Guidance

Prohibited and restricted: Great Britain imports

Published 31 January 2026

This guidance lists the items with prohibitions and restrictions which apply to imports.

Importers should check with the relevant departments before arranging to import goods.

Most categories of goods may be imported under the authority of an open general import licence (OGIL) granted by the Secretary of State in exercise of powers conferred by the Import of Goods (Control) Order 1954 made under the Import, Export and Customs Powers (Defence) Act 1939.

The importation of a limited range of goods originating in specified countries requires import licences issued by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) or other issuing authority in the UK.

This list is not exhaustive.

Item for import	Information resource
Aflatoxin	Food Standards Agency website: Importing High-Risk Food and Feed of Non-Animal Origin (HRFNAO) into Great Britain
Agricultural machinery (used)	Import plants and plant products from the EU to Great Britain
Animal pathogens	Animal pathogens and products: import licence application
Animals, birds and other livestock	Guidance on importing live animals or animal products
Anti-dumping duty and countervailing duties	Check when you need to pay anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard duties
Anti-personnel mines	Import controls (also read Notice 2938 in the ‘Notices to importers’ section)
Bushmeat	Bringing food into Great Britain
Cat and dog fur	Import controls (also read Notice 2936 in the ‘Notices to importers’ section)
Chemicals prohibited by REACH	Health and Safety Evaluation (HSE) website: UK registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH)
Controlled drugs	Controlled drugs list
Cordless telephones	Ofcom website: OFCOM Spectrum frequency demand requests
Counterfeit coins	Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981
Counterfeit currency notes	Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981
Dairy products	Import of milk, dairy products, colostrum and colostrum-based products for human consumption — Import Information Note (IIN) MKDR/1
Drug precursor chemicals	Precursor chemical licensing
Endangered species (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)-listed endangered animals and plants or their products) and ivory	Check if you need a CITES permit to import or export endangered species Separate ivory controls are applied in addition to CITES controls.
Excise goods	All goods subject to excise duty including: Alcohol products Tobacco products Hydrocarbon oils, biofuels, fuel substitutes and road fuel gases Goods subject to Climate Change Levy Tobacco product manufacturing machines Prepare for Vaping products Duty and the Vaping Duty Stamps Scheme
Explosives	Health and Safety Executive website: Explosives
False identity documents	Policing and Crime Act 2009 Identity Documents Act 2010
Fertilisers (Ammonium nitrate) — Marketing standards	Manufacturing and marketing fertilisers
Firearms and ammunition	Import controls (also read Notice 2944 in the ‘Notices to Importers’ section)
Fishery products	Food Standards Agency website: Importing fishery products or bivalve molluscs
Fruit and vegetables	Import plants and plant products from the EU to Great Britain
Goods bearing false indications of origin	Trade Descriptions Act 1968 Section 16
Goods infringing a trade mark	The Goods Infringing Intellectual Property Rights (Customs) Regulations 2004 Trade Marks Act 1994 Using somebody else’s intellectual property
Goods infringing copyright	The Goods Infringing Intellectual Property Rights (Customs) Regulations 2004 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 Using somebody else’s intellectual property
Government guarantee	Import controls
Hay and straw	Food Standards Agency website: Importing High-Risk Food and Feed of Non-Animal Origin (HRFNAO) into Great Britain
High risk feed and food products	Food Standards Agency website: Importing High-Risk Food and Feed of Non-Animal Origin (HRFNAO) into Great Britain
Honey	Import of honey, royal jelly and other apiculture products for human consumption — Import Information Note (IIN) BAL/2B
Hops and hop products	Hops and hop products marketing standards
Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Regulations	Food Standards Agency website: Importing fishery products or bivalve molluscs
Indecent and obscene material	Customs Consolidation Act 1876 Section 42 Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 — Explanatory Notes
Insects	Moving specified plants, plant pests, pathogens and soil
Invasive Alien Species (IAS)	Invasive non-native (alien) animal species: rules in England and Wales Invasive non-native (alien) plant species: rules in England and Wales
Leghold trap furs	Importing animal furs and skins — export of fish
Lottery material	National Lottery etc. Act 1993
Meat and meat products	Guidance on importing live animals or animal products
Mercury	Controls on mercury added products
Military goods	List of goods imported into Great Britain that are controlled
Nuclear materials	Import controls (also read Notice 2955 in the ‘Notices to Importers’ section)
Offensive weapons	Guns, knives, swords and other offensive weapons: UK border control
Organic produce	Importing organic food, feed and seed to the UK
Ozone depleting substances and hydrofluorocarbons	Fluorinated gas (F gas): guidance for users, producers and traders
Persistent organic pollutant chemicals	Using persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
Pests	Moving specified plants, plant pests, pathogens and soil
Plants and plant products	Import plants and plant products from the EU to Great Britain
Prison-made goods	Foreign Prison-Made Goods Act 1897
Products of animal origin	Guidance on importing live animals or animal products
Pyrotechnic articles, including fireworks	Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website: Explosives
Rabies susceptible mammals and Rabies virus	Import of certain rabies susceptible animals under the Balai Directive — Import Information Note (IIN) BLLV/5a
Radiotelephonic transmitters	Ofcom website: OFCOM Spectrum frequency demand requests
Realistic imitation firearms	Guns, knives, swords and other offensive weapons: UK border control
Rough diamonds	This also covers imports to Great Britain, imports to Northern Ireland and movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Export rough diamonds: special rules
Sanctioned goods and weapons of mass destruction related goods	UK sanctions
Seal products	Bringing seal products into Great Britain
Soil (excluding peat)	Moving specified plants, plant pests, pathogens and soil
Stamps	The Post Office (Abolition of Import Restrictions) Regulations 1993
Steel safeguards	Trade remedies notice 2025/26: safeguard measure: tariff-rate quota on steel goods
Tiered-priced medical products	Import controls (also read Notice 2937 in the ‘Notices to Importers’ section)
Torture equipment	Import controls (also read Notice 2938 in the ‘Notices to Importers’ section)
Toxic chemicals and precursors	Chemical Weapons Convention guidance
Trade sanctions	How to apply for a trade sanctions licence Import controls
Unauthorised veterinary medicines	Import a medicine for veterinary use into the UK
Videosenders	Ofcom website: OFCOM Spectrum frequency demand requests
Waste shipments	Waste: export and import
White phosphorus matches	Regulation 4(2)(b) of The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
Wood	Import timber, wood products or bark
Wood packaging material, pallets and timber used to protect or restrain cargo	Wood packaging goods for import and export