Apply for export insurance
Source: gov.uk (2025-07-30)

Use the online form to check your eligibility for UK Export Finance (UKEF) export insurance and make a full application.

You can use this service to apply for export insurance from UK Export Finance (UKEF).

Export insurance protects you if your buyer doesn’t pay you. It doesn’t insure the products or services you’re exporting.

Who is this service for?

You can use this service to apply for a single contract or multiple (revolving) contracts to the same buyer. You cannot complete this application if you’re a broker.

There are also trading restrictions on certain countries and territories. Before you apply, it’s worth checking if the country or territory you’re exporting to is exempt or high risk (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/country-cover-policy-and-indicators#a-to-z-list-of-country-or-territory-cover-policies-and-indicators).

We may also ask you if you’ve tried to get export insurance through the private market. This is because we’re not in competition with the private insurance market but are here to help when they cannot.

Get an instant quote

Get an instant online quote (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-a-quote-for-ukef-export-insurance) for your export insurance premium before you apply. The quote is an estimate and is non binding.

What you’ll need to apply

During your application, you’ll be asked to provide information about your:
- company and finances
- buyer’s details
- trading history with the buyer, if you’ve worked together before
- anti-bribery code of conduct, if you have one
Find a complete list of what information and documentation you’ll need for your application (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-apply-for-ukef-credit-insurance).

Start now (https://apply-for-export-credit-insurance.service.gov.uk/apply/eligibility/check-if-eligible)

Check if you’re eligible

Before you apply, we need to ask you a few questions to see if you’re eligible. You’ll find out if you are immediately and you can start your application right away.

Find out more about UKEF export insurance (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/export-insurance-policy) if you want to know who’s eligible and what’s covered. If you’re unsure, speak to an export finance manager (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/find-an-export-finance-manager).

Small Export Builder

If you are applying for a multiple contracts policy, you may be eligible for the Small Export Builder.

This covers export contracts with your buyer and has an initial credit limit of £25,000. Once the policy is in place, if you can show that you’ve been paid an outstanding balance of at least £25,000 due at any one time (from one or more invoices, £25,000 of which was insured under the policy) and other relevant conditions are met, you can notify UKEF of a 50% increase in your credit limit, to cover subsequent contracts with the same buyer up to the new amount.

You can keep doing this incrementally up to a maximum credit limit of £100,000, letting you access increased cover based on your positive trading history with the buyer. The Small Export Builder covers you against the same risks of loss as our standard export insurance policies.

The initial application process is the same, and UKEF will let you know you if you are eligible. To increase your credit limit you will need to notify UKEF.

Find out more about how the Small Export Builder works (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/credit-insurance-policy).

Create an account

Once you’ve completed the eligibility check, you can create an account. This will save your progress automatically, so you do not need to complete all answers in one session.

Sign in to your account to continue an application. (https://apply-for-export-credit-insurance.service.gov.uk/apply/sign-in)

What happens next?

We’ll usually let you know our decision within 7 working days. However, it can take us 2 to 3 weeks to process applications if we need more information.

This could be because we have questions, or because the export could have a negative impact on the environment.