On 1 September 2020, the UK government has published new guidance on using the UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) mark from the 1 January 2021, after the Brexit transition period comes to an end.

The new product marking system will be introduced for manufactured goods placed on the market in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), covering most goods that would previously have required CE marking.

After the UKCA mark is introduced, there will be a grace period where the CE mark will remain permissible in most cases until 1 January 2022, provided that the GB and EU rules remain the same. However, some products being placed on the GB market will require immediate UKCA marking from 1 January 2021.

The new guidance will help you:

  • identify which rules apply from 1 January 2021
  • check to see if you need to change your conformity assessment or marking
  • check whether your legal responsibilities are changing
  • find out if your existing stock can still be placed on the GB market after 1 January 2021

Read the guidance on:

The UKCA mark cannot be used alone for goods placed on the market in Northern Ireland.

After the end of the transition period, the CE mark will continue to be the conformity assessment mark for most goods placed on the Northern Ireland market, to show they meet EU rules. You may also need to apply the UK(NI) mark if you choose to use UK bodies for approvals or certification. Any conformity mark held by a Northern Ireland business which validates the goods for sale on the Northern Ireland market will be valid for the whole of the UK market.

For more information, read about placing manufactured goods on the market in Northern Ireland(link is external) and see guidance on moving goods into, out of, or through Northern Ireland.