Import licence
Prior administrative authorisation required to import certain categories of goods into a given territory.
Definition and legal framework
An import licence is an authorisation issued by competent authorities conditioning the import of certain goods. In the EU, the licensing regime is governed by Regulation (EU) 2015/479 for industrial products and by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for agricultural products.
Types of licences in the EU
- Automatic licences (surveillance document): issued systematically for statistical or flow monitoring purposes
- Non-automatic licences: subject to allocation criteria (quotas)
- CITES licences: for protected species (Washington Convention)
- Dual-use licences: export control for sensitive technologies (Regulation (EU) 2021/821)
Application procedure
Licence applications are generally submitted to the competent national authority. They must be presented before goods are released for free circulation.
WTO compliance
The WTO Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures governs the use of this mechanism to prevent it from becoming a disguised trade barrier. Licences must be administered in a transparent, predictable, and non-discriminatory manner.