News
HMRC have advised of planned downtime for the New Computerised Transit System (NCTS), scheduled for Tuesday, 10 th March 2026.
The Department for Business and Trade has issued Notice to Exporters 2026/04, published 27th February 2026, confirming communication issues between the two export licencing systems, LITE and SPIRE, with the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) database . Published 27 th February 2026. The communication issue has resulted in export licence information being missing from the CDS.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have published a list of 300 additional Russian-sanctioned targets . The list was published on 24 th February, and the UK Sanctions List has been duly updated.
On February 20 th 2026, the United States Supreme Court found President Donald Trump’s imposed IEEPA tariffs to be unlawful. The Court ruled 6–3 that the President had exceeded his legal authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
The upcoming CDS update, version 5.1.0, is scheduled for release on the 28 th March 2026.
Highlighted in the most recent Notice to Exporters (NTE), why compliance matters. A company director has received a prison sentence after attempting to export controlled military-grade equipment without the required UK licence. The case, published in the UK government’s Notice to Exporters 2026/03 19-02-2026, highlights the seriousness with which UK authorities enforce export controls and Customs.
HMRC have published a further Technical Handbook for Military Mobility to provide comprehensive guidance for visiting military forces and the UK Ministry of Defence on the application of NATO form 302 and the UK Armed Forces Declaration process.
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation has launched a call for evidence seeking the industry’s views on how the UK financial sanctions regulations governing ownership and control are applied in practice by UK businesses.
On Monday, 9 th February 2026, the Department of Business and Trade, Export Control Joint Unit announced a series of webinars to be held between March and May to “address important topics to help you navigate the ‘Apply to export controls goods’ service, also known as LITE, Licensing for International Trade and Enterprise”.
