In a 12 June 2026 press release, the Department for Business and Trade and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office confirmed that the temporary route allowing certain diesel and jet fuel imports refined from Russian crude in third countries will end no later than 1 January 2027. The practical effect is a shift from a transitional permission to a fixed legal end point. (gov.uk) The same announcement says ministers will continue to review the arrangement every two weeks with the stated aim of lifting it sooner if market conditions allow. That leaves importers with a clear outer deadline, while preserving scope for an earlier withdrawal. (gov.uk)
The ban itself started on 20 May 2026. GOV.UK guidance says the 2026 amendments to the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 added a prohibition on importing into the UK oil products processed in a third country from Russian-origin crude, extending the earlier ban on crude oil and refined products imported directly from Russia. (gov.uk) That matters because the policy closes a route whereby Russian crude could be refined abroad and then sold into the UK as a third-country product. The Government's stated aim is to reduce Russian oil revenue while avoiding an abrupt shock to domestic supply chains during the changeover. (gov.uk)
The transitional permission sits in General Trade Licence GBSAN0004, first issued on 19 May 2026 and amended on 12 June 2026. The licence authorises imports of diesel under HS 2710 19 42 and 2710 19 44, and jet fuel under HS 2710 19 21, together with related services linked to those imports. (gov.uk) For compliance teams, the narrow drafting is important. The licence is not a broad exemption for refined petroleum products; it is a limited authorisation for two fuel categories that the Government judged necessary during the transition. (gov.uk)
GOV.UK's importer guidance also sets out a strict origin test. If a refinery in a third country uses Russian crude and produces an HS 2710 oil product, the UK import prohibition applies; the same is true where Russian crude has been co-mingled with non-Russian crude before refining, or where the resulting product is later blended with non-Russian output. (gov.uk) The guidance gives only limited relief. It excludes tank heel residue from the ban and allows products made from non-Russian crude that has merely transited Russia, including Kazakh-origin crude moved through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium route, but "third country" is still defined broadly as any country other than the UK, the Isle of Man or Russia. (gov.uk)
The amended licence says it expires on 1 January 2027 and may be varied, revoked or suspended at any time. It also says the Secretary of State will endeavour to give four months' notice before revocation, while the notes to editors for the 12 June announcement say industry will receive at least four months' notice on any changes to the licence. (gov.uk) That combination creates a two-track planning problem. Commercial teams now have a non-negotiable backstop date, but they also need purchase contracts, hedging positions and supply alternatives that can absorb an earlier end to the licence if ministers judge the market can cope. (gov.uk)
DBT and FCDO place the refined-oil measure within the wider sanctions package announced on 20 May 2026, which also added restrictions on LNG maritime services. The same press release says the UK Russia regime now covers more than 3,300 individuals, businesses and vessels, and ministers presented the fuel measure as a phased tightening intended to keep pressure on Russian revenues while preserving domestic market stability. (gov.uk) For importers, airlines, fuel distributors, banks and insurers, the next phase is administrative as much as political. Firms will need origin evidence that can withstand audit, contract terms that deal with licence withdrawal, and procurement plans that do not assume the temporary route will remain open until January 2027. (gov.uk)