Notice

NTI 2956: import of equipment that could be used for torture

Published 2 March 2026

This document is for information purposes only and has no force in law. Please note that where legal advice is required, importers should make their own arrangements.

Introduction

Notice to Importers 2956 was issued on 2 March 2026 by the Import Controls Policy and Licensing team, Department for Business and Trade (DBT).

Import of certain equipment and products which could be used for capital punishment, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

This notice explains that certain goods will be subject to a UK import ban or licensing requirement due to their potential use as “torture equipment”. This notice replaces all previous Notices to Importers on this issue.

UK torture equipment import ban

1. The import of goods that could be used for capital punishment, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatments or punishments are banned from being imported into the UK. The list of banned imports is set out in Annex 1.

2. Assimilated Regulation (EU) 2019/125 of 16 July 2019 concerning trade in certain goods which could be used for capital punishment, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (the ‘Assimilated Torture Goods Regulation’), that applies in Great Britain, as amended, has been updated by the Export Control (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2025. This ensures alignment with Regulation (EU) 2019/125 applying in the EU (the ‘EU Torture Goods Regulation’), as amended by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/928. The EU Torture Goods Regulation has direct effect in Northern Ireland under Annex 2 of the Windsor Framework.

Derogations

3. Museums may import the goods listed in the table for public display in a museum in view of their historic significance. An import licence would be needed.

Applying for an import licence

4. Applications for an import licence are handled and issued by DBT through the Apply for an import licence service.

Digital import licences

5. DBT only issues digital import licences. You will need the import licence number to link your import licence to your import entry. You will receive a notification, including the import licence number, when your licence is issued. Digital import licences are also sent directly to HM Revenue and Custom’s Customs Declaration Service.

Contact us

You can contact the Import Licensing Branch via email enquiries.ilb@businessandtrade.gov.uk.

Annex 1: import ban coverage

The tables in this section set out the coverage of the import ban on goods which could be used for capital punishment, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Import ban coverage of goods designed for the execution of human beings

Harmonised Standard (HS) code	Goods description
Ex 442199 Ex 82089000	Gallows and guillotines and blades for guillotines.
Ex 85437090 Ex 94017900 Ex 94018000 Ex 94021000	Electric chairs for the purpose of execution of human beings.
Ex 94062000 Ex 9406938 Ex 94069090	Airtight vaults, made of e.g. steel and glass, designed for the purpose of execution of human beings by the administration of a lethal gas or substance.
Ex 84138100 Ex 90189050 Ex 90189060 Ex 90189084	Automatic drug injection systems designed for the purpose of execution of human beings by the administration of a lethal chemical substance.

Import ban coverage of goods which are not suitable for use by law enforcement authorities to restrain human beings

Harmonised Standard (HS) code	Goods description
Ex 85437090	Electric shock devices which are intended to be worn on the body by a restrained individual, such as belts, sleeves and cuffs, designed for restraining human beings by the administration of electric shocks.
Ex 73269098 Ex 76169990 Ex 83015000 Ex 39269097 Ex 42033000 Ex 42034000 Ex 42050090 Ex 40170000	Thumb-cuffs, finger-cuffs, thumbscrews and finger-screws. Note: this item includes both serrated and non-serrated cuffs and screws.
Ex 73269098 Ex 7616 9990 Ex 83015000 Ex 39269097 Ex 42033000 Ex 42034000 Ex 42050090 Ex 62171000 Ex 63079098 Ex 40170000	Bar fetters, weighted leg restraints and gang chains comprising bar fetters or weighted leg restraints. Notes: 1. Bar fetters are shackles or ankle rings fitted with a locking mechanism, linked by a rigid bard which is typically made of metal. 2. This item includes bar fetters and weighted leg restraints which are linked to ordinary handcuffs by means of a chain.
Ex 73269098 Ex 76169990 Ex 83015000 Ex 39269097 Ex 42033000 Ex 42034000 Ex 42050090 Ex 62171000 Ex 63079098 Ex 73158100 Ex 73158200 Ex 73158900 Ex 40170000	Gang chains. Note: gang chains comprise multiple pairs of handcuffs, leg cuffs, belly chains, or a combination of these, attached to a single chain (often made of metal), restraining several people together in a chain.
Ex 73269098 Ex 76169990 Ex 73158100 Ex 73158200 Ex 73158900	Leg irons. Note: leg irons are non-adjustable metal rings or other non-adjustable metal restraints that are fixed around a prisoner’s ankles, normally by means of a bolt or screw arrangement. They can be hinged or unhinged and are normally linked with a chain. They are distinct from leg cuffs which can be adjusted on a detainee’s ankle.
Ex 73269098 Ex 76169990 Ex 83015000 Ex 39269097 Ex 42033000 Ex 42034000 Ex 42050090 Ex 62171000 Ex 63079098 Ex 40170000	Cuffs for restraining human beings, designed to be anchored to a wall, floor or ceiling.
Ex 94016100 Ex 94016900 Ex 94017100 Ex 94017900 Ex 94018000 Ex 94021000	Restraint chairs: chairs fitted with shackles or other devices to restrain a human being. Note: this item does not prohibit chairs only fitted with straps or belts.
Ex 94029000 Ex 94032080 Ex 94035000 Ex 94036000 Ex 94038900	Shackle boards and shackle beds: boards and beds fitted with shackles or other devices to restrain a human being. Note: this item does not prohibit boards and beds only fitted with straps or belts.
Ex 94029000 Ex 94035000 Ex 94036000 Ex 94037000 Ex 94038900	Cage beds: beds comprising a cage (four sides and a ceiling) or similar structure enclosing a human being within the confines of the bed, the ceiling or one or more of the sides of which are fitted with metal or other bars, and which can only be opened from outside.
Ex 94029000 Ex 94032020 Ex 94035000 Ex 94036090 Ex 94037000 Ex 94038900	Net beds: beds comprising a cage (four sides and a ceiling) or similar structure enclosing a human being within the confines of the bed, the ceiling or one or more sides of which are fitted with nets, and which can only be opened from outside.
Ex 65050010 Ex 65050090 Ex 65069100 Ex 65069910 Ex 65069990 Ex 62171000 Ex 63079098	Hoods and blindfolds solely designed for law enforcement purposes to block the vision and/or enclose the face of a person/detainee, including such hoods and blindfolds when linked by a chain to ordinary handcuffs or other restraints. Note: this item does not include spit hoods which are controlled in Annex III 1.4.

