Guides / Dual-use export licences · Updated 30 September 2026

Exporting dual-use goods from the UK: licences, control lists and checks

If a product, file or piece of software could serve a military as well as a civilian purpose, it may need an export licence before it leaves the UK. Here is how to check, which licence fits and who decides.

This guide is also available in Polish.

What counts as dual-use

GOV.UK describes dual-use items as goods, software and technology that can be used for both civilian and military purposes. That definition catches far more than weapons: industrial equipment, electronics, chemicals, materials and software can all fall within it, depending on their technical specification rather than on how the exporter intends to sell them.

Dual-use items are one of the two main categories of strategic export controls in the UK, alongside military goods. Both are set out in the UK Strategic Export Control Lists, published as the consolidated list of strategic military and dual-use items that require export authorisation. The list combines items controlled under international arrangements with items added to address specific UK defence or security concerns.

Software and technology are covered as well as physical goods. A file, a design or technical data sent abroad can need a licence just as a boxed product does.

Who runs the system: the Export Control Joint Unit

The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU), part of the Department for Business and Trade, administers UK strategic export licensing. It assesses applications, publishes open licences and offers help to exporters who are unsure whether their goods are controlled. Customs clearance is a separate step: a licence is a permission from ECJU, while the export declaration is what you (or your agent) lodge in CDS.

GOV.UK is explicit that it is the exporter's responsibility to check whether items require an export licence, and that applications should be made well in advance to avoid delays or problems at customs.

Checking your goods

Classification is the first job. GOV.UK points exporters to three routes:

• Read the consolidated list of strategic military and dual-use items and compare it with the technical specification of your product.
• Use the item control checker (the OGEL and goods checker) to find an item's control rating and see whether any open general export licence could cover it.
• Ask ECJU through SPIRE for a control list classification, or use its end-user advice service if you are concerned about the recipient.

Work from the actual technical data: performance parameters, materials, encryption functionality and similar. Marketing descriptions are rarely enough to decide whether an entry on the list applies. Keep a record of how you reached your classification, because you may need to show it later.

Goods that are not on the list

Being absent from the control lists is not always the end of the matter. GOV.UK explains that end-use (catch-all) controls can require a licence for unlisted items where they are intended, or may be intended, for military purposes or for weapons of mass destruction. If you know or suspect a problematic end use, stop and seek ECJU advice before shipping.

Licence types

According to GOV.UK, SPIRE is ECJU's online export licensing system, used among other things for OGEL registrations, OIELs and SIELs. Before registering for an OGEL, read its conditions in full: each one limits the items, destinations and uses it covers, and some destinations are excluded. If your goods or destination fall outside those terms, you need an individual licence instead.

For UK exporters sending goods to Poland or elsewhere in the EU, it helps to see how this plays out in practice, and the Easy Clearance article on what dual-use licensing means for UK exporters covers that angle.

How the licence fits into the export declaration

A licence does not replace customs formalities. The goods still need an export declaration, and the licence details must be referenced on it so the controlled goods can be matched to their authorisation. If you use an agent, give them the control rating and licence reference in advance; under direct representation you, as the exporter, remain the person responsible for what is declared. The customs procedure codes guide explains how the procedure on a declaration is identified.

Consequences of getting it wrong

Beyond the criminal penalties, practical consequences include goods held at the border, lost contracts and the loss of the ability to use open licences. Holders of open licences can expect compliance checks, so accurate, well-organised records of classifications, licence use and shipments matter as much as the licence itself.

A practical sequence

1. Collect the technical specification of every item, including software and technical data.
2. Check it against the consolidated list, or with the item control checker.
3. Consider end use and end user, including catch-all controls.
4. If controlled, find a suitable OGEL and register, or apply for a SIEL or OIEL well before shipment.
5. Pass the control rating and licence reference to whoever lodges your export declaration.
6. Keep records of the classification, licence and each shipment, and review them whenever a product specification or customer changes.

Not sure whether you need outside help for the declaration itself? See do you need a broker.

Related guides

• ATA carnet vs temporary admission vs duplicate list for equipment

• ATA carnets for trade fairs, samples and professional equipment

• Direct vs indirect customs representation in the UK

Sources

• UK Strategic Export Control Lists (GOV.UK)
• Export controls: dual-use items, software and technology (GOV.UK)
• Applying for export licences using SPIRE (GOV.UK)
• Export Control Joint Unit (GOV.UK)

General information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements on gov.uk or with a registered agent before you ship.