Maritime anti-piracy documentation service
How UK private maritime security companies (PMSCs) get sealed and signed physical certificates to meet documentation requirements of overseas governments.
This guidance is for PMSCs who need to provide evidence of holding a controlled goods licence to overseas governments who do not accept electronic licensing. Export Control Joint Unit’s (ECJU) commercial documentation service supplies certified physical documents to PMSCs to meet this need.
Who the documentation service is for
The documentation service is for UK PMSCs who hold:
- open general trade control licences (OGTCLs)
- open individual trade control licences (OITCLs)
- an open general trade control licence (OGTCL) (maritime anti-piracy) or related standard individual export licence (SIEL) for exporting military and paramilitary equipment
When you’ll need physical documentation
Some governments, especially the port states of the Indian Ocean, need a physical ‘certificate’. This is to confirm that the PMSC has all the necessary UK government licences. They do not accept electronic records from SPIRE, the online export licensing system.
What certificates can be supplied
We can supply a set of certificates that should satisfy documentation requirements of overseas governments.
These include:
- an approval certificate for use of the OGTCL (maritime anti-piracy)
- a maritime anti-piracy certificate
Each set will be produced in hardcopy and sealed and signed. This will be done at cost as a commercial service for PMSCs.
See our fee structure.
Approval certificate for use of OGTCL (maritime anti-piracy licence)
We can mail the approval certificate to an exporter free of charge.
We can also provide it as a sealed and signed physical document at a cost. You may need this more formal documentation for some port state authorities.
Maritime anti-piracy certificate
This is a signed and sealed physical document. It pulls together and verifies documents which are themselves in hardcopy form. They are all sealed and signed.
Documents include:
- the OGTCL (maritime anti-piracy)
- the relevant licence including a list of weapons with serial numbers that are being transferred and used under the OGTCL (maritime anti-piracy)
We can amend licences to add serial numbers if they were not available at the time of application. Email your ECJU licensing officer to request addition to an existing licence.
We can do this as many times as required and provide a hardcopy licence, sealed and signed. This amendment is a chargeable service.
We can email a sealed and signed licence to you if hardcopy is not required.
The hardcopy licence is normally provided by the weapons dealer associated with the PMSC. A PMSC can use it as part of the overall documentation package referred to above. This is subject to agreement with the weapons dealer.
How to request and pay for the commercial service
You must complete the OGTCL (MAP) approval certificate application form with details of your requirements.
If you are using a purchase order for payment, please ensure that you send it with the order form and supporting documentation to ECJU. In exceptional circumstances, you may pay by cheque, made payable to DIT, if you are not using a purchase order. An invoice will then be raised by the Business Awareness Unit. If you are not using a purchase order, you may pay by cheque, payable to ‘DIT’. We can only accept payment by direct bank transfer.
Upon submission, you should also submit a completed form detailing the list of weapons and their serial numbers in the possession of your PMSC.
You must send the form and the associated payment to:
Maritime Anti-Piracy Unit
Export Control Joint Unit
Department for Business and Trade
Old Admiralty Building
Admiralty Place
London
SW1A 2DY
Document delivery
We send the documents by post to a UK address. You can also collect them in person or by courier from the Department for International Trade (DIT) reception desk.
Fee structure
OGTCL (MAP) approval certificate to confirm OGTCL registration and hardcopy
Cost
£119 + VAT per certificate.
OGTCL (MAP) approval certificate to confirm OGTCL amendment to add armouries and hardcopy
Cost
£59 + VAT per certificate.
Seal and sign plus hardcopy of SIEL documentation for initial armoury export
This sealed and signed SIEL documentation is in hardcopy. It may also be useful for arms traders as it includes a list of weapons complete with serial numbers. This is when they need to prove that ECJU has approved the export.
Cost
£20 + VAT per certificate.
Soft (emailed) copy of sealed and signed SIEL documentation for initial armoury export
This sealed and signed SIEL documentation is in hardcopy. It may also be useful for arms traders as it includes a list of weapons complete with serial numbers. This is when they need to prove that ECJU has approved the export.
Cost
£20 + VAT per SIEL.
Seal and sign and hardcopy of subsequent SIEL amendments to add serial numbers for subsequent armoury exports
Cost
£59 + VAT per SIEL.
Soft (emailed) copy of subsequent SIEL amendments to add serial numbers for subsequent armoury exports
Cost
£20 + VAT per SIEL
Signed and sealed miscellaneous other documents and hard or soft copy
This UK export control documentation service is available in hardcopy or by email. It may be useful for other documents.
Cost
£20 + VAT
Post, packaging and delivery by Royal Mail to UK address
Cost
£20 + VAT