{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/investigatory-powers-act-2016/section-47",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/investigatory-powers-act-2016/section-47.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2016/25",
  "legislation_title": "Investigatory Powers Act 2016",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/investigatory-powers-act-2016",
  "path": "section/47",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "47",
  "heading": "Postal services: interception for enforcement purposes",
  "text": "(1) The interception of a communication in the course of its transmission by means of a public postal service is authorised by this section if it is carried out by an officer of Revenue and Customs under section 159 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, as applied by virtue of—\n(a) section 105 of the Postal Services Act 2000 (power to open postal items etc.), or\n(b) that section and another enactment.\n(2) The interception of a communication in the course of its transmission by means of a public postal service is authorised by this section if it is carried out under paragraph 9 of Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 (port and border controls) or under paragraph 9 of Schedule 3 to the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 (border security) .",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 47(2) inserted (13.8.2020) by Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 (c. 3), s. 27(2)(d), Sch. 4 para. 33; S.I. 2020/792, reg. 2(i)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 47 in force at 27.6.2018 by S.I. 2018/652, reg. 8(p)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/25/section/47",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:06:02.282680+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}