From 1st January 2022, all products placed on the GB market are required to be UKCA marked.
It is not necessary to re-test products that are currently CE certified.
A new UKCA declaration of conformity will also be required. ETS is able to help with this, please contact us for further information.
The UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) marking is a new UK product compliance marking that is used for goods being placed on the market in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). It covers most goods which previously required the CE marking. These changes do not affect Northern Ireland, which still require the CE marking or UKNI marking. From 1st January 2022, all products placed on the GB market are required to be UKCA marked. However, there are exceptions such as those for medical devices, which will continue to be recognised until 30th June 2023.
The UKCA mark came into force after 31st December 2020 which marked the end of the transition or implementation period. However, to allow manufacturers time to adjust, CE marking will continue to be accepted until 1st January 2022.
The route to compliance, technical requirements, conformity assessment and applicable standards that can be used to demonstrate conformity remain the same as they were for the CE marking.
Some important points to note:
- The principle of self-certification and third-party assessments established under EU legislation is unchanged
- From 1st January 2021, third-party assessments from EU appointed Notified Bodies located in the UK will no longer be accepted in the EU, and certificates issued by those bodies cease to be valid
- Existing UK based Notified Bodies will cease to operate and will automatically become UK Approved Bodies with the same scope. They will perform the same activities but under the UK Regulations
- Products that are currently CE marked on the basis of an EU Notified Body assessment are, from 1st January 2022, required to be assessed by a UK Approved Body for UK market access
UK Declaration of Conformity
The information required on the Declaration of Conformity is largely the same as what was required on an EU Declaration of Conformity. This can vary depending on the application legislation but generally should include:
- Company name and full business address or that of their authorised representative
- the product’s serial number, model or type identification
- a statement, stating the manufacturer or importer takes 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
- Signatory’s name and signature
- the date the declaration was issued
- supplementary information (if applicable)
Placing the UKCA marking
The UKCA marking must be applied to the product itself or to the packaging. In some cases, it may be placed on the manuals or on other supporting literature. This will vary depending on the specific regulations that apply to the product.
The following general rules apply:
- UKCA markings must only be placed on a product by the manufacturer or their authorised representative (where allowed for in the relevant legislation)
- when attaching the UKCA marking, the manufacturer takes full responsibility for the product’s conformity with the requirements of the relevant legislation
- the manufacturer must only use the UKCA marking to show product conformity with the relevant UK legislation
- the manufacturer must not place any marking or sign that may misconstrue the meaning or form of the UKCA marking to third parties
- the manufacturer must not attach other markings on the product which affect the visibility, legibility or meaning of the UKCA marking
- the UKCA marking cannot be placed on products unless there is a specific requirement to do so in the legislation
For more information, please feel free to contact us on 01371 856061 / 856144 or go to:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-ukca-marking
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/placing-manufactured-goods-on-the-market-in-great-britain
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/placing-manufactured-goods-on-the-market-in-northern-ireland
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