UK Act of Parliament 2021 United Kingdom

Trade Act 2021

View on legislation.gov.uk Ask Guv about this Act

At a glance

Enforced by

TPR

What's here

3 compliance obligations, 5 practical guides across 4 topics · 4 journeys

Penalty landscape

1 of 3 obligations carry up to 2 years imprisonment. 2 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

Any Person 1

Plus 2 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Supporting — topic alignment

5 guides

Export market research and selection

Packaging and labeling for export markets

Rules of origin for preferential trade

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)

Human Medicines Regulations 2012 2012 110 duties
Licensing Act 2003 2003 105 duties
Merchant Shipping Act 1995 1995 97 duties
Road Traffic Act 1988 1988 95 duties
Air Navigation Order 2016 2016 86 duties

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part 1 — International trade agreements

Browse 5 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

s.001

Part 2 — The Trade Remedies Authority

s.007

Provision of advice, support and assistance by the TRA

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator

TRA must provide trade advice and impact analysis to the Secretary of State Statutory regulator

Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

s.006

The Trade Remedies Authority

Part 3 — The Trade and Agriculture Commission

Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

s.008

Part 4 — Trade information

s.015

Offence relating to disclosure under section 14

2 years imprisonment

Wrongly disclose confidential personal information Any Person

Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

s.012

Part 5 — General

Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

s.016

Schedules

s.sch004

The Trade Remedies Authority

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator

Trade Remedies Authority must maintain accounts and undergo audit Statutory regulator

Browse 5 other Schedules — structural / supplementary

s.002

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

UK Export Finance (opens in a new tab) Detailed Guidance
DBT export support (opens in a new tab) Detailed Guidance
Export market guides (opens in a new tab) Detailed Guidance
Apply for an Advance Origin Ruling (opens in a new tab) Detailed Guidance
UK-EU TCA rules of origin introduction (opens in a new tab) Detailed Guidance
UK trade agreements in effect (opens in a new tab) Detailed Guidance
UK Trade Tariff (opens in a new tab) Detailed Guidance
Check your goods meet the rules of origin (opens in a new tab) Detailed Guidance

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

TPR

The Pensions Regulator

Regulates workplace pensions, defined benefit schemes, and master trusts. All employers must auto-enrol eligible workers into a workplace pension. Enforces employer duties …