The UK Government has confirmed that businesses in England, Scotland and Wales have been given an extra year to start using the UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking, the new product safety marking adopted since the UK departed the EU. Businesses were due to begin to use the mark on 1 January 2021. However, the Government has announced that given the “continued impact of the pandemic”, more time is needed for businesses to meet their legal obligations.

The UKCA marking replaces the product safety labelling the UK previously used while a member of the EU, such as the CE mark.

This extension means all goods which previously required the CE marking will not need to use the UKCA marking until 1 January 2023. The exception is medical devices, where businesses will not need to use the UKCA marking until 1 July 2023.

Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, Northern Ireland will continue to recognise the CE marking for goods placed on the market in Northern Ireland. They will however need to use the UKNI marking if they use a UK conformity assessment body to test their products.