UKCA marking | |
---|---|
Standards organization | Department for Business and Trade |
Effective region | Great Britain (UKCA) Northern Ireland (UKNI) |
Effective since | 2020 |
Predecessor | CE marking |
Product category | Various |
Website | www |
UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking is a conformity mark that indicates conformity with the applicable requirements for products sold within Great Britain. [1] Products with the CE mark are also acceptable in the UK market.
The UKCA marking became part of UK law at the end of the Brexit transition period, on 31 December 2020, with the coming into force of The Product Safety and Metrology etc. (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. [2] [3] [4] It was planned to be a mandatory requirement since then, but the CE mark was accepted as an alternative, initially for the transition period until 1 January 2022. [5] This deadline for including the UKCA mark was extended to 31 December 2022, then to 1 January 2023, then to 31 December 2024, and then on 1 August 2023 the government effectively withdrew the requirement for UKCA, and stated that the CE mark remains acceptable for most goods as a valid sign of conformance. [6] [7] [8]
The scope and procedures of the UKCA scheme initially follow those for CE marking. The Government said that after 31 December 2020 the two schemes may diverge. [6] Initial guidance regarding UKCA marking was originally published by the Government of the United Kingdom in 2019 ahead of a potential no-deal Brexit but was subsequently withdrawn. [9]
The height of the UKCA marking must be at least 5mm; it may be larger so long as the proportions are kept. [1] The marking should be "easily visible, legible, and [from 1 January 2023] permanently attached to the goods".
The UKCA marking only applies to products placed on the market in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom that remains aligned to the European Single Market due to the Northern Ireland Protocol, CE marking continues to be required. [10] UK-resident bodies are no longer qualified to carry out CE mark conformity assessments for goods intended for the EU, but under the Northern Ireland Protocol they may do so for Northern Ireland. Where a UK body has carried out the assessment for goods intended for Northern Ireland, the product should display both the CE mark and a UKNI mark. [11] However, goods intended for export to the EU must be assessed by an EU-resident body and carry a CE mark (and must not carry the UKNI mark). [11] [lower-alpha 1]
As part of the British Government's policy of "unfettered access" for "qualifying Northern Ireland goods" [lower-alpha 2] to be sold in Great Britain without restriction, goods may be sold in Great Britain using the relevant Northern Ireland markings and without any additional approvals that would be required for the UKCA marking. [11]
Type of Good | Accepted Mark(s) |
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Goods placed on the market in Northern Ireland |
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Goods placed on the market in Great Britain |
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Qualifying goods from Northern Ireland placed on the market in Great Britain |
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Goods placed on the market in the European Economic Area |
|
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: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)In Northern Ireland, EU conformity markings will continue to be used to show that goods meet EU rules after 1 January 2021. For most manufactured goods, this is the CE marking, but there are some other markings for specific products (such as the wheel marking or Pi mark).