The notice states that Open General Export Licences (OGELs) and General Export Authorisations (GEAs) should be included in export declarations on the Customs Declaration Service. 

OGEL and GEA licence numbers are confirmed in documentation issued by the ECJU, in the format GBOGE20XX/XXXXX, or can be retrieved from the exporter’s account in the ECJU SPIRE database. These are the licence numbers that should be declared in Data Element 2/3 of the CDS.

Important Note: The Export Control Joint Unit issues licences on behalf of the Department of Business and Trade. At the same time, HMRC are responsible for enforcing regulations supporting the accurate recording of export licence details on the Customs Declarations made on the CDS.

Some OGELs do not need to register on SPIRE and therefore do not have a licence registration number to be recorded on the Customs Declaration. The following licences will be amended to include the appropriate text to be added to the Customs Declaration, ensuring that export regulatory obligations are met.

• Open general export licence (export after exhibition: dual-use items)
• Open general export licence (export after exhibition or demonstration: military goods)
• Open general export licence (historic military vehicles and artillery pieces)

These licences will be updated and published in due course.

Using Third Parties to Make Declarations

The notice also confirms the importance of an exporter issuing proper written instructions to a third party making a Customs Declaration on their behalf. 

Such instructions to an agent should clearly include the export licence number to be declared in Data Element 2/3. 

It is a regulatory requirement that a licence supporting the export of controlled goods be declared at the border. Inaccurate declarations can be subject to penalties. 

The regulation can be found below:

Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) Article 167.

Record Keeping

Exporters are reminded that documentary records must be kept for ECJU audit purposes and that a copy of the export declaration evidencing that the licence has been declared should be checked for accuracy and filed.

The notice also reminds exporters that amendments can be made to declarations before goods are cleared, and that a C1700 can be used to amend a declaration if goods have already been cleared. Still, regulatory data has been missed from the declaration.

Exporters are recommended to register for "Get Customs data for import and export declarations" - GOV.UK report, which confirms Customs Declaration data made on CDS against the exporter’s EORI

ECJU Contact Details

General queries about strategic export licensing:

Export Control Joint Unit
Department for Business and Trade
Old Admiralty Building
Admiralty Place
London
SW1A 2DY

Email exportcontrol.help@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Telephone 020 7215 4594

Exporters can register for Notices to Exporters and retrieve archived NTEs at the link below:

Notices to exporters - GOV.UK