F-gas paperwork for precharged equipment imports
Build a calendar-year refrigerant ledger, secure the required quota authorisations, and prepare a separate F-gas declaration linked to each shipment. Check annual reporting and independent verification separately, then retain the supporting records. Factory data can be collected by Cambridge China Bridge.
Build the annual refrigerant ledger before ordering
For each model, ask the factory for the refrigerant identity, charge mass per unit and supporting specification. Multiply the charge by the equipment quantity, convert kilograms to metric tonnes, then multiply by the gas’s global warming potential. Add the carbon dioxide equivalents across your calendar-year imports, including orders from other suppliers.
Keep shipment references alongside the calculations, and distinguish quantities imported from quantities placed on the GB market. Update the forecast whenever the refrigerant, charge or order quantity changes. For the wider product checks, use our electrical goods guide.
Arrange authorisations against your own account
The Environment Agency says registration and quota authorisations are needed when annual imports reach 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent or more. After registration, use your organisation ID when arranging authorisations with a quota holder or delegations with an authorisation manager. Check that the allocation is available in your account rather than relying on a supplier’s promise.
Complete transactions before 31 December and hold sufficient authorisations or delegations by then to cover that calendar year’s market placements. Unused allocations can carry forward. This is not permission to import first: the guidance says you cannot import without enough authorisations or delegations where required.
Prepare the separate F-gas declaration
The equipment-import guidance requires an F-gas declaration for refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat-pump equipment containing more than 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in a year. It certifies quota coverage. Keep it distinct from the electrical product declaration covered by our CE and UKCA guide. The published quota threshold includes exactly 100 tonnes; the declaration wording says more than 100. Ask the Environment Agency to confirm your declaration position at that boundary.
Use the official template, enter your company details, VAT identification number and GB F-gas registration ID, and arrange signature by the legal representative. Its authorisation option refers to coverage at release for free circulation. Send the completed declaration with customs declaration paperwork to HMRC for each import and to your annual verifier. Keep the declaration for 5 years. Assemble the ordinary shipment file using our customs documents guide.
Check reporting and verification separately
For equipment, the reporting guidance lists annual reporting when F gases equivalent to 500 tonnes or more of carbon dioxide were placed on the GB market in the previous calendar year. Where an annual activity report is required, submit it by 31 March. Do not use that reporting threshold to decide whether independent verification is needed.
Independent verification applies when precharged refrigeration, air-conditioning or heat-pump equipment placed on the GB market contains HFCs equivalent to 100 tonnes or more, and those HFCs have not previously been placed on that market. The guidance gives 31 March as the submission deadline for the previous year’s qualifying imports. Keep verification documents for 5 years and make them available to the regulator.
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Give the verifier a traceable shipment file
Maintain a working file containing the equipment types, unit quantities, refrigerant quantities, calculation basis, account allocations, signed declarations and customs records. Ask the verifier to identify missing evidence before the reporting deadline. Submit verification documents to the Environment Agency’s F-gas support team; request its verification template if needed.
Ask Cambridge China Bridge’s staff in China to obtain charge specifications and match them to the ordered models and production records. Reconcile the factory data with the invoice, packing list and your annual ledger before shipment. Keep the GB account, declaration signature and annual submissions assigned to named people in your business.
Frequently asked questions
Is the F-gas limit per shipment or per year?
The quota registration threshold is based on calendar-year HFC imports, measured as carbon dioxide equivalent. Combine relevant shipments rather than assessing each container separately.
Does a CE declaration cover F-gas quota?
The F-gas declaration certifies quota coverage. Prepare it separately from the electrical product declaration and link it to the relevant customs paperwork.
Do I need verification below the reporting threshold?
Yes, potentially. Qualifying precharged refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat-pump equipment has a 100-tonne verification threshold; the equipment activity-report threshold is 500 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
How long should I keep F-gas paperwork?
Keep the F-gas declaration and verification documents for 5 years. Store their supporting shipment records and calculations together so the figures can be traced.