Export controls
AUKUS and export controls
The AUKUS partnership between Australia, the UK and the US has led all three countries to ease defence trade among themselves. For UK manufacturers, that opens doors, but only within rules that still need careful handling.
Not legal advice. Export controls carry criminal penalties. Confirm eligibility and scope with the Export Control Joint Unit, the relevant US authorities, and specialist advisers.
What changed
- United States (ITAR). From 1 September 2024, the US State Department introduced an AUKUS exemption in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. It allows many defence articles, services and technical data to move among eligible "authorised users" in the three countries without individual US licences. Some items are excluded, and conditions apply.
- United States (EAR). The Commerce Department has also eased licence requirements for many dual-use items going to Australia and the UK.
- United Kingdom. The UK introduced reciprocal arrangements, including an open general export licence covering many exports to Australia and the US.
Who can benefit
The ITAR exemption applies to entities and individuals approved as authorised users by their own government. It doesn't apply automatically to every UK company. A UK firm that wants to rely on it needs to understand the eligibility process, the excluded technologies, and the record-keeping and re-transfer conditions that come with it.
The UK basics that still apply
- Classify your items. Check whether your goods, software or technology appear on the UK Strategic Export Control Lists (military or dual-use).
- Check the licence route. Standard individual export licences, open individual licences and open general licences each have conditions. Open general licences usually require registration before use.
- Remember intangible transfers. Emailing drawings, sharing cloud folders or granting remote access can be an export of technology.
- Screen end users and destinations against sanctions and embargoes.
- Keep records as the licence requires, and be ready for compliance audits.
US-origin content in UK products
If a UK product contains US-origin items or was developed with US technical data, US rules may still follow it, including on re-export to other countries. The AUKUS changes narrow these burdens for eligible transfers among the partners; they don't remove them for everyone else.
Working across US and UK entities
Groups with manufacturing in both countries should map which technical data each site holds, which jurisdiction controls it, and which authorisation each transfer relies on, before sharing anything. The same applies when AI tools or cloud services process controlled data. See AI in regulated engineering.
Last reviewed 2026-09-17