Import ban coverage of portable devices which are not suitable for use by law enforcement authorities for the purpose of riot control or self-protection

Harmonised Standard (HS) code	Goods description
Ex 93040000	Batons or truncheons made of metal or other material having a shaft with metal spikes
Ex 73269098 Ex 42050090 Ex 66020000 Ex 73269098 Ex 78060080 Ex 42032990 Ex 40151900	Weighted batons or batons encased in thick leather or rubber with additional weighting designed to increase kinetic impact to the target and weighted gloves or other similar devices. Notes: 1. Weighted baton: a flat device consisting of metal (spring steel) encased in thick leather or rubber used for slapping or striking a person; or a short baton consisting of spring steel encased in leather, sometimes weighted at one end with a lead shot, and used for striking a person. 2. Weighted gloves are usually made of leather and have powdered steel or lead sewn into the materials over the knuckle, fingers, or back of the hand.
Ex 44219100 Ex 44219999 Ex 39269097 Ex 66020000	Lathis. Note: lathis are long flexible batons (over 1cm long), traditionally made of wood or bamboo but also polycarbonate of the kind used as a weapon by police officers.
Ex 39269097 Ex 73269098	Shields with metal spikes.
Ex 39262000 Ex 73269098 Ex 76169990 Ex 40170000	Body armour with spikes or serrations made of metal or other hard material. Note: this item does not control body armours with load-bearing systems featuring parts made of metal or other hard material used to attach or carry equipment.

Import ban coverage of whips

Harmonised Standard (HS) code	Goods description
Ex 66020000	Whips comprising multiple lashes or thongs, such as knouts or cats o’nine tails.
Ex 66020000	Whips having one or more lashes or thongs fitted with barbs, hooks, spikes, metal wire or similar objects enhancing the impact of the lash or thong.
Ex 66020000	“Sjamboks”. Note: this item alludes to a type of heavy whip, traditionally made of leather, or of other materials, such as plastic. This item does not cover instruments traditionally used for herding animals.

Import ban coverage of weapons and equipment disseminating incapacitating or irritating chemicals or impact projectiles and related ammunition which are not suitable for use by law enforcement authorities for the purpose of riot control or self-protection

Harmonised Standard (HS) code	Goods description
Ex 84242000 Ex 84248970 Ex 93040000	Fixed equipment for the dissemination of incapacitating or irritating chemical substances in enclosed spaces, which can be attached to a wall or to a ceiling inside a building, comprises a canister of irritating or incapacitating chemical agents and is activated using a remote-control system. Note: this item alludes to equipment or devices of the kind used in prisons and other places of detention. It does not prohibit fixed equipment designed for the dissemination of blinding substances (such as water vapour or fog), that do not cause direct physical harm, used in commercial or private enclosed spaces for the purpose of burglary prevention.
Ex 93011000 Ex 93012000 Ex 93019000 Ex 93020000 Ex 93031000 Ex 93032010 Ex 93032095 Ex 93033000 Ex 93039000 Ex 93040000 Ex 93062100 Ex 93062900 Ex 93063010 Ex 93063030 Ex 93063090 Ex 93069010 Ex 93069090	Equipment and explosive projectiles for dispensing injurious quantities of riot control agents from aerial platforms. Note: this item does not control smoke grenades and does not control aerial platforms as such. This item includes equipment where the mode of dispersal is inherently inaccurate, or the equipment or projectiles are able to disperse amounts of riot control agent that are injurious.