Following industry pressure, the UK Government has announced an extension to the period CE marking will be accepted in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales).
On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom (UK) formally withdrew from the European Union (EU), known as Brexit. In December 2020, it was announced that goods being placed on the market in Great Britain (GB) would require a UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark from January 1, 2021. This includes most goods requiring CE marking, which could continue to be used during a transition period ending on January 1, 2022.
On August 24, 2021, the UK Government announced that “to allow businesses time to adjust, CE marked goods in scope of this guidance that meet EU requirements (where these match UK requirements) can continue to be placed on the GB market until January 1, 2023, where EU and UK requirements remain the same. This includes goods which have been assessed by an EU recognized notified body.”
Read the official announcement.
Stakeholders should be aware that the CE Mark will only continue to be accepted, until December 31, 2022, if the rules it is based upon have not diverged from GB rules.
UKCA marking is only required before January 1, 2023, if the following criteria apply:
- Product is for a GB market
- Product is covered by legislation that requires UKCA marking
- Product requires mandatory third-party conformity assessment
- Conformity assessment has been conducted by a UK conformity assessment body
This does not apply to existing stock. Goods fully manufactured, CE marked and ready to be placed onto the market before January 1, 2021, can still be sold in GB with a CE mark. They must be placed onto the market before December 31, 2022.
Type of Good | Accepted Markings or Combination of Markings | |
|---|---|---|
Manufactured goods placed onto the market in Great Britain | Before December 31, 2022 | UKCA or CE |
After January 1, 2023 | UKCA | |
Qualifying Northern Ireland goods placed onto the market in Great Britain under unfettered access |
| CE or CE and UKNI |
Table 1. Summary of accepted marks
Embracing the next normal, we are running the SGS Juvenile Products Safety Forum 2021 online and offering you the chance to tap into our expertise from the safety of your remote workplace. We will cover new regulatory requirements, hot topics, market focus and some SGS services. Among the 13 Forum webinars, one will focus on the impact of BREXIT and the UKCA on toys and juvenile products. Register today.
SGS is committed to providing information about development in regulations for consumer products as complimentary services. Through a global network of laboratories, SGS provides a wide range of services including physical/mechanical testing, analytical testing and consultancy work for technical and non-technical parameters applicable to a comprehensive range of consumer products. Contact us for more information or visit our website.
For inquiries, please contact:
Simon Chee
Operations Manager
t: +44 (0)797 187 9855
© SGS Group Management SA - 2021 - All rights reserved - SGS is a registered trademark of SGS Group Management SA. This is a publication of SGS, except for 3rd parties’ contents submitted or licensed for use by SGS. SGS neither endorses nor disapproves said 3rd parties contents. This publication is intended to provide technical information and shall not be considered an exhaustive treatment of any subject treated. It is strictly educational and does not replace any legal requirements or applicable regulations. It is not intended to constitute consulting or professional advice. The information contained herein is provided “as is” and SGS does not warrant that it will be error-free or will meet any particular criteria of performance or quality. Do not quote or refer any information herein without SGS’s prior written consent.
