UKCA marking information

The UK left the EU single market on the 31st December 2020 and the UKCA mark has now replaced the CE mark in the United Kingdom.

The UK government announced in August 2023 that the CE mark will now remain valid indefinitley.

Most manufacturers have already adopted the UKCA mark which offers clear commercial benefits and increased customer confidence by showing that the product fully complies with UK standards and legislation.

UKCA marking conformity assessment

The UKCA is the Conformity Assessment mark for the United Kingdom. For now manufacturers can use both the UKCA or the CE mark until further notice.

The UKCA mark can in some cases be added to a product following a process of self-declaration of conformity by the manufacturer, whereas other products, typically more ‘high-risk’ products, may require third-party conformity assessment.

All products that require a UKCA mark whether this is via a process of self-declaration or mandatory third-party assessment, must also have a Declaration of Conformity and a technical file with information regarding the product.

What products does the UKCA mark apply to?

toys
pyrotechnics
recreational craft and personal watercraft
simple pressure vessels
electromagnetic compatibility
non-automatic weighing instruments
measuring instruments
measuring container bottles
lifts
equipment for potentially explosive atmospheres (UKEX)
radio equipment
pressure equipment
personal protective equipment (PPE)
gas appliances
machinery
equipment for use outdoors
ecodesign
aerosols
low voltage electrical equipment

The following product areas are also covered by the UKCA marking but have some special rules. They are:

Self-declaration for the UKCA marking

The following table shows the legislative areas where self-declaration of conformity for UKCA marking is permitted, and in some, instances may be required:

Legislation	Scope
Construction Products Regulations (Regulation (EU) 305/2011 as brought into UK law and amended)	Products within scope of System 4
Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products Regulations 2010	All products listed in Schedule 1 with the exception of boilers as specified in retained Commission Regulation (EU) 813/2013
Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 2016	All products
Medical Devices Regulations 2002	Some Class 1 devices
Personal Protective Equipment Regulations (Regulation (EU) 2016/425 as brought into UK law and amended)	Category I personal protective equipment
Radio Equipment Regulations 2017	All products except where designated standards for regulation 6 (2) either do not exist or have not been applied (either in full or in part) by the manufacturer.
Recreational Craft Regulations 2017	Certain categories of recreational craft as specified in the legislation.
The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016	All products
The Equipment and Protective Systems Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2016	Equipment-group II, equipment category 3
The Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016	Category I pressure equipment
The Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2012	All products
The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008	Any machine which is not in Schedule 2, Part 4 of the Regulations. Any machine in Schedule 2, Part 4 where the requirements of all relevant designated standards have been applied in full and where those standards cover the applicable essential requirements.
Toy (Safety) Regulations 2011	Products where all essential requirements are covered by designated standards and the manufacturer has applied these standards.

Mandatory third-party conformity assessment

Where mandatory third-party conformity assessment is required for UKCA marked products, in order to make the transition process less costly, the UK government will introduce legislation to allow manufacturers to use a certificate issued by an EU Conformity Assessment Body, also known as EU-CABs or EU Notified Bodies, to declare a product compliant with the UKCA up until the expiry of the certificate or the 31st December 2027, which ever is sooner.

What is included in the UKCA Declaration of Conformity?

In the document the manufacturer, or the authorised representative (where allowed for in the relevant legislation), should (among other things):

declare that the product is in conformity with the relevant regulatory requirements.

make sure the document has the name and address of the manufacturer (or your authorised representative) together with information about the product and the conformity assessment body (where relevant).

The information required on the UK Declaration of Conformity is largely the same as what was required on an EU Declaration of Conformity. This can vary depending on the applicable legislation but generally should include:

The manufacturer’s name and full business address and that of your authorised representative (if applicable)

the product’s serial number, model or type identification.

a statement, stating you take full responsibility for the product’s compliance.

the details of the approved body which carried out the conformity assessment procedure (if applicable).

the relevant legislation with which the product complies.

the name and signature of the person authorised to sign on behalf of the manufacturer or their authorised representative.

the date the declaration was issued.

supplementary information (if applicable).

You also need to list:

relevant UK legislation.

UK designated standards.

More about the UKCA declaration of conformity here

What should be done next?

If you are based outside the UK and you sell products to clients in the UK then you will need to identify a UK address (importer or Authorised Representative) on the product or its accompanying documentation. This is currently a requirement and should be done immediately.

If you are relying on your client, the importer to do this then you should check with them that this is done and that they also agree to take on all of the importers obligations and are complying with the regulations. You will find more information about importers obligations on the government website: UKCA-marking-roles-and-responsibilities. Alternatively, i you do not want to rely on your importer to comply with these regulation, or prefer more flexibility to sell to other clients then you can use an authorised representative to take on these obligations. You will find more information about this on post: Reasons to work with a UK Authorised Representative

You should begin preparing to update the markings on products that you sell to the UK to include the UKCA mark and the corresponding documentation.

If your product requires EU Notified Body certification then you should also begin preparing to change this to a UK-CAB certification (UK-Conformity Approved Body). Your current EU Notified Body Certification will remain valid until the end of 2027.

For more information on the above, contact us using the contact information below.