In principle, a licence is required for the export and import of substances listed in Annexes I – III of the current F-Gas Regulation as well as products and equipment containing these substances. This is independent of the quantity of the substances.
Key words/products
- Vehicles containing a refrigeration system, possibly parts thereof
- Air conditioning or refrigeration systems containing a device for one of the listed substances,
- Containers intended to hold one of the listed substances,
- ‘Fire protection equipment’, ‘recovery’ and ‘recycling’ are also key words in the regulation
A licence is also required for gas mixtures if at least one of the components is listed accordingly.
The licence is issued by the European Commission, which requires registration in the F-Gas Portal.
The ‘partially fluorinated hydrocarbons’ listed in Annex I Group 1 are also subject to a quota obligation.
In the case of pre-filled facilities, for example, the quota-free quantity was reduced to ‘less than 10 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year’ (Art. 19 para. 6) when Regulation (EU) 2024/573 came into force. If the threshold value of 10 tonnes of CO2 equivalents is exceeded in the current calendar year, quota permits for the total quantity of the calendar year are therefore required in addition to registration in the F-Gas Portal.
Mandatory leak checks and leak detection systems as well as regulations on ‘recovery and destruction’ and certification and training requirements are set out in the ordinance.
The underlying labelling obligation – irrespective of the filling quantity – must also be observed, which was extended to all substances and mixtures that are or contain substances listed in Annex I, II or III by Regulation (EU) 573/2024.
Reporting obligations arise from Article 26 and take place via the F-gas portal.
For particular attention
It should be noted that the European Commission requires up to 10 days to validate the registration in the F-gas portal.
Information on registration can be found on the EU Commission’s F-Gas Portal website:
