UK Outlines Export Control Regime After No-Deal Exit From EU

Export licenses issued by United Kingdom authorities will no longer be valid for dual-use exports from the European Union if the U.K. leaves the EU with no deal on March 29, the U.K. Department for International Trade said in a guidance document issued March 6. The same goes for licenses issued by other EU member states, which after a no-deal Brexit could no longer be used to export dual use items from the U.K., the guidance said.

“The overall framework of controls for dual-use exports will not change, but there will be changes to some licensing requirements,” the U.K.’s trade agency said. “You will need a new export licence if you are exporting dual-use items from the UK to the EU or the Channel Islands, issued by the UK,” it said. The U.K. has published an Open General Export License for exports of dual-use items to EU countries, which “will remove the need for you to apply for individual licences and can be used immediately after 29 March 2019” following registration with the U.K.’s online licensing system.

For goods exported outside the U.K. and the EU, the exporter would need a new license, either from the U.K. if exporting from there or from an EU membership if the export is from the EU, the guidance said.

Following Brexit, there will be “no changes to controls on the export of military items from the UK other than minor legislative fixes,” the guidance said. “You will need to continue to apply for licences as you do now.”