Do I need an export licence to ship dual-use items to the United States or the United Kingdom?
Usually not an individual one. For the allied destinations of Annex II Section A — Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland/Liechtenstein, the United Kingdom and the United States — Union General Export Authorisation EU001 covers every Annex I item except those listed in Annex II Section I. You declare EU001 in the customs declaration and notify your Member State authority of first use within 30 days (some Member States require prior registration). If your item sits in a bucket containing Section I entries — for example 0C001/0C002 (nuclear), 1C351 (pathogens) or 9A117 (rocketry) — this checker routes you to an individual or global licence instead.
What changed in the EU dual-use control list for 2026?
Annex I — the EU control list — was most recently replaced in full by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/2003 of 8 September 2025, in force since 15 November 2025. It folds in the 2024–2025 decisions of the multilateral regimes (Wassenaar Arrangement, Australia Group, NSG, MTCR), including quantum-technology and additive-manufacturing entries spread across the existing categories 0–9 rather than collected in a new category of their own. This checker's dataset was last verified against that text on 2026-06-11; if you are reading this later, check whether a newer delegated regulation has replaced Annex I again.
Can I export AES-256 encryption hardware or software without an individual licence?
Often, yes — but the route depends on the destination. Standard commercial cryptography sits in Annex I Category 5 Part 2 (declaration prefix 5A2, Wassenaar-derived). To EU001 allied destinations such as the United States, EU001 applies. To Brazil, India, Singapore, South Africa or Türkiye, EU008 covers specific encryption entries (5A002.a.2, 5A002.a.3 and related sub-entries) that use published or commercial cryptographic standards — but EU008 is entry-level, so this checker flags it for manual verification rather than auto-granting it. Inside the EU, Category 5 Part 2 is not on Annex IV, so intra-EU movements need no transfer authorisation.
Are dual-use exports to Russia or Belarus still possible?
As a rule, no. Regulation (EU) 833/2014 — amended through the 20th sanctions package adopted on 23 April 2026 — prohibits the export of dual-use goods and technology to Russia, and Regulation (EU) 765/2006 (reinforced by Reg 2024/1865) mirrors the prohibition for Belarus. This checker returns "Export prohibited" for any Annex I item, military end-user, WMD or cyber-surveillance flag toward an embargoed destination; the same logic covers Iran (Reg 267/2012), North Korea (Reg 2017/1509), Syria (Reg 36/2012) and Myanmar (Reg 2013/255). Even items outside Annex I require case-by-case verification before any shipment to these destinations.
Do intra-EU transfers of dual-use items need an authorisation?
Mostly not — Annex I items circulate freely within the single market. The exception is Annex IV (Article 11 of Reg 2021/821): the most sensitive items, which in this checker live in Category 0 (nuclear), Category 1 (special materials and pathogens) and Category 9 (aerospace and propulsion), still need a national transfer authorisation even for a shipment from, say, Spain to Germany. The checker shows this case as "Intra-EU transfer authorisation required (Annex IV)" and routes it to the national general authorisation issued by your Member State.
Which authority issues my export licence — the destination's or mine?
Always the Member State where the exporter is established, never the destination country (Articles 8 and 11 of Reg 2021/821). In Germany that is BAFA, in France the SBDU, in Italy UAMA, in Spain the SGCE and in the Netherlands the CDIU at Douane. Exporters established in the other 22 Member States should use the European Commission's directory of national competent authorities. The checker's last step links the authority for the five largest EU exporters once you select where your company is established.
What is EU007 and when can I use it for intra-group transfers?
EU007 (Annex II Section G) is the Union General Export Authorisation for intra-group exports of Annex I software and technology — it never covers physical goods. The consignee must be a wholly-owned subsidiary or sister company with the controlling parent established in the EU or an EU001 country, use is limited to commercial product development, an Internal Compliance Programme is mandatory, and you must register before first use and notify at least 30 days before the first export. Software and technology related to entries 4A005, 4D004, 4E001.c, 5A001.f and 5A001.j are carved out. Of this checker's 25 destinations, Brazil, India, Singapore and South Africa are EU007-eligible.
Is the result of this checker a binding classification?
No. The output is an indicative assessment under Reg (EU) 2021/821 — not a binding Annex I/ECCN classification and not legal advice. Article 27 keeps the exporter responsible for the accuracy of the export declaration. Annex I is amended by Commission Delegated Regulations and the sanctions lists move faster than any monthly dataset refresh, so confirm the verdict with your national licensing authority — and screen your counterparties against the EU consolidated sanctions list, which this tool deliberately does not do — before shipping.