US suppliers entering UK defence · 5 of 8
JOSCAR and supplier qualification
JOSCAR is the shared supplier qualification system used across UK defence and aerospace. One qualification is recognised by multiple buyers instead of each running its own assessment, which makes it the practical front door to the UK prime supply chain.
What this involves
- Prepare and submit the JOSCAR registration, including the policy, certification and financial evidence it draws on.
- Align your certifications so they support the profile properly, since Cyber Essentials and similar certificates form part of it.
- Position the company for the primes who will actually check it, because JOSCAR is a qualification rather than a marketing exercise and its value is in who consumes it.
- Fix the gaps it exposes, which for a US entrant are usually UK-specific certifications and UK-entity financial evidence rather than capability.
The assumption that costs US entrants the most
Treating JOSCAR as a directory listing. It is a qualification consumed by buyers making real decisions about whether to invite you, and a thin or stale profile is worse than a considered one. It also surfaces gaps early, which is useful, but only if you act on what it surfaces.
Why it matters
For a US supplier without UK trading history, JOSCAR is one of the few routes to being assessed on the same basis as an established UK supplier, and it is consumed by exactly the primes a new entrant most wants to subcontract to.
Common questions
What is JOSCAR and do we need it?
JOSCAR is a shared supplier qualification system used across UK defence and aerospace, allowing one assessment to be recognised by multiple buyers. Whether you need it depends on who you intend to sell to: it is widely used by primes and larger buyers, so a supplier pursuing subcontract routes into the UK supply chain will usually be asked for it sooner or later.
Can a US-based company register on JOSCAR?
The qualification is oriented around UK defence and aerospace supply, and the evidence it draws on, including certifications and financial information, is generally easier to satisfy from a UK entity. Whether you register the parent or a UK entity is a question worth settling as part of your entry structure rather than at the point of registration.
Cleared support
Consultants cleared to Baseline Personnel Security Standard and Security Check, with Developed Vetting cleared personnel available where a requirement demands it.
Reviewed 22 August 2026 against MOD published policy. Nothing here is legal, export control or security advice, and defence policy moves: confirm the current published position before planning around anything on this page.
The rest of the entry picture
See the full UK entry overview for US defence suppliers, or our MOD bid writing service.
Testing whether the UK is worth it?
That is the right question and we will answer it straight, including when the answer is not yet. A director replies. We work US business hours by arrangement.
JOSCAR and supplier qualification
What do you supply, who buys it in the US today, and what has prompted the UK question?