UKCA Explained

BVM and Eurofins

BVM Ltd have been working in close partnership with Eurofins E&E Hursley Limited (formerly Hursley EMC Services since their inception in 1997) for nearly 25 years, utilising their broad range of regulatory compliance services needed for the accreditation & certification of BVM’s bespoke designs – from anything relating to commercial EMC, military and avionics and RF surveys for the pre-testing prototypes for EMC emissions, resolving ESD failure issues or supporting final award of certification.

These are just some of the areas that Eurofins E&E Hursley Limited provide accreditation services for:

BVM work with Eurofins E&E Hursley because they provide UKAS accredited EMC testing to International standards. Their certification under the NEMKO EMC Authorisation (ELA) scheme guarantees our reports can be accepted worldwide – and are a UK Notified Body for approving Technical Files.

What is UKCA Marking ?

The UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) mark is the new UK product mark that will be required for a variety products being marketed and sold in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). It covers most products that previously required the CE mark.

The UKCA mark will not be recognised outside of Great Britain and products will still need to bear a CE mark to be sold in the EU.

The Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol means that products being sold into Northern Ireland markets will continue to meet relevant EU rules including CE marking.

On the 24th August 2021, the UK Government announced a 12-month extension to the period during which CE Marking would continue to be accepted for the GB market. The information below has been updated to reflect these changes.

What does a UKCA mark show?

By affixing a UKCA mark to a product which is to be marketed & sold it into GB markets, the manufacturer is stating that the product meets the UK Regulations as defined in the relevant Statutory Instruments (SIs).

When does the UKCA mark come into force?

The UKCA mark came into force after 31st December 2020 which marked the end of the transition or implementation period. However, and to allow manufacturers time to adjust, CE marking will continue to be accepted until 1st January 2023 in most cases – assuming GB and EU rules remain the same.

Is Eurofins able to carry out the test/assessments for the UKCA Mark?

From 1st January 2021 the technical requirements, or the ‘essential requirements’, as well as the conformity assessment processes and standards that are used to demonstrate conformity, are largely the same as they are now.

Eurofins are able to test products as part of UKCA and CE marking regimes as well as being able to offer services that will allow global product compliance requirements to be met. For most customers, there will be no change to the process of testing needed to meet the requirements of both UKCA and CE marking.

The Headlines

• The UKCA mark came into effect on 1st January 2021
• The principle of self-certification and third-party assessments established under EU legislation is unchanged
• CE marking will continue to be accepted on the GB market until 1st January 2023 for most products, assuming GB and EU rules remain the same
• There is no mutual recognition of marks between the UK and EU
• From 1st January 2021, third-party assessments from EU appointed Notified Bodies located in the UK are no longer be accepted in the EU. And certificates issued by those bodies have ceased 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
• CE marking continues to be the product marking scheme for Northern Ireland where products are marketed & sold into the market place using self-certification
• To place a product onto the Northern Ireland market that requires the use of third-party approval, either an EU-27 Notified Body can be used and the CE mark applied or both the CE and UK(NI) mark applied when a UK Approved Body is used

Marketing & Selling Products inti the GB Market Place

• The UKCA mark can be used to demonstrate conformity with UK Regulations for products marketed & sold from 1st January 2021
• To allow businesses time to adjust to the new requirements, CE marking can continue to be used until 1st January 2023 for most products assuming that GB and EU rules remain the same.
• The UKCA mark will need to be used immediately from 1st January 2021 if ALL of the following apply:
  • The product is intended for the GB market
  • It is covered by legislation which requires the UKCA marking
  • It requires mandatory third-party conformity assessment
  • A third-party assessment has been carried out by an EU appointed Notified Body located in the UK and the files have not been transferred to an EU-27 Notified Body 

Note that this does not apply to existing stock, for example if your goods were fully manufactured and ready to place on the market before 1st January 2021. In these cases, a product can still be sold in Great Britain with the CE marking even if covered by a certificate of conformity issued by a UK body.

• From 1st January 2023, all products sold into GB markets are required to be UKCA marked unless special arrangements, such as those for medical devices, are in place.
• CE marking for medical devices will continue to be recognised in Great Britain until 30 June 2023 assuming that GB and EU rules remain the same
• Products that are currently CE marked on the basis of an EU Notified Body assessment are, from 1st January 2023, required to be assessed by a UK Approved Body for UK market access
• For businesses based in Northern Ireland, qualifying Northern Ireland goods can be sold into GB markets with an EU conformity assessment marking, such as the CE marking, after 31st December 2021

Marketing & Selling  Products into the NI Market Place

• New and existing products that are CE marked can be sold into the NI market without any changes
• The UKCA mark is not recognised in Northern Ireland
• Products that require third-party assessment can be sold into the Northern Ireland market using either an EU-27 Notified Body and affixed with the CE mark or a UK Approved Body and affixed with both the CE and UK(NI) marks
• Existing third-party assessment from an EU-27 Notified Body continues to be accepted for the Northern Ireland market

Marketing & Selling  Products into the EU Market

• For products using self-certification, no action is required
• For products having third-party assessment by an EU-27 Notified Body, no action is required
• Where a product has third-party assessment from an EU appointed Notified Body located in the UK, the files will need to have been transferred to an EU-27 Notified Body before 1st January 2021 or a new assessment completed by an EU-27 Notified Body

Find out more about the UKCA Mark

To find out how Eurofins E&E can help you with meeting the technical and administrative requirements of the UKCA mark, contact your local Eurofins E&E laboratory or email UKCA@eurofins.com