What Is This Document?
This is an Open General Licence (OGL) — a pre-approved, standing permission issued by the UK Secretary of State that allows eligible businesses and individuals to export certain controlled goods, software, and technology without needing to apply for a specific export licence each time. This particular one covers trade between the three AUKUS partner nations: the UK, Australia, and the United States.
It came into force on 8 April 2026, replacing the previous version from October 2025.
What Problem Does It Solve?
Normally, exporting military or dual-use goods (things that have both civilian and military applications) requires a specific government licence for each transaction — a slow and bureaucratic process. Under the AUKUS defence partnership, the three nations agreed to dramatically streamline this, allowing much freer movement of defence-related goods and technology between them. This OGL is the UK’s legal mechanism for doing that.
What Does It Permit?
The licence allows eligible users to:
Export and transfer dual-use items and military goods, software, and technology to, from, and between the UK, Australia, and the US — including items that have already been incorporated into other products (e.g. a component built into a larger system).
Supply goods to Australian, US, or UK armed forces — or to contractors working directly alongside those forces — even when those forces are deployed outside the three home nations, including on naval vessels.
Who Can Use It?
Only members of the Authorised User Community (AUC) — a defined group of organisations and individuals that have been vetted and enrolled through a joint process coordinated with the US State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC). You can’t simply self-certify; the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT) must confirm your membership with the Ministry of Defence before you can register.
US and Australian people operating in the UK but based overseas can also use the licence, but only for intangible technology transfers (i.e. sharing information, data, or software digitally — not shipping physical goods).
Key Conditions You Must Meet
1. Classified material rules — if what you’re exporting carries a security classification (OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE or above), you need prior written MOD approval. The route to that approval depends on the context:
- If it’s tied to a UK Government defence contract, you go through a process called F1686 or get approval from the MOD Contracting Authority.
- If it’s not linked to a UK Government contract, you need a separate approval called an F680, obtained through the government’s SPIRE system.
- For anything classified CONFIDENTIAL or above (or SECRET), you also need a Security Transportation Planfrom MOD’s Defence Equipment & Support team.
- Electronic transmission of classified material must use appropriate encryption.
2. Shipping paperwork — every physical export must include a declaration on the commercial documents stating either the name of this licence or your specific licence reference number (in the format GBOGE 20??/????). This reference must also be entered into the UK customs declarations system.
3. Recipient verification — at the time of export, you must confirm and record that your recipient is also within the Authorised User Community. You can’t use this licence to send goods to anyone outside it.
4. Records — you must keep detailed records of every export, transfer, or trade action made under this licence for at least four years after the end of the year in which it happened. Records must be available for inspection by government auditors.
5. Audits — you must cooperate with audit visits from the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU), including completing a pre-visit questionnaire when asked. Failure to comply can result in your authorisation being suspended or withdrawn.
What Is NOT Permitted?
Despite its broad scope, the licence has a significant list of excluded items — things that cannot be exported under it regardless of destination. These fall into two broad categories:
Certain dual-use items — specifically a small number of entries from the international dual-use control lists (entries 0C003, 1C350.5, and 1C350.26), which relate to particularly sensitive materials.
Specific military items, including:
- Anti-personnel and anti-vehicle landmines
- Man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS — shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles) and their missiles
- Cluster munitions and sub-munitions
- Long-range rockets and missiles (300km+ range) and their components
- Chemical weapons agents — specifically nerve agents (including Sarin, Soman, VX, and Novichok-type compounds), blister agents (mustard gas, Lewisite), and incapacitating agents
- Biological agents modified to cause casualties
- Certain energetic materials (specialist explosives and propellant components, many of which appear on this list because of international treaty obligations)
- The F-22 aircraft and its components
- Long-range UAVs (300km+ range)
- Naval nuclear propulsion systems
The logic here is that even between close allies, some categories of weapon are subject to separate treaty obligations or are simply considered too sensitive to move under a general permission.
What Happens If You Break the Rules?
DBT can suspend or withdraw your authorisation. If that happens, you — and anyone who exported goods on your behalf — could face criminal prosecution. Once a suspension notice is served, you must stop using the licence immediately.
In Short
This licence is a significant practical benefit for UK defence industry companies working with Australian and US partners under the AUKUS programme. It removes the need for individual export licence applications on most controlled goods and technology flowing between the three nations — but only for vetted participants, only for non-excluded items, and subject to meaningful paperwork, record-keeping, and oversight obligations. Think of it as a fast lane that still has rules, not a free pass.
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