How to Get UKCA Certification in 2026

• Check first, spend later: Before working out how to get UKCA certification, see if your product already has CE marking. For most products, Great Britain now accepts CE with no end date.
• Know the exceptions: Medical devices and construction products follow separate UK rules. UKCA is not valid on its own in Northern Ireland or the EU, where you need CE.
• If you need UKCA, follow the basics: Test to UK standards, prepare your technical file, get a UK Approved Body if your product requires one, sign the UK Declaration of Conformity, and add the UKCA mark with your UK importer’s details.

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Introduction

A kitchen appliance manufacturer in Rajkot gets an enquiry from a distributor in Birmingham. The email is friendly, but one line stands out: “Please confirm your products are UKCA compliant.” The factory already has CE marking for Europe. So the owner calls up and asks the obvious question: do we have to start from zero for the UK?

That question sits at the centre of how to get UKCA certification today. The honest answer surprises most people. For a large number of products, the UK now accepts CE marking with no end date, so a separate UKCA mark is optional. For some products, UKCA or another UK-specific route is still needed.

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What Is UKCA Marking?

UKCA stands for UK Conformity Assessed. The UK introduced it after Brexit, from 1 January 2021, as its own version of the CE mark. By putting the UKCA mark on a product, the manufacturer declares that the product meets every UK law that applies to it.

One point confuses many exporters: the UK government does not issue a single “UKCA certificate”. For most products, the manufacturer declares conformity itself, based on test reports and a technical file. A UK Approved Body gets involved and issues a certificate only for higher-risk products.

It works a bit like filing your own income tax return. You prepare the papers, you sign them, and you are responsible if something is wrong. Only some cases need an outside auditor.

So when people search for how to get UKCA certification, what they usually need is the full UKCA marking process: testing, documentation and labelling. They do not need a one-page certificate from an office.

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Do You Still Need UKCA Marking in 2026?

This is where most online guides go wrong. Many pages still say UKCA “replaces” CE and quote deadlines from 2023 or 2025. Those deadlines no longer apply.

The UK passed the Product Safety and Metrology etc. (Amendment) Regulations 2024, which came into force on 1 October 2024. Under this law, CE-marked products can continue to be sold in Great Britain with no end date, for products covered by 21 regulations. These include:

• toys
• machinery
• low voltage electrical equipment
• electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)
• radio equipment
• personal protective equipment (PPE)
• gas appliances
• pressure equipment and simple pressure vessels
• equipment for explosive atmospheres (ATEX)
• lifts, RoHS and ecodesign products

For these products, you can legally use CE, UKCA, or both on the GB market.

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Products that follow separate UK rules

Medical devices are regulated by the MHRA under a separate framework. CE-marked devices are currently accepted in Great Britain under transitional arrangements until 30 June 2028 or 30 June 2030, depending on the device and the EU law it was certified under.

The MHRA ran a consultation in early 2026 on recognising CE-marked devices indefinitely. Check the latest MHRA guidance before you plan. Non-UK manufacturers also need a UK Responsible Person and must register their devices with the MHRA.

Construction products fall under a different department. The earlier plan to stop accepting CE marking on construction products from June 2025 was dropped. Always check current guidance for your specific product.

Marine equipment, rail products, civil explosives and transportable pressure equipment have their own rules and markings as well.

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Where each mark is accepted

Where you sell	Mark that works
Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales)	CE or UKCA for most products
Northern Ireland	CE, or CE + UKNI if a UK body did the assessment. UKCA alone is not valid
European Union	CE only. UKCA is not recognised

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How to Get UKCA Certification: 7 Steps

Step 1: Identify the UK regulations that apply

Every product falls under one or more UK laws, and each law has its own requirements. Take a Wi-Fi-enabled air fryer. It may fall under:

• the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016
• the Radio Equipment Regulations 2017
• RoHS rules
• ecodesign rules

The first step in how to get UKCA certification is building this list correctly. If you get it wrong, every rupee you spend after this point is spent on the wrong target.

Step 2: Choose your conformity assessment route

There are two broad routes:

• Self-declaration: You test the product, prepare the documents and declare conformity yourself. Most ordinary electrical goods, EMC-only products and many toys follow this route.
• UK Approved Body assessment: An independent body reviews your product and, in some cases, your factory. This applies to higher-risk products such as gas appliances, many categories of PPE, some pressure equipment and certain machinery.

The regulation for your product sets out which route, or “module”, you must follow. You cannot choose the easier one simply because it is cheaper.

Step 3: Test against UK designated standards

The UK uses designated standards in place of EU harmonised standards. Most carry the same BS EN numbers, but the lists are not always identical. Radio equipment is one area where differences have appeared.

Use a laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025. Many such labs operate in India. If you already have CE test reports, they may be reused, provided the standards and versions match the UK list.

A practical tip: ask the lab to list the UK designated standards on the report itself. It saves back-and-forth later.

Step 4: Prepare the technical documentation

This is your evidence file. It should explain in plain English how the product meets each requirement, and typically includes:

• product description, drawings and circuit diagrams
• bill of materials and critical component certificates
• risk assessment
• test reports
• user manual and safety information
• details of production controls

Keep this file for the period your regulation requires, which is 10 years for many product types. It should be ready to show UK authorities on request.

