UK general licence authorises de minimis exports to France, Germany & Spain

10 September 2026

The UK has issued open general export licence (OGEL) Agreement on Defence Export Controls: De-Minimis Exports under Article 26 of the Export Control Order 2008. OGELs authorise the export of controlled goods on the consolidated list of strategic and military items that require export authorisation to named destinations. All OGELs are on the UK Licensing page of this site.

The OGEL authorises the export and transfer of military goods, software, and technology to France, Germany, and Spain (the signatory states) if they comply with the ‘de minimis principle’ set out in the Agreement on Defence Export Controls. The Agreement establishes a legal framework between these signatory states and the UK to facilitate the licensing of defence exports within shared industrial programmes.  The ‘de minimis’ provisions apply where the value of UK-origin items being exported is not more than 20% of the total value of the final system into which they will be incorporated.

The OGEL came into force on 9 September 2026. See the Notice to Exporters for more information on registration and declaration requirements for OGEL users.