Export Licensing

What you need to know

UK Customs’ technologies are becoming ever more sophisticated – with important implications that exporters need to understand.  UK Tariff Checking is now flagging “3^rd country” exports including: printed circuit boards, medical equipment, generators, electrical goods, and semi-conductor components, as just a few examples.

Businesses may also be risking non-compliance for exports of software and other technologies,  which can also be subject to export licensing procedures.

Export licences are used to prevent goods ending up in the wrong hands when they leave the UK.  Under existing UK and other world export regimes, traders need check that their goods, software, and technologies, do not unwittingly breach export controls when they are shipped or otherwise transferred abroad.

The checking of goods against the consolidated and strategic listings is a mandatory compliance act. These lists are controlled under eight criteria, and also legislative procedures such as the Export Control Act 2002 and the Export Control (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019/20, which amended what compliance officers sometimes refer to the as the ‘Main Order’ or Export Control Order 2008. All these legislative procedures are policed and enforced by HMRC at the highest level of prosecution.

What if my goods appear on a list?

The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) issues advice and licensing through a platform called the Shared Primary Interface Resource for Exports (SPIRE). Should exporters find that their goods are export-controlled, the ECJU can issue a simple-to-register export licence for destinations in the EU, or other non-sanctioned countries.

If goods have good reason to be exported to a “country of concern” that is subject to sanctions, the ECJU will assess the purpose and end use according to eight criteria, provide its response, and only issue a licence if the export complies with government policy.

Attend our online workshop to discover how to become more compliant with export controls legislation, as part of your commitment to being a responsible exporter. Click here to find out more.

You owe it to yourself, your business, and your customers, to carefully manage any exports which could unwittingly breach national security or other UK export controls criteria.