General licence update

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has issued a new Legal Services General Licence following the expiry of General Licence INT/2025/7323088 on 28 April 2026.

General Licence INT/2026/9512597 allows the provision of legal advice to a person designated under the UK Autonomous Sanctions Regimes listed in the Annex to receive payment from that designated person without the need for a specific OFSI licence, provided that the conditions of the General Licence are met.

Notaries undertaking work involving designated persons or sanctions-related matters should ensure that they are familiar with the scope and conditions of the updated General Licence and maintain appropriate sanctions compliance controls. Not all sanctions regimes are automatically included.  The Annex specifies exactly which regimes qualify under this licence.

To remain informed of updates to general licences and sanctions guidance, notaries may wish to monitor the OFSI updates page regularly.