SBA International Trade Loan (ITL)
Small Business Administration
Up to $5,000,000
Long-term capital for exporters and import-injured firms
SBA's long-term financing tool for small businesses that export U.S. goods or services, or that have been injured by import competition and need to upgrade their operations to compete. The ITL provides a single facility of up to $5M combining long-term fixed assets (real estate, machinery, equipment) with working capital — at terms otherwise unavailable to export-focused SMBs. The SBA guarantees 90% of the loan, enabling longer repayment periods (up to 25 years for real estate, 10 years for equipment) that free up cash flow during the expansion.
- Funding type
- Loan
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- $500 – $5,000,000
- Realistic amount
- Most ITL borrowers receive $500,000–$3,000,000. The program is used for substantial capital projects — new manufacturing…
- Deadline
- Rolling — no application deadlines. Apply any time through an SBA-approved lender.
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- lump sum
Who qualifies
- U.S.-based small business meeting SBA size standards (NAICS-based)
- Must demonstrate the loan will directly enable the business to expand existing export markets, develop new export markets, or (for import-injured path) show the business has been adversely affected by increased imports of like or directly competitive products
- Import-injured path: applicant must demonstrate that import competition has significantly contributed to current or threatened business decline
- In business for at least 12 months in most cases
- Owner(s) of 20%+ must personally guarantee the loan
- No delinquency on any federal debt (taxes, student loans, prior SBA loans)
- Real property used as collateral must be located in the U.S.
- Business must be for-profit; nonprofit organizations are not eligible
Hard requirements
- Requires federal certification:
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Purchase, renovation, or construction of owner-occupied commercial real estate used in export production or import-competitive operations
- Purchase or refurbishment of machinery, equipment, and technology directly tied to export manufacturing or service delivery
- Working capital for export transactions (inventory, receivables financing, pre-shipment costs) — up to $4M of the $5M total
- Leasehold improvements to expand production capacity for export
- Training and technical assistance costs related to export expansion (limited component)
- Costs to meet international product standards (certifications, testing, regulatory compliance for target export markets)
Ineligible expenses
- Real estate speculation or investment properties
- Refinancing existing debt not associated with export or import-competitive operations
- Loans to passive businesses or holding companies
- Exporting to OFAC-sanctioned countries or restricted destinations under EAR/ITAR
- Personal expenses of owners
- Paying down federal tax liabilities
How to apply
-
1
Establish export nexus or document import injury
Prepare a narrative explaining how the loan will enable export expansion (specific markets, buyer relationships, purchase orders) OR document import injury (products imported from abroad, their NAICS/HTS codes, evidence of competitive injury). Export path requires at least a documented plan for export; import-injured path typically requires industry data, import statistics, and demonstrable financial deterioration.
~8 hrs
-
2
Identify an SBA export lender
Not all 7(a) lenders handle ITL transactions — international trade experience is required. Use the SBA's U.S. Export Assistance Centers (trade.gov/us-export-assistance-centers) or your SBA district office for lender referrals. EXIM Bank-experienced lenders are also common ITL originators.
~3 hrs
-
3
Prepare full loan application package
The ITL requires standard 7(a) application materials plus export-specific documentation: export business plan, customer agreements or purchase orders, list of target markets, and for fixed-asset portions — property appraisals and equipment quotes. The lender prepares SBA Form 1920 (credit memorandum); you complete SBA Form 1919 (borrower information).
~20 hrs
-
4
Lender submits to SBA for guarantee authorization
The lender underwrites using 7(a) standards plus ITL-specific export nexus verification. Non-PLP lenders submit to SBA's National Loan Center; PLP lenders can approve in-house. SBA reviews export eligibility and size standards. Timeline: 5–15 business days for non-PLP; 1–5 days for PLP.
~2 hrs
-
5
Close, fund, and deploy capital
Standard commercial closing with lender. Fixed-asset proceeds are typically controlled disbursed (released against construction progress or equipment delivery). Working capital portion functions as a term loan or revolving line depending on lender structure.
~3 hrs
The import-injured path is significantly less used than export expansion and may offer less lender scrutiny on export projections — if your business has been hit by Chinese or other foreign competition, document it with trade data and position the ITL as modernization capital.
Deadline & timing
Like the standard 7(a) and EWCP, the ITL is lender-delivered with no program-level intake windows. Most ITL facilities are custom-structured by lenders with SBA export lending experience — contact your SBA district office or a U.S. Export Assistance Center to be matched with experienced lenders.
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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.