Data Element 2/3: Document and Other Reference Codes: Licence Types — Imports and Exports of the Customs Declaration Service (CDS)
Find a list of codes for the types of Government Department licences that can be declared for imports and exports in Data Element 2/3 (Appendix 5C).
Known error workarounds may apply to this area of the instructions.
These Appendices provide details of the types of Government Department licences that can be declared for imports and exports in Data Element (DE) 2/3 of the customs declaration along with the Licence Type Code and Document Code that must be used to declare the licence. A date of validity must always be declared for these document codes.
Updates to this page
Last updated 21 October 2024 + show all updates
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Entries for document code 9005 have been removed as this document code is no longer used for declaring licences.
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Document code L154 has been added to the list of licence types for import.
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Appendix 5C Import and Export updated for document code 9112 to amend licence type.
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Document codes L149, L150, L151, L152and L153 have been added to Appendix 5C Imports. Document codes X844, X845, X847, X848, X849, X850, X851, X854, X855, X856, X857 and X858 have been added to Appendix 5C Exports.
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Code L148 has been added to Appendix 5C — Import. Within Appendix 5C — Export, code X841 has been amended and codes X843, X852 and X853 have been added.
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Document code 9042 has been added.
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Document code L146 has been added to Appendix 5C Imports. Document codes X841 and X842 have been added to Appendix 5C Exports.
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Document code 9063 has been added to Appendix 5C — Import.
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Codes C638 and C639 have been removed from Appendix 5C — Export.
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Document code 9046 has been added. The tariff measures currently covered by document code 9103 span separate controls on the import of ammonium nitrate. The Government Departments which have ownership of these measures have requested that they be separated. The new document code 9046 will cover the HSE Certificate of Exemption and will be removed from document code 9103, which will continue to be used for declaring a Detonation Resistance Test Certificate, once the tariff measures have been updated. In the meantime the HSE Certificate of Exemption can still be declared using document code 9103. As part of the tariff measure amendments, the online tariff will automatically apply a document waiver to qualifying consignments so that they no longer have to declare either 9103 or 9046.
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Document code X802 added. This is applicable only to exports from Northern Ireland to Ukraine.
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Document code X808 has been added.
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Document codes X805, X806 and X807 have been added.
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Appendix 5C Union Document Code X993 added.
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Document code X838 has been added to Appendix 5C — Export.
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Document codes L144 and L838 added for imports. Document codes X824, X832, X837, X840 added for exports.
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Document code L143 added to Appendix 5C — Import. Document codes X817, X819, X823, X830, X831, X834, X835, X836, X990, X992 added to Appendix 5c — Export.
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Terminology changed to reflect the creation of the Department of Business and Trade, formerly known as the Department of International Trade.
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The wrong document for the import licence types was published on 28 February 2023. The correct information about 6 new import licence types has been added to Appendix 5C for Imports: ‘GB Transfer Approval Document issued by the HSE for the importation of explosives’, ‘Firearms and nuclear materials: Explosives: GB Transfer Approval Document issued by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)’, ‘Certificates of origin for steel quotas’, ‘Goods imported from Russia in relation to the execution of obligations arising from contracts, or related ancillary contracts, signed before 23 June 2022 and under the authority of an import licence’, ‘Goods exported out of Russia before 23 June 2022 and imported into the United Kingdom before 10 July 2022 with commercial evidence of date of export from Russia’ and ‘Import licence to exempt goods originating from Belarus or Russia from prohibition, if related to an obligation arising from a contract concluded before 5 July 2022, provided the actions carried out under these contracts are completed by 30 August 2022’.
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The following 12 new import licence types have been added to Appendix 5C for Exports: EU Specific Open Licence, Individual Export Authorisation, Global Export Authorisation, Transit Licence for Dual Use Items and Union General Export Authorisation Numbers EU001 to EU008.
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The following 6 new import licence types have been added to Appendix 5C for Imports: ‘GB Transfer Approval Document issued by the HSE for the importation of explosives’, ‘Firearms and nuclear materials: Explosives: GB Transfer Approval Document issued by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)’, ‘Certificates of origin for steel quotas’, ‘Goods imported from Russia in relation to the execution of obligations arising from contracts, or related ancillary contracts, signed prior to 23 June 2022 and under the authority of an import licence’, ‘Goods exported out of Russia before 23 June 2022 and imported into the United Kingdom before 10 July 2022 with commercial evidence of date of export from Russia’ and ‘Import licence to exempt goods originating from Belarus or Russia from prohibition, if related to an obligation arising from a contract concluded before 05 July 2022, provided the actions carried out under these contracts are completed by 30 August 2022’.
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Licence Types X061 – X068 updated to reflect that these relate to Union General Export Authorisations and can be used by quoting the appropriate authorisation number. See Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2021/821 for coverage. Only applicable to export declarations in Northern Ireland.
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Appendix 5C Exports – Entries for use of licence types EHC and CLA with document code X001 removed (X001 is only used with licence type CAP).
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Codes for Plant Health Certificate and Conformity Certificate (fruit and veg) have been clarified for imports.
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Document type L139 and L142 have been added to 'Sanctions: Individual Import Licence'. Document Type 9031 and X839 have been added to 'Sanctions: Individual Export Licence'.
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Licence type SAN added for Sanctions Individual Import Licence, to be used with document code 9011. Licence type SAN added for DIT Sanction Individual Export Licence.
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This page has been updated for imports in regard to licence types for Plant Health Certificate (phytosanitary), Conformity Certificate (fruit & veg), drugs and drugs precursor chemicals. The page has also been updated for exports in regard to licence types for drugs and drugs precursor chemicals.
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First published.