General Licences allow companies to export goods immediately without requiring an additional application, provided the conditions are met. The Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) issues and extends the so-called AGG’s. Existing applications should be reviewed for changes and withdrawn if necessary. All licences valid until 31 March 2025 have been extended to 31 March 2026.

Changes in the Defensce Sector

Some licences, including AGG No. 28 and AGG No. 32, remain unchanged. AGG No. 18 (clothing and equipment with signature suppression) now includes an additional exclusion if there is evidence of use supporting Russian aggression or terrorist activities. Similar extensions apply to AGG No. 19 (land vehicles), AGG No. 20 (trade and brokerage transactions), and AGG No. 21 (protective equipment). In AGG No. 22 (explosives), AGG No. 23 (re-exports), AGG No. 24 (temporary transfers), and AGG No. 25 (exports of defence goods in specific cases), exclusion criteria have been expanded, and deadlines, such as the maximum retention period of goods, have been extended from 12 to 24 months. AGG No. 26 to AGG No. 36 clarify further regulations, such as the consideration of parallel individual licences and the expansion of approved destinations.

Changes to Dual-Use Goods

AGG’s No. 12, 16, 17, 39, 43, and 44 remain unchanged. In AGG No. 13 (export of listed dual-use goods in specific cases), the retention period for imported goods has been doubled to 24 months, and the scope of category 4.19 has been expanded. AGG No. 14 (export of certain heat exchangers, valves, pumps, and continuous mixers), 37 (export of dual-use goods to specific countries), 38 (export of software for electronic components), and 40 (export of certain chemicals) expand the list of approved destinations, including Helgoland. AGG No. 41 (export of specific spare parts) introduces clear exclusion criteria for items that have already been exported as primary goods.

Other Licences

Additionally, three further General Licences apply to specific embargo-related contexts:

  • AGG No. 30 for non-sensitive trade with Iran,
  • AGG No. 31 for public contracts,
  • AGG No. 42 for corporate software and services.

AGG No. 30 and AGG No. 31 have been extended until 31 March 2026, while AGG No. 42 remains valid until 31 December 2025. No changes were made to the content of these three licences.

Source: Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control BAFA (in German)