International sanctions and embargoes

Many countries across the world use sanctions for a range of purposes, including complying with UN and other international obligations, supporting foreign policy and national security objectives, as well as maintaining international peace and security, and preventing terrorism. Sanctions measures include trade and financial restrictions, as well as arms embargoes.

It is your responsibility to check whether the item you wish to send is subject to any specific regulatory controls or licence obligations as well as any particular sanctions or embargoes. It is important to understand both the rules relating to the export of goods from the UK (e.g. if a licence or health certificate is required), and the rules relating to the import of goods into the destination country. 

It is imperative that you correctly classify your goods to allow relevant customs authorities to easily identify any controlled products. If you break sanctions rules, we will be obliged to comply with any requests made by customs authorities and cannot be held responsible for any repercussions following your provision of incorrect information for customs purposes. In those circumstances, we reserve the right to deal with your parcels as we consider appropriate and/or as directed by customs authorities, including disposing of them. You may also face investigation by the relevant authorities.

Where can I find out more information?

If you are sending from the United Kingdom, the UK Government’s dedicated sanctions website provides useful information, including links to relevant information. To support UK exporters, the Department for Business and Trade have provided a unique trader support service to help identify any specific rules you must follow to export certain products to specific destinations: Export goods from the UK: step by step