Licenses and controls for buying substances used to make explosives

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. Individuals who want to acquire, possess, use or bring into Spain restricted explosive precursors must first obtain a license. The license lasts one year, cannot be extended, and when it expires it must be returned and any leftover product deposited at an approved waste management center.
2. Individuals are banned from bringing regulated explosive precursors into Spain from non-EU countries, and licenses will no longer be granted for potassium chlorate, potassium perchlorate, sodium chlorate and sodium perchlorate, which have no legitimate use for individuals.
3. Before granting a license, the State Secretariat for Security checks police records and criminal conviction records without the applicant's consent. The license can be denied if there are records, if alternative products exist, or if security measures are lacking, and the maximum deadline for a decision is three months.
4. Economic operators must verify the customer's identity and license at each sale, record the transaction details on the license, keep documentation for eighteen months, and report each sale to an individual to the National Contact Point within five days.
5. Suspicious transactions or attempts, as well as thefts and disappearances, must be reported to the National Contact Point within twenty-four hours. If there is no reply within seventy-two hours after reporting a suspicious transaction, the sale may go ahead.
6. A sanctioning regime is established with fines of up to €60,000 for economic operators and online marketplaces, and up to €10,000 for individuals. Very serious sanctions can also mean suspension of business activity, revocation of the license, or destruction of the products.

Who it affects

• Individuals: They need a license to buy, possess or use restricted explosive precursors, and face fines of up to €10,000 if they break the rules.
• Economic operators (stores and companies selling these substances): They must check identity and licenses, train their staff, report sales and suspicious transactions, and can be fined up to €60,000.
• Online marketplaces: They must inform their users of the obligations, detect suspicious transactions and report them.
• Professional users: They must store substances securely, prove their professional activity, and report thefts and disappearances.
• State Secretariat for Security and inspection authorities: They grant and revoke licenses, inspect premises and impose sanctions.

Words worth knowing

Precursor de explosivos (explosive precursor)

A substance or mixture that can be misused to make explosives, such as some everyday chemical products.

Precursores restringidos y regulados (restricted and regulated precursors)

Restricted ones are the most dangerous and require a license for individuals; regulated ones are subject to lighter controls, such as reporting thefts.

Operador económico (economic operator)

Any company or professional that manufactures, distributes or sells these substances.

Punto de Contacto Nacional (National Contact Point)

Body designated by the State Secretariat for Security where suspicious transactions, thefts and disappearances are reported.

Centro homologado de gestión de residuos (approved waste management center)

An authorized center where deteriorated or leftover substances must be taken for destruction.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries