EU certificates will be valid for UKCA marking

The UK government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has announced that it is changing most UKCA marking rules to recognise EU Notified Body certificates. Valid CE certificates issued before the end of 2022 may be used to UKCA mark products for another five years until 31/12/2027.

The move aims to reduce the burden of certification on manufacturers and tackle a severe shortage in UK conformity assessment services, which has left manufacturers unable to complete UKCA certification of many products.

Prior to this announcement CE certificates could not be used as the basis of UKCA marking and GB market access for CE certified goods had been due to end on 1st Jan 2023. Update: the deadline for UKCA marking for products being sold in the UK has now been extended to 31st December 2024. Read more about the UKCA Deadline Extension here.

The construction products sector is facing an even more acute shortage of UKCA certification services. Its regulator, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is expected to make a similar announcement soon. It is uncertain whether the regulators of medical devices and unmanned aircraft systems will follow.

This significantly reduces the burden of testing and certification for manufacturers subject to mandatory third-party certification. It will be seen as a failure to make a clean break by those against alignment with the EU.