Guidance

Make use of recognition of EU requirements to place products on the GB market

Published 3 February 2025

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

© Crown copyright 2025

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/placing-products-on-the-gb-market-recognition-of-eu-requirements/make-use-of-recognition-of-eu-requirements-to-place-products-on-the-gb-market

Introduction

For products in scope of this guidance, the current legislation allows you to place a product onto the GB market using either:

  • UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking
  • CE marking or reversed epsilon marking where required under the relevant legislation

The marking should be placed where required under the relevant legislation.

Where multiple product regulations apply to a product you can demonstrate compliance by either complying with:

  • UK essential requirements for all of the regulations
  • recognised EU essential requirements for all of the regulations 
  • UK essential requirements in one set of applicable regulations and the EU essential requirements in a different set of applicable regulations

To place a product on the GB market with UKCA marking by demonstrating compliance with EU essential requirements

You can also place UKCA marking on products where you have demonstrated compliance with the EU essential requirements, for the 21 sector specific regulations within the scope of the Product Safety and Metrology etc (Amendment) Regulations 2024.

You must ensure that all:

  • EU essential requirements are met
  • relevant EU conformity assessment procedures have been carried out, where required by the relevant legislation
  • technical documentation is provided in English

Then, the corresponding UKCA requirements are treated as being satisfied.

You must still attach a conformity marking, but for these product sectors, that can be either the UKCA marking, CE marking or, for some sectors, reversed epsilon marking. 

To place a product on the GB market with CE marking using recognised EU rules for all of the regulations

To place a product on the GB market with CE marking, using recognised EU rules for all of the regulations you are following, you must:

  • demonstrate compliance with the relevant EU essential requirements 
  • undertake relevant conformity assessment procedures 
  • draw up the relevant technical documentation, including providing an EU declaration of conformity (DoC) in English
  • apply the CE marking

To use a combination of UK essential requirements and recognised EU requirements to place a product on the GB market

You must use UKCA marking if you use a combination of UK essential requirements and recognised EU requirements to place a product on the GB market.

Here, you must:

  • demonstrate compliance with the essential requirements set out in UK or recognised EU regulations 
  • undertake the applicable conformity assessment procedures set out in UK or recognised EU regulations 
  • draw up the relevant technical documentation, including providing a UK DoC in English
  • apply the UKCA marking

For UKCA marking to be applied, you will need to draw up the UK DoC, listing compliance with the relevant UK or recognised EU legislation that has been met for each regulation applicable to the product.

You must ensure that a DoC can be made available and has:

Where regulations require both third party conformity assessment by an EU Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) and the EU CAB identification (ID) number to be applied next to the CE marking on the product, you should continue to apply the CE marking with the associated EU CAB identification (ID) number.  

However, if you wish to demonstrate conformity with recognised EU legislation using UKCA marking, you should not apply the EU CAB ID number next to the UKCA product mark. Instead, include the EU CAB ID number on the UK DoC, which is supplied with the product.

If you are placing a product on the GB market from outside of the UK, you will still need to take action to ensure you comply with UK importer responsibilities.

Read more about the scope of continued recognition of EU product regulations.

Conformity marking scenarios

The following table applies to the 21 product regulations included in the Product Safety and Metrology etc (Amendment) Regulations 2024. It shows the different conformity assessment markings which manufacturers may use to place goods on the GB market.

Recognised EU regulations are referenced in relevant UK legislation. See regulations that are in scope.

Manufacturers can choose to comply with:

Allowed on GB market DoC required
UK requirements to apply UKCA marking Yes UK DoC that references which UK regulations have been followed
UK requirements to apply CE marking No Not applicable
recognised EU requirements to apply CE marking Yes EU DoC, translated into English, that references which recognised EU regulations have been followed
recognised EU requirements to apply UKCA marking Yes UK DoC that references which recognised EU regulations have been followed
a combination of UK and recognised EU requirements to apply UKCA marking Yes UK DoC that references which UK regulations and recognised EU regulations have been followed
a combination of UK and recognised EU requirements to apply CE marking No Not applicable

Scope of continued recognition of EU product regulations

Regulations that are in scope

The following regulations are in scope of the legislation to continue recognition of EU requirements for placing products on the GB market:

Product sectors that are out of scope

The following product sectors are out of scope of this specific legislation to continue recognition of EU requirements for placing products on the GB market. There are specific arrangements in place for:

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