Professional

We license more than 800 establishments that store and use human tissue for purposes such as patient treatment, organ transplantation, post mortem examination, research, teaching, and public exhibitions. The information below covers the frequently asked question in relation to the UK transition. 

If you are an establishment based in GB that imports or exports human tissues or cells between GB and a country in the European Economic Area (EEA), you may need a licence that covers these activities. 

The United Kingdom (UK) has left the European Economic Area (EEA) single market and customs union. This has resulted in regulatory changes in the UK, including some that apply to the movement of human tissues and cells between Great Britain (GB), Northern Ireland (NI), and the EEA.

Establishments importing or exporting human tissues and cells intended for human application (patient treatment) may require a HTA licence covering these activities.

This accessibility statement applies to https://www.hta.gov.uk and all pages within it.  

Disposal of relevant material is one of the statutory activities within the remit of the Human Tissue Authority (HTA). However, the Human Tissue Act 2004 (HT Act) does not mandate any particular method of disposal according to the type or size of the relevant material. Further, it does not specify how to dispose of imported relevant material.

Consent underpins the Human Tissue Act (2004) (HT Act). This section explains the consent exemptions from the Act.