Without prejudice to the second subparagraph of Article 12(1) and Article 18(1), applications for licences or certificates, licences and certificates and extracts therefrom shall be drawn up on forms conforming to the specimens set out in Annex I. Such forms must be completed following the instructions given therein and in accordance with the specific Community provisions applicable to the relevant product sector.

Licence and certificate forms shall be made up in sets containing copy No 1, copy No 2 and the application, together with any extra copies of the licence or certificate, in that order.

However, Member States may require applicants to complete an application form only, instead of the sets provided for in the first subparagraph.

Where, as a result of a Community measure, the quantity for which the licence or certificate is issued may be less than the quantity in respect of which application for a licence or certificate was initially made, the quantity applied for and the amount of the security relating thereto must be entered only on the application form.

Forms for extracts of licences or certificates shall be made up in sets containing copy No 1 and copy No 2, in that order.

Forms, including extension pages, shall be printed to white paper free of mechanical pulp, dressed for writing and weighing at least 40 grams per square metre. Their size shall be 210 × 297 mm, the permitted length ranging from 5 mm below the latter figure to 8 mm above; the type space between lines shall be 4,24 mm (one sixth of an inch); the layout of forms shall be followed precisely. Both sides of copy No 1 and the side of the extension pages on which the attributions must appear shall in addition have a printed guilloche pattern background so as to reveal any falsification by mechanical or chemical means. The guilloche background shall be green for forms relating to imports and sepia brown for forms relating to exports.

Member States shall be responsible for having the forms printed. The forms may also be printed by printers appointed by the Member State in which they are established. In the latter case, reference to the approval by the Member State must appear on each form. Each form shall bear an indication of the printer's name and address or a mark enabling the printer to be identified and, except for the application form and extension pages, an individual serial number. The number shall be preceded by the following letters according to the Member State issuing the document: ‘AT’ for Austria, ‘BE’ for Belgium, ‘BG’ for Bulgaria, ‘CZ’ for the Czech Republic, ‘CY’ for Cyprus, ‘DE’ for Germany, ‘DK’ for Denmark, ‘EE’ for Estonia, ‘EL’ for Greece, ‘ES’ for Spain, ‘FI’ for Finland, ‘FR’ for France, ‘HU’ for Hungary, ‘IE’ for Ireland, ‘IT’ for Italy, ‘LU’ for Luxembourg, ‘LT’ for Lithuania, ‘LV’ for Latvia, ‘MT’ for Malta, ‘NL’ for the Netherlands, ‘PL’ for Poland, ‘PT’ for Portugal, ‘RO’ for Romania, ‘SE’ for Sweden, ‘SI’ for Slovenia, ‘SK’ for Slovakia and ‘UK’ for the United Kingdom.

At the time of their issue, licences or certificates and extracts may bear an issue number allocated by the issuing body.

Application, licences and certificates and extracts shall be completed in typescript or by computerised means. They shall be printed and completed in one of the official languages of the Community, as specified by the competent authorities of the issuing Member State. However, Member States may allow applications only to be hand-written in ink and in block capitals.

The stamps of issuing bodies and attributing authorities shall be applied by means of a metal stamp, preferably made of steel. However, an embossing press combined with letters or figures obtained by means of perforation may be substituted for the issuing body's stamp.

The competent authorities of the Member States concerned may, where necessary, require licences or certificates and extracts therefrom to be translated into the official language or one of the official languages of that Member State.