses and acquisition of goods/services for personal use), and the arrangement or facilitation of such travel.