UKCA Deadline Extended to 2023

The UK government has recently extended the deadline to January 1, 2023 to apply the United Kingdom Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking. UKCA markings are product safety markings for all products sold in England, Scotland and Wales. This marking allows the UK a measure of controls for goods regulations.  This marking also replaces the product safety labelling the UK previously used while a member of the EU, such as the CE mark.

Currently there is a lack of approved companies or specialists in the United Kingdom to conduct the large number of assessments and certifications required to meet the UKCA marking.  This deadline extension will allow additional time for those assessments and hopefully ensure those relevant British and European manufacturers to earn their UKCA markings. 

Important Notes Surrounding this Announcement

• The UKCA marking covers most goods which previously required the CE marking, known as ‘new approach’ goods, in addition to aerosol products that previously required the ‘reverse epsilon’ marking. 
• This extension means all goods which previously required the CE marking will not need to use the UKCA marking until 1 January 2023. The exception is medical devices, where businesses will not need to use the UKCA marking until 1 July 2023. 
• To extend the deadline, the government will introduce a statutory instrument under section 8 of the European Union Withdrawal Act later this year. 
• Businesses have been able to use the UKCA mark since 1 January 2021 to demonstrate their conformity with product standards in England, Scotland and Wales. 
• Under the terms of the Protocol, Northern Ireland will continue to recognize the CE marking for goods placed on the market in Northern Ireland. They will need to use the UKNI marking if they use a UK Conformity Assessment Body to test their products. 
• The government has published the UK Market Conformity Assessment Bodies database which businesses can use to identify the appropriate body to certify their products. 
• To find out what labelling requirements apply to your product, businesses should read the Product safety for businesses: A to Z of industry, guidance published by the Office for Product Safety and Standards. 
• Businesses can also sign up to the upcoming webinar on the new regulations. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will also be running a series of further webinars in the coming months. 

For additional information on this deadline extension, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/businesses-given-more-time-to-apply-new-product-safety-marking 

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