EXIM Bank Express Insurance — Small Business Export Credit Insurance
Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM)
95% nonpayment coverage
Fast export credit insurance
Express Insurance is EXIM Bank's streamlined export credit insurance product built for newer small-business exporters. It protects a company's foreign accounts receivable against nonpayment by international buyers — covering both commercial risks (such as buyer bankruptcy) and political risks (such as war or currency inconvertibility) — so the exporter can safely offer open-account credit terms and use the insured receivables as borrowing collateral. EXIM provides free credit reports on up to ten foreign buyers and issues a fixed-rate policy with no application fee or minimum premium. It is distinct from EXIM's multi-buyer small-business policy: Express is simpler, faster, and aimed at companies with limited export-credit experience.
- Funding type
- Program
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- 95% nonpayment coverage
- Realistic amount
- Coverage scales to the exporter's insured foreign receivables; Express is designed for compa…
- Deadline
- Rolling — apply any time; Express Insurance features a streamlined application for newer exporters.
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- in-kind
Who qualifies
- Meets the SBA small business size definition
- Three-year average export credit sales of $10 million or less (excluding sales to Canada and secure-payment-term sales)
- Has ten or fewer foreign buyers and no more than five years of experience exporting on credit terms
- Exporting U.S. goods or services (per EXIM content requirements)
- Buyers and countries are eligible under EXIM's current Country Limitation Schedule
How to apply
-
1
Confirm Express eligibility
Verify SBA small-business status, three-year average export credit sales of $10M or less, ten or fewer buyers, and five or fewer years of credit-export experience.
~2 hrs
-
2
Submit the streamlined Express application
Apply through EXIM (directly or via an EXIM-registered insurance broker) and list the foreign buyers you want covered; EXIM provides free credit reports on up to ten buyers.
~3 hrs
-
3
Receive the policy quote and pay the deposit
EXIM returns a coverage decision and fixed premium rate. Pay the one-time, refundable $500 advance deposit to issue the policy.
~1 hrs
-
4
Insure shipments and report sales
Ship on open-account credit terms to covered buyers, report insured sales, and pay premium based on the terms of each sale. File a claim if a covered buyer fails to pay.
~2 hrs
Express Insurance does double duty: once your foreign receivables are EXIM-insured, many banks will lend against them, effectively unlocking working capital you couldn't borrow on uninsured export sales. Check the EXIM Country Limitation Schedule before quoting a buyer — coverage availability changes by country (the schedule was last amended February 3, 2026).
Deadline & timing
No cycle. EXIM issues policies on a rolling basis; Express is the fast-track option, after which policyholders typically graduate to a broader EXIM product after about three years.
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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.