TAA Compliant Countries List: Who Qualifies and Who Does Not

A TAA compliant country is what FAR 25.003 calls a designated country: a WTO Government Procurement Agreement country, a Free Trade Agreement country, a least developed country, or a Caribbean Basin country. Taiwan, Japan, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Israel and the EU member states are on the list. China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Indonesia and the Philippines are not.

That second group trips up network buyers, because a large share of electronics assembly happens in exactly those countries. Below: the countries people ask about most, the notable No countries, and what each answer means for a Cisco order. For the basics, see what TAA compliant means.

What "designated country" means under FAR 25.003

The list is not a GSA policy choice. It comes from the definition of designated country in FAR 25.003, which has four buckets:

• WTO GPA countries (47). Most of Europe, plus Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
• Free Trade Agreement countries (17). Mexico, Australia, Chile, Colombia, Korea, Peru, Singapore, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and others. A few countries appear in both of the first two buckets.
• Least developed countries (47). Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Laos, Nepal, Yemen and others.
• Caribbean Basin countries (21). Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curacao and the rest of the Caribbean Basin Trade Initiative.

A product is a designated country end product when it is wholly made there, or substantially transformed there. FAR 25.003 uses one formula for every bucket: transformed "into a new and different article of commerce with a name, character, or use distinct from that of the article or articles from which it was transformed." There is no domestic-content percentage in the TAA test. A switch built entirely in Japan or Mexico qualifies the same way one built in Ohio does.

TAA compliant countries list: the 24 countries buyers ask about

This table follows the GSA designated-country lookup table, cross-checked against FAR 25.003.

Countries that are NOT TAA designated

The No column is where procurement problems start, because several of the world's largest electronics manufacturers are on it. The notable No rows on the GSA table:

• China, India, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines. The Asian assembly hubs, and the rows that matter most for network hardware.
• Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay, Venezuela.
• Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia.
• Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq.
• Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Mongolia, North Korea, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Cuba, Serbia, Albania.

One nuance for DoD buyers: Turkey is a qualifying country under DFARS 252.225-7021 but still not TAA designated, so a part that passes a DoD buy can fail a civilian agency's TAA clause. See the TAA vs Buy American Act comparison.

Countries people are surprised ARE designated

The least developed and Caribbean Basin buckets put some unexpected names on the Yes side:

• Least developed countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Laos, Nepal, Rwanda, Yemen.
• Caribbean Basin: Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten.

Cambodia and Laos are Yes while their neighbors Vietnam and Thailand are No. The list follows treaty membership, not geography.

Country-by-country: the questions we get most

Is Taiwan TAA compliant?

Yes. Taiwan is a WTO GPA country and appears in FAR 25.003 by name. A product wholly made or substantially transformed in Taiwan is a designated country end product. Taiwan and China are treated completely differently: Taiwan is Yes, China is No. A Taiwan origin on the country-of-origin statement is acceptable under FAR 52.225-5.

Is Vietnam TAA compliant?

No. Vietnam is not in any of the four buckets. A switch or access point assembled in Vietnam does not qualify unless it was substantially transformed somewhere else that is designated. We do not claim where Cisco builds any product. Origin is set per part number, which is why federal buyers ask for the ++ version, such as C9200-24P-A++, plus a country-of-origin statement.

Is Malaysia TAA compliant?

No. Malaysia is not designated. Components alone do not decide TAA status; what matters is where the finished product was substantially transformed. Ask for the origin of the finished part number, not the chips inside it.

Is Thailand TAA compliant?

No. Thailand is not designated. Same rule as Vietnam and Malaysia: if the country-of-origin statement says the finished product was transformed in Thailand, that line does not satisfy FAR 52.225-5. Ask whether a TAA compliant version exists under a different part number.

Is Mexico TAA compliant?