Step 5: Get UK Approved Body assessment (if required)

If your product needs third-party checks, choose an Approved Body listed on the UK government’s UKMCAB database.

A certificate from an EU notified body supports the CE mark, not the UKCA mark. For a UKCA mark on a product that needs third-party assessment, the certificate must come from a UK Approved Body. Some Approved Bodies work through offices or partners in India, which can make factory audits easier to schedule.

Step 6: Draw up the UK Declaration of Conformity

The UK Declaration of Conformity is a signed statement in which you take responsibility for compliance. It normally lists:

• the manufacturer’s name and address
• product identification
• the UK regulations that apply
• the designated standards used
• Approved Body details, where relevant
• the signatory, date and place

It is a separate document from your EU Declaration of Conformity, which lists EU directives instead of UK regulations.

Step 7: Apply the UKCA mark and complete labelling

The UKCA mark must be at least 5 mm high, unless your regulation says otherwise. It must be clearly visible, easy to read and permanent. Along with the mark, check:

• The UK importer’s name and address appear on the product, its packaging or the accompanying document.
• Manufacturer details and a batch, serial or type number are present.
• Safety information and instructions are in English.

If some stock is also going to Northern Ireland, those units need CE marking.

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Documents Checklist for UKCA Marking

Anyone working out how to get UKCA certification should gather these before starting:

• list of applicable UK regulations and designated standards
• test reports from an accredited laboratory
• complete technical file (as in Step 4)
• risk assessment
• UK Approved Body certificate (only where required)
• signed UK Declaration of Conformity
• label artwork with the UKCA mark and UK importer details
• user manual and safety warnings in English
• details of your UK importer or authorised representative

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How Long Does UKCA Certification Take, and What Does It Cost?

The UK government does not charge a fixed UKCA fee. Your cost depends on:

• the number of regulations that apply to your product
• whether existing CE test reports can be reused
• how much fresh testing you need
• whether an Approved Body and a factory audit are involved
• how many models or variants you want covered

Timelines vary on the same lines. If you already hold CE test reports against matching standards and your product is self-declared, the work is mostly documentation and labelling, which can move fast. Fresh testing adds lab time. Approved Body routes often take a few months, depending on the body’s workload and audit dates. Treat these as typical patterns, not promises.

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Common Mistakes Indian Exporters Make

Most of the trouble we see around how to get UKCA certification comes from a few repeated errors:

1. Paying for UKCA when CE already covers them. If your product falls under the 21 recognised regulations and has valid CE marking, a separate UKCA process may not be needed at all.
2. Assuming an EU notified body certificate works for UKCA. It does not, where third-party assessment is required.
3. Leaving out the UK importer’s address. This is a common reason for goods getting stuck with a UK buyer.
4. Using UKCA for Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland follows EU rules, so CE is needed there.
5. Using old test reports. Reports listing outdated standard versions, or EU standards only, create gaps.
6. Treating it as one-time work. A change in design, a key component or a standard can mean your file needs updating.

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CE or UKCA: Which Route Should You Choose?

Our recommendation: if you sell to both Europe and the UK, CE is usually the smarter single route. One set of tests and one technical file covers the EU, Great Britain and Northern Ireland for most products.

UKCA makes sense when:

• you sell only to Great Britain and your buyer insists on UKCA
• your product is in a sector without indefinite CE recognition, such as some medical device routes
• you want an extra safeguard in case UK and EU rules move apart in future

You can use both marks on one product, as long as you meet both sets of rules. Recognition of CE currently has no end date in UK law, but the UK can still change its rules. Keep an eye on official updates, especially if you are deciding how to get UKCA certification as a long-term plan.

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Why Choose Diligence Certifications for UKCA Certification?

Many firms will happily sell you a UKCA project. We start with a more useful question: do you actually need one? For many exporters, the honest answer saves real money and time.

When UKCA is the right route, Diligence Certifications handles the work end to end:

• Product classification: mapping your product to the correct UK regulations and designated standards.
• Gap analysis: checking your existing CE test reports and files, so you reuse what you can and test only what you must.
• Lab coordination: working with accredited testing labs in India.
• Documentation: preparing the technical file and the UK Declaration of Conformity in the correct format.
• Approved Body coordination: managing the process where third-party assessment is required.
• Label review: checking the UKCA mark placement, importer details and English safety information.
• Market planning: advising on CE, UKCA or dual marking based on where you sell.

Because our team also handles Indian and global approvals, such as BIS and CE, exporters can manage domestic and export compliance with one partner. You can read more about our UKCA Certification services.

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Conclusion

Knowing how to get UKCA certification in 2026 is less about racing to get a new mark and more about making the right decision first. For many products, valid CE marking already opens the Great Britain market. For others, the UKCA process involves:

• correct regulations
• the right testing
• a clean technical file
• a signed Declaration of Conformity
• careful labelling

If you are unsure which route fits your product, speak with our team before you spend on testing. Book a free consultation with Diligence Certifications, and we will tell you plainly whether you need UKCA, CE, or both, and how to get there without delays.

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Frequently Asked Questions