Schedule 1 chemicals pose a high risk to the object and purpose of the Convention. They have been developed, produced, stockpiled and / or used as chemical weapons and have little or no use for purposes not prohibited by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
If you produce, possess, use, import or export any of the Schedule 1 chemicals listed in the CWC schedule of chemicals you must be covered by a licence. Scroll down to the licensing requirements section below for more detailed information.
The CWC restricts activities involving Schedule 1 chemicals to pharmaceutical, research and medical purposes, and also to purposes related to protection against toxic chemicals. It also places a limit on the aggregate annual amount of Schedule 1 chemicals that each CWC State Party may produce.
- production for research, medical, pharmaceutical or protective purposes must be carried out at a single small scale facility (SSSF) that is approved by the State Party;
- production in aggregate quantities not exceeding 10kg per year may be carried out for protective purposes at one facility outside of the SSSF that is approved by the State Party;
- production in quantities of more than 100g per year for research, medical or pharmaceutical purposes may be carried out at facilities outside of a SSSF that are approved by a State Party. The aggregate quantity of production must not exceed 10kg per facility.
- synthesis of Schedule 1 chemicals for research, medical or pharmaceutical purposes, but not for protective purposes, may be carried out at laboratories in aggregate quantities of less than 100g per facility.
- the total national aggregate amount of Schedule 1 chemicals that are produced at any given time must be equal to or less than one tonne.
- Schedule 1 chemicals may only be transferred to other CWC States Parties, and only for research, medical, pharmaceutical, or protective purposes. Any chemicals transferred cannot then be transferred to a third State Party.
Due to the high risk and very limited commercial use of Schedule 1 chemicals, its declaration and verification regime differs significantly from those for Schedule 2, 3 and DOC chemicals.
Any declared Schedule 1 production facility is subjected to regular inspection by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), there is no time limit on the duration of a Schedule 1 inspection and notification that a facility is to be inspected may be received at very short notice, possibly only 24 hours prior to the arrival of the OPCW inspection team. No UK industrial facility produces Schedule 1 chemicals in quantities that require declaration or inspection under the CWC.
Licensing Requirements
To ensure that the UK complies with its CWC obligations you must be covered by a licence if you produce, possess, use, import or export any of the Schedule 1 chemicals listed in the CWC schedule of chemicals. The possession, use and production of Schedule 1 chemicals have been subject to formal licensing by the CWC UK National Authority since 1 January 1997. All licenses, with the exception of Export licenses, are issued by the UK CWC National Authority and categorised as follows:
Open General Licence
An Open General Licence (OGL) permits the production, possession and use of any Schedule 1 chemical up to an aggregate amount of 5g per calendar year. The chemicals must be intended for pharmaceutical, medical or research purposes and must be of a type and quantity demonstrably consistent with that purpose. The OGL also permits possession and use for protective purposes but does not permit production for protective purposes.
The license application must detail the chemical/s including the CAS Number/s, their quantities, the location at which they will be held or used, the supplier of the chemical/s with contact details, and the purposes for which they are required. The OGL also requires that records are maintained about the production and use of any Schedule 1 chemicals and these records must be open to inspection by the CWC UK National Authority.
Individual Possession and Use Licence
A Possession and Use Licence is required if either possession or use of Schedule 1 chemicals is to exceed 5g in a calendar year.
The license application must detail the chemicals including the CAS Number, their quantities, the location at which they will be held or used, the supplier of the chemical/s with contact details, and the purposes for which they are required. Dependant on the chemicals and quantities involved, the facility where they are to be held and used may require prior approval by the CWC UK National Authority.
When the licence is issued it will state the maximum amount of each Schedule 1 chemical that may be held at any one time. Detailed records must be maintained about the use of the chemicals specified in the licence. These records must be open to inspection by the CWC UK National Authority, to whom a copy must also be sent, within 14 days of the expiry of the licence.
Individual Production Licence
Whilst a Possession and Use Licence permits licensees to use and/or have specified amounts of Schedule 1 chemicals in their possession, a separate, additional licence is required for the production of Schedule 1 chemicals. A Production Licence is required for the production of Schedule 1 chemicals for pharmaceutical, medical or research purposes in excess of 5g in any calendar year. Production for protective purposes will not normally be permitted.
The license application must detail the chemical/s to be produced including the CAS Number/s, the quantity to be produced, when and where it will be produced and the purpose of production. Dependant on the chemicals and quantities involved the facility where they are to be produced, held and/or used may require prior approval by the CWC UK National Authority.
When the licence is issued, it will show the maximum quantity of chemical/s that may be produced at the specified location in a given period and state the purpose of the production. Detailed records must be kept about the production of the chemicals specified in the licence. These records must be open to inspection by the CWC UK National Authority, to whom a copy must also be sent, within 14 days of the expiry of the licence.
Import License
Applications for import licenses must be made at least 60 days in advance of the proposed date of shipment to allow for the necessary authorisation to be completed, including liaison with the CWC National Authority of the exporting State Party, the licence to be issued and the OPCW to be informed 30 days in advance.
An application for an Import Licence must detail the chemical/s to be imported including CAS Number/s, their quantities, the proposed date of shipment, the contact details of the consignor (supplier), the country of origin of the chemicals, and the purpose for which it is to be imported. Dependant on the chemicals involved and the quantities to be held, the facility where they are to be held and used may require prior approval by the CWC UK National Authority.
An import licence is valid for a single shipment only and must be returned to the CWC UK National Authority after use. The completion of a declaration confirming that an import has taken place must also be forwarded to the National Authority within 14 days of the importation.
Export Licences
Export Licenses are issued by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ (BIS) Export Control Organisation, under existing arrangements.
Please visit the Import and export trade controls web page for more detailed information and contact details for imports and exports of all CWC scheduled chemicals.