April 3, 2026, Deadline: Jersey Businesses Must Prepare for Updated Trade & Shipping Sanctions

Jersey has amended its Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Implementation of External Sanctions) (Jersey) Order 2021 - The order

• Automatically adopts the UK Trade, Aircraft and Shipping Sanctions (Civil Enforcement) Regulations 2024 (SI 2024/948).
• Brings Jersey into full alignment with the UK’s substantive compliance, reporting and information-gathering framework for trade, aircraft and shipping sanctions.

Important carve-out:

• The UK’s civil enforcement regime (monetary penalties, information offences and related UK Secretary of State powers) does NOT apply in Jersey.
• All enforcement, penalties, and investigations remain subject to Jersey law (Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Jersey) Law 2019).

Net effect:

• No new prohibitions were created, but compliance obligations for trade, aviation and maritime activities are now explicitly updated to match the latest UK standards.

Briefing:

• Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Trade, Aircraft and Shipping Sanctions) (Jersey) Amendment Order 2026
• Made: 27 March 2026 In force: 3 April 2026 (7 days after making)

1. What the law change actually is (simple English)

This is a technical amendment to the existing Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Implementation of External Sanctions) (Jersey) Order 2021 (the “2021 Order”).

• It adds one new UK statutory instrument to Jersey’s automatic “copy-across” list in Schedule 1 of the 2021 Order:
• The Trade, Aircraft and Shipping Sanctions (Civil Enforcement) Regulations 2024 (UK SI 2024/948).
• These UK Regulations (made in September 2024, in force in the UK since 10 October 2024) create a civil enforcement regime for UK trade sanctions, aircraft sanctions and shipping sanctions. They give the UK Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) powers to:
• Impose civil monetary penalties (fines) for breaches,
• Require reporting of suspected breaches,
• Request information/documents, etc.
• Jersey does NOT copy across the UK’s enforcement machinery.
• A new paragraph 6 is inserted into Schedule 3 of the 2021 Order, stating that the following parts of the UK 2024 Regulations do NOT have effect in Jersey:
• Part 2 (enforcement – i.e. no UK-style civil monetary penalties in Jersey);
• Regulations 21–28 (information offences and disclosure of information by/to the UK Secretary of State);
• Regulation 29 (supplementary provisions) insofar as it relates to regs 27 or 28;
• Part 4 (miscellaneous).

Bottom line:

1. Jersey now fully aligns with the substantive obligations and general provisions of the UK civil-enforcement rules for trade/aircraft/shipping sanctions, but
1. Keeps all enforcement, penalties and information offences under Jersey law (the Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Jersey) Law 2019 and the 2021 Order).
2. No new UK fines or UK Secretary of State powers apply here.

2. Practical impact

• The underlying prohibitions on trade, aircraft and shipping (e.g. export bans, ship/aircraft restrictions to sanctioned countries) were already in force in Jersey via earlier implementation orders.
• This change mainly ensures Jersey’s regime is updated to match the UK’s supplementary compliance and reporting framework for those sanctions.
• Businesses remain subject to Jersey’s existing criminal offences and asset-freezing regime under the 2019 Law.

3. What you need to do (action list)

1. Check if you are in scope
• Do you (or your clients) engage in trade (exports/imports), aircraft operations, or shipping activities that could touch sanctioned countries/entities (Russia, Iran, Syria, DPRK, etc.[see full list in appendix 1] )?
1. → If yes
2. → proceed to step 2.
2. Update compliance procedures by 3 April 2026
• Review your sanctions screening, due diligence, and record-keeping processes against the non-excluded parts of the UK 2024 Regulations (mainly Part 1 general provisions and the surviving parts of Part 3 on reporting/information).
• Strengthen any suspected breach reporting obligations that now apply in Jersey.
• Ensure you can respond promptly to information requests from Jersey authorities (Minister for External Relations / JFSC / Customs & Immigration).
3. No action required if you are not in trade, aviation or maritime sectors.
4. Monitor for further guidance
• External Relations Department and JFSC normally issue notices shortly after such orders come into force.

Appendix 1

Full list of country/territory-linked sanctions regimes in Jersey (from Schedule 1 of the 2021 Order)

This is the current consolidated list of UK sanctions instruments that Jersey implements (as of the latest available consolidated version):

• Afghanistan
• Anti-Corruption (Global)
• Belarus
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Central African Republic
• Chemical Weapons (Global)
• Counter-Terrorism – International
• Counter-Terrorism – National Security
• Cyber (Global)
• Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK / North Korea)
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Eastern Mediterranean (unauthorised drilling)
• Global Human Rights
• Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Haiti
• Iran (two regimes: Nuclear + General)
• Iraq
• ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida
• Lebanon (two regimes)
• Libya
• Mali
• Myanmar
• Nicaragua
• Russia
• Somalia
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Syria (two regimes, including cultural property)
• Venezuela
• Yemen
• Zimbabwe

Most relevant for Trade, Aircraft & Shipping Sanctions

These regimes commonly feature strong trade bans, export/import controls, aircraft restrictions, and shipping prohibitions (e.g., port entry bans, ship specifications, oil transport bans):

• Russia — Extensive sectoral trade bans (energy, metals, aviation, maritime goods), aircraft & ship prohibitions, luxury goods, etc.
• Belarus — Similar to Russia in many trade/shipping areas.
• Iran — Nuclear and general sanctions; restrictions on oil, shipping, aircraft.
• Syria — Broad trade restrictions.
• DPRK (North Korea) — Very strict trade, shipping, and aircraft prohibitions.
• Myanmar — Arms embargo and other trade restrictions.
• Libya, Yemen, Venezuela, Zimbabwe — Varying levels of trade/shipping measures.
• Others like Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia may have more limited or targeted measures.

For aircraft and shipping specifically, key regimes with transport sanctions include Russia, Belarus, DPRK, Iran, Libya, and others (check UK Department for Transport guidance for port entry, overflight, or registration bans).

All official WWW sources

Jersey legislation (primary sources)

• Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Jersey) Law 2019 (as amended): https://www.jerseylaw.je/laws/current/l_2_2019  
• Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Implementation of External Sanctions) (Jersey) Order 2021 (the Order being amended): https://www.jerseylaw.je/laws/current/ro_11_2021
• The new Amendment Order 2026  https://www.jerseylaw.je/laws/enacted/Pages/RO-052-2026.aspx

UK legislation (the instrument Jersey is implementing)

• The Trade, Aircraft and Shipping Sanctions (Civil Enforcement) Regulations 2024 – full text: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/948/contents
• Official PDF of the UK Regulations: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/948/pdfs/uksi_20240948_en.pdf

UK official guidance

• Trade, Aircraft and Shipping Sanctions – Civil Enforcement Guidance (explains everything in plain English): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-aircraft-and-shipping-sanctions-civil-enforcement-guidance/trade-aircraft-and-shipping-sanctions-civil-enforcement-guidance