United KingdomGOV.UK
Cereals import licence window opens 17 November for one week
Notice to Traders 89/26 opens cereals import-licence applications under SI 2020 No. 1432 from 17 November until 5pm on 23 November 2026, with correctness the applicant’s responsibility.
By Taxxa AI OyPublished 13 November 2026
Industry: Wholesale of grain, unmanufactured tobacco, seeds and animal feeds
Cereal importers have a one-week window to seek import licences under Notice to Traders 89/26. Applications under Statutory Instrument 2020 No. 1432 may be submitted between 17 November 2026 and 5pm on 23 November 2026GOV. The notice places correctness squarely on the applicant: it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure the application and all supporting documentation are correct at the time of submission
GOV.
The notice belongs to a running series of cereals quota notices made under the same Statutory Instrument, and the series' standing mechanics show what a correct application entails. The predecessor September notice in the series directed licence applications by email to the Rural Payments Agency trader team on the latest version of the application form, and rejected applications, securities and proof of trade arriving after the stated 5pm cut-off. Applicants should assume the same discipline applies to the November window and treat 5pm on 23 November as a hard stop for every element of the submission, not just the form itself.
First-time applicants face the heaviest preparation. Under the series' rules, anyone making a first application in the quota year must prove prior trade: evidence of having imported at least 25 tonnes of cereals in each of two defined 12-month reference periods, plus UK establishment and VAT registration. Returning applicants must still supply a valid VAT certificate for the current quota year. The series' pre-submission checklist adds the remaining failure points: the quota order number must match the commodity code and country, the security rate and amount must cover the quantity applied for, the commodity description must match the CN code, and the form must be signed and dated by an authorised individual.
Each application must also carry a licence security at the rate stated for its quota in the notice's Annex, with the amount, type of security and trader-number details entered as the Annex directs, and the licence itself is valid only for the period the notice states. Security on the main electronic licence is released automatically once at least 95% of the licence quantity is attributed. Because quotas, quantities, security rates and validity periods are set per notice, applicants must work from 89/26's own Annex rather than carrying figures across from an earlier notice.
Applicants should calendar the 17 to 23 November window, assemble proof of trade and VAT evidence now for first-time applications, and run the Annex checklist before submitting.
Legal basis is Statutory Instrument 2020 No. 1432, applied through Notice to Traders 89/26 for the 17 to 23 November 2026 application window.
Submit the cereals import-licence application between 17 November and 5pm on 23 November 2026 with correct documentation, assembling proof of trade and VAT evidence now for first-time applications.
Sources
- Notice to Traders 89/26 - Imports of Cereals under Statutory Instrument 2020 No. 1432
- The Customs (Tariff Quotas) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020
- Notice to Traders 89/26 - Imports of Cereals under Statutory Instrument 2020 No. 1432 - GOV.UK
- Notice to Traders
- Notice to Traders 65/26 - Imports of Cereals under Statutory Instrument 2020 No. 1432