Guides / Import licences · Updated 30 September 2026

Goods that need an import licence in the UK

Firearms, nuclear material, sanctioned goods, controlled drugs and endangered species all need a licence or permit before they reach the UK border. Here is who issues each one and how to check.

This guide is also available in Polish.

Most goods can be imported into Great Britain with nothing more than a correct customs declaration, the right commodity code and payment of any duty and import VAT. A small group of goods is different: before they can legally cross the border, someone has to hold a licence, permit or certificate issued by a government body. Get this wrong and the declaration is the least of your problems. This guide sets out the categories GOV.UK lists, who issues each document, how to check whether your goods are caught and what happens if you import without one.

One principle runs through all of it. GOV.UK puts it plainly: it is your responsibility to know about import restrictions and controls. A carrier or customs agent can file the CDS declaration for you, but the licence has to exist before the goods move.

Goods controlled by the Department for Business and Trade

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) runs the Import Licensing Branch and a digital "apply for an import licence" service. Its import controls guidance covers the following groups of goods.

Firearms and ammunition

Firearms and ammunition need an import licence. GOV.UK describes several types:

a Specific Individual Import Licence (SIIL), for firearms falling under sections 1, 2 or 5 of the Firearms Act 1968;
an Open Individual Import Licence (OIIL), covering firearms, components and ammunition from countries that are not under sanctions;
a licence for deactivated firearms that meet UK deactivation standards.

An import licence is separate from any domestic firearms authority you may need to possess the item once it is in the country, so check both.

Nuclear materials

Uranium ore and concentrates (tariff heading 26 12) and materials such as plutonium, enriched uranium and reactor fuel (tariff heading 28 44) need a DBT licence. GOV.UK says this process moved from a paper-based Office for Nuclear Regulation system to the digital DBT service in April 2025. A single-shipment licence is valid for 3 months and an open licence for multiple shipments for 1 year.

Torture equipment and anti-personnel mines

These are tightly restricted. GOV.UK states that equipment covered by the torture controls may be licensed for import only for display in a museum, and anti-personnel mines only for purposes such as mine detection, clearance or destruction training.

Goods under trade sanctions

UK trade sanctions can prohibit the import of certain goods from specific countries unless a licence has been granted. GOV.UK currently lists regimes including Russia, Belarus, Syria, Somalia, Libya, Iran (nuclear) and North Korea. Timing matters here: GOV.UK states that a licence cannot be granted if the application is made for goods already at the UK border, or held in storage in the UK before a customs declaration has been made. In other words, you apply before the goods are transported.

Tiered-priced medical products

Some medicines are sold to developing countries at heavily reduced prices under retained Regulation (EU) 2016/793. GOV.UK states that re-importing certain of these tiered-priced products is illegal across the whole of the United Kingdom.

Controlled drugs and precursor chemicals

Controlled drugs and drug precursor chemicals are licensed by the Home Office, not DBT. According to GOV.UK:

you normally need a domestic controlled drugs licence (or be an exempt body, such as a healthcare provider for drugs in schedules 2 to 4) before you can open an account on the National Drugs Control System, which is used for import and export licensing;
import and export licences are single-use, so each individual shipment needs its own licence;
an import licence is valid for 3 months.

Travellers carrying their own medication follow different rules; see our guide on travelling with medicines between the UK and Poland.

Endangered species (CITES)

Animals, plants and their parts or derivatives listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) need a permit to move into or out of Great Britain. This includes movements to and from the EU and Northern Ireland. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) issues the permits and aims to process applications within 30 days, although some need review by scientific advisers at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (plants) or the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (animals).

Two practical points often catch people out. First, a permit from APHA does not guarantee that the other country will issue its own permit, so contact that country's management authority as well. Second, CITES specimens must enter through a designated point of entry and be presented to Border Force with the correct documents. Items such as antiques, instruments and souvenirs can contain CITES material; our guide to importing art and antiques covers that overlap.

Apply early. For sanctioned goods and firearms, GOV.UK says the licence must be applied for before the goods are transported. You cannot sort it out once the lorry is at the port.

How to check whether your goods are caught

Classify the goods. Find the commodity code in the UK Trade Tariff. Controls often attach to specific tariff headings, as with the nuclear headings above. Our tariff lookup guide explains how.
Check the country of origin and dispatch. Sanctions depend on where goods come from, not just what they are.
Read the import controls guidance. The DBT page lists each licensable category and links to the application service.
Check specialist regimes. Controlled drugs (Home Office) and CITES (APHA) have their own systems.
Plan the route. CITES goods need a designated port; tell your carrier in advance.
Give your agent the licence details. The licence reference goes onto the customs declaration, so your agent needs it before filing.

What happens if you import without a licence

The consequences depend on the regime, but they are serious:

Sanctioned goods: GOV.UK states it is a criminal offence to import sanctioned goods without the necessary licence.
CITES specimens: without a valid permit or certificate you could face a prison sentence of up to 7 years, an unlimited fine, or both.
Other licensable goods: goods can be held at the border and enforcement action taken. If goods are detained, see our guide on what to do when goods are seized.

Licences also cannot simply be edited. GOV.UK says amendments cannot be made to an issued licence; if material details or dates change you need a new application.

Licences are only part of the picture

A licence does not replace the normal import formalities. You still need an EORI number, a correct declaration and payment of duty and VAT, and the goods may also be subject to separate regimes such as sanitary and phytosanitary checks. Sanctions also affect who you trade with, not only what you import; for a wider look at screening parties and destinations, the same team explains how UK sanctions and trade embargoes work. If you are unsure whether you need professional help to file, start with do you need a customs broker.

Related guides

Checking sanctions before you trade

Plutos is a UK–Poland customs information site run by the same team as Easy Clearance. Its guide covers sanctions screening, embargo types and how to check parties and goods.

Read the Plutos sanctions guide

Sources

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