Yes. Mexico is an FTA country under USMCA, with its own threshold row in FAR 25.402. It is also an on-the-record example of substantial transformation. U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a final determination on January 30, 2018 (HQ H282390). It found that a Cisco Ethernet switch with a Chinese-made main board became a product of Mexico for procurement purposes after final assembly, software loading, configuration and testing there.

Is India TAA compliant?

No. India is not designated. Cisco has publicly announced manufacturing in India, but that tells you nothing about the TAA status of any specific part number. Country of origin is assigned per PID. Do not infer status from a headline; get the country-of-origin statement for the exact PID.

Is China TAA compliant?

No. China is not designated. That does not automatically disqualify a product with Chinese components; the CBP ruling above shows a Chinese-made board becoming a Mexican product through substantial transformation. Two separate rules apply to Chinese-origin gear: TAA (country of origin, with a dollar threshold) and NDAA Section 889 (five named companies, no dollar floor). See TAA vs Section 889.

Is Japan TAA compliant?

Yes. Japan is a WTO GPA country. A product made in Japan is as TAA compliant as one made in the United States, because the TAA test has no domestic-content percentage. A Japan origin on the country-of-origin statement is acceptable under FAR 52.225-5.

Is Israel TAA compliant?

Yes. Israel is a WTO GPA country. It also has its own agreement, the Israeli Trade Act at FAR 25.406, with a separate $50,000 supply threshold in the FAR 25.402 table. That lower threshold matters for acquisitions of Israeli end products; the designated-country answer is simply Yes.

Why the list matters for Cisco orders

TAA compliance is never a brand-level fact. It is per part number, and it can change by production lot. Cisco handles this with the ++ suffix. Cisco's explanation: a limited number of part numbers were replaced with a ++ version so those products could stay available as TAA. The ++ product is identical except for the fulfillment route. C9200-24P-A++ is the same 24-port PoE+ switch as C9200-24P-A, with the paperwork to match. Our line includes C9200-48P-A++, C9200L-24P-4X-A++, CP-8851-K9++=, SFP-10G-LR++= and UCS-SPL-5108-AC2-T, a UCS bundle that is TAA compliant at its own part number. Pricing is on the TAA compliant Cisco hub; what ++ means on a Cisco part number goes deeper.

Not every TAA-eligible Cisco product carries ++. Some qualify at their normal part number, flagged with a blue TAA indicator in Cisco Commerce. If no TAA version exists, Cisco's path is a TAA Certificate request reviewed with your contracting officer.

Watch the spares. Cisco's guidance is to order spares as configured options inside a TAA-eligible system whenever possible. Many spares ordered separately carry a different country of origin that may not be TAA compliant. Optics are the usual failure point. If the order needs a TAA compliant 10G optic, specify SFP-10G-LR++= rather than the base part, and check the optics catalog against your country-of-origin letter. Cisco also says ++ part numbers can take up to 8 to 10 weeks to fulfill.

When does the country list actually apply?

Three cases. First, any order under a GSA Schedule contract is TAA-covered at any dollar value, because the clause sits in the contract, not the order. Second, open-market buys at or above the WTO GPA supply threshold, currently $174,000 under FAR 25.402, effective March 13, 2026 and revised roughly every two years. Third, any solicitation or agency policy that imposes TAA on its own terms. Below $174,000 on the open market, FAR 25.403(c)(1) says the TAA purchase restriction does not apply and the Buy American framework governs. Section 889 has no dollar floor.

One caution on sources. The GSA lookup table is stamped March 21, 2025; the FAR 25.003 page was last updated July 28, 2026. FAR 25.003 is the regulation and the GSA table is a convenience view of it. They agree on every country above today, but if they ever differ, FAR wins. Check both before signing a FAR 52.225-6 certificate.

The country list tells you which origins qualify, not the origin of the box in front of you. For that you need the manufacturer's country-of-origin statement for the exact part number, covered in how to verify TAA compliance. Refurbished units are a separate question: see is refurbished Cisco TAA compliant.