Changes to your licence or business

You need to let us know when:

  • you want to vary something on your export licence
  • there are changes to your operations
  • your business is closing down.

Vary something on your licence

You need to apply for a licence variation if you want to vary any of the following on your export licence:

  • the conditions of the licence
  • the specification/s
  • the kinds of waste material covered by the licence
  • the countries where the waste material may be exported
  • the tyre re-tread facility or the organisation that imports your tyres for re-use (tyre licences only)
  • the expiry date (this cannot be more than three years after the day the licence started)
  • your licence specified the name of the importer, and you want to add another importer.

We will need to assess your variation application.

You must continue to comply with the existing requirements of your licence until we approve the variation.

Variation documents

You must provide documents to support your variation request.

The type of documents will depend on the variation.

For example, to add another country to your licence, you must show us why you want to add it. You should provide:

  • evidence of a commercial relationship with an importer in that country
  • evidence of how the waste material will be used in that country
  • the specification to which the waste will be processed before export. (If you’ve already provided this specification, tell us the specification name.)

Find out the types of documents you could provide.

Variation application

Complete and submit your application through our Waste Export Licensing and Declaration (WELD) portal. 

Only update the section of the form relating to the variation and complete the declaration page. You do not need to complete the entire form, however, you can use this form to tell us of other changes.

We will be able to process your application quicker if you submit:

  • a complete application with all supporting documents
  • documents that are legible and have a descriptive name.

We consider applications that don’t include required information or documents as incomplete. If this happens, we will request the information from you. You will need to provide this information before we can start to assess your application.

Please note the WELD portal will be unavailable on Sunday 1 October 2023 due to maintenance work.

Log into the Waste Export Licensing and Declaration portal

If you provide false or misleading information, you may be subject to a civil penalty or a criminal offence. Find out more about how to comply.

Changes to your business

You must tell us if any information you provided in your licence application or through other means has changed. For example, changes to:

  • your trading name, business address or email
  • export agents or freight forwarders
  • suppliers or importers of your waste
  • your business structure
  • people in management or control of your business.

Tell us about the change via ‘My messages’ in your WELD portal as soon as practicable.

If you have any documents about the change, upload them with your message.

There are additional requirements if the change is to:

  • your supplier, importer, export agent or freight forwarder
  • the person who operates either your tyre re-tread facility or the business who imports your tyres for re-use. (If you change where you send your tyres for re-tread or change the importer of tyres you export for re-use, apply for a variation.)

For these changes, you must:

  • complete and upload a notification of changes form with your message
  • upload any documents described on the form.

If your business is closing down

You need to let us know if your organisation is:

  • entering into administration
  • entering into an insolvency agreement
  • closing down.

Let us know via ‘My messages’ in your WELD portal.

We will notify you

Depending on the variation or change, we may:

We will also email you when we have either:

  • made a decision on your request to vary your licence
  • made your change.

You will need to log into the WELD portal to read the details of a decision to vary your licence.

If we approve your application to vary your licence, we will issue another licence with the updated details. Your licence number will not change.

If we refuse your application for a variation, we will tell you why we refused it. If you do not agree with our decision, you may ask for it to be reviewed.