Businesses will be given a further extension until 31 December 2024 to start using the UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking for goods placed on the GB market.  The labelling easement has also been extended until 31 December 2027.  

Despite the UK Government previously stating that 1 January 2023 would be ‘the final deadline’, it has further extended the date by which businesses must use the UKCA marking.  

The UKCA marking is the new UK product marking that is used for certain goods that are placed on the GB market and covers most goods which previously required the EU CE marking, known as ‘new approach’ goods.  We discussed this in a bit more detail in our previous article “Don’t let confusion cost your business - UKCA Delay”.  

The UKCA marking will now become compulsory on 31 December 2024 (previously 31 December 2022) for goods placed on the GB market.  It should be noted that the UKCA marking can be used now, so businesses that have started to use the UKCA marking, or are planning to introduce it, should continue to do so.  

The labelling easement has also been extended until 31 December 2027 (previously 31 December 2025) enabling the UKCA marking to be placed on a label affixed to the product or on a document accompanying the product (rather than the product itself).  

Businesses must take action to ensure they are ready to use the UKCA marking by 1 January 2025.  

For medical devices, businesses will not need to use the UKCA marking until 30 June 2024.  For construction products, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has recently confirmed businesses will not need to use the UKCA marking until 30 June 2025.  

Any UK based companies wishing to export to the European single market will still need a CE marking on products, as the UKCA marking is not at this time recognised by the EU.  For products to be sold in Northern Ireland, the CE marking will continue to be recognised as a result of the Northern Ireland Protocol.