UK / DBT / UKCA & CE
A business placing a product on the Great Britain market under the UKCA or CE regimes works through seven steps in the same guide: identify the correct market, understand roles and responsibilities, check which product rules apply, carry out a conformity assessment procedure, prepare documentation, use the appropriate marking, and retain records and maintain compliance.
Last updated 29 September 2026 · By Vas Parshin and Anabel Amar
The UKCA and CE regimes span over 20 product types, including goods known in the EU as 'new approach goods', and additional sectors such as aerosols and rail.
Many UK product requirements are derived from EU rules that were developed while the UK was an EU member state, and where the aims and requirements of product regulations meet the needs of the UK, the UK continues to recognise the CE marking, alongside or in place of the UKCA marking, for the Great Britain market under the Product Safety and Metrology (Amendment) Regulations 2024.
The Product Safety and Metrology (Amendment) Regulations 2024 also lets a business mark its product UKCA once recognised EU conformity assessment has been carried out, known as Fast-Track UKCA.
Under the same regulations, businesses can also meet EU requirements and processes to CE mark their product for the Great Britain market under continued recognition.
Source: GOV.UK, Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain.
A manufacturer is an individual or business who manufactures a product, or who has a product designed or manufactured and markets that product on the Great Britain market under their own name or trademark, and must retain technical documentation, including a Declaration of Conformity.
An importer is any individual or business established in the UK who supplies a product from a country outside the UK for distribution, consumption or use in the course of a commercial activity.
A distributor is a person in the supply chain, other than the manufacturer or importer, who makes products within the UK available on the Great Britain market.
If an importer or distributor places products on the market under their own name or trademark, or modifies the product in a way that affects compliance or conformity, they take on the manufacturer's responsibilities and the legal obligations for the UKCA or CE marking.
Source: GOV.UK, Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain.
Conformity marking is only necessary if required under sector-specific regulations, and not all products must bear a conformity marking.
In Great Britain, designated standards are standards which have been recognised by the UK government to give a statutory presumption of conformity that a product meets the relevant essential requirements, and their use in most cases is voluntary.
The main exception is the Construction Products Regulations 2013, where designated construction product standards operate on a mandatory basis.
Source: GOV.UK, Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain.
Under certain pieces of UK legislation, the manufacturer can self-declare conformity for the product under the UKCA regime.
Whether radio equipment can self-declare conformity under the UKCA regime depends on whether the manufacturer has applied the designated standards that cover the essential requirements.
Other regulations specify circumstances where some or all types of products must be assessed by a conformity assessment body, and a third-party conformity assessment tests or reviews test reports to check the product against the essential requirements of the product regulation.
In the UK, conformity assessment bodies undertaking work for the Great Britain market are known as UK Approved Bodies and are accredited by the UK Accreditation Service, and they can only be used to certify products for UKCA marking.
In the EU, conformity assessment bodies are called Notified Bodies, and they can only be used to certify against EU requirements, which can also be used for the Great Britain market under CE recognition or Fast-Track UKCA.
Source: GOV.UK, Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain.
Manufacturers must prepare a technical file under UKCA and CE regulations; in most cases this can be in digital format.
Once the manufacturer is assured that the product is compliant, a Declaration of Conformity must be created.
A DoC is a formal statement that the product complies with the applicable legislation.
The DoC may include the name and full business address of the manufacturer, the product's serial number, model or type identification, and the name and signature of the person authorised to sign on behalf of the manufacturer.
Source: GOV.UK, Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain.
Markings must be at least 5mm in height, unless a different minimum dimension is specified in the relevant legislation, and must be easily visible, legible and indelible.
Legislation is currently in force which enables the UKCA marking to be placed on a label affixed to the product, or on a document accompanying the product, until 11pm on 31 December 2027. This applies to most sectors, however there are specific rules for cableways, construction products, marine equipment, medical devices, rail products, transportable pressure equipment and uncrewed aircraft systems.
The CE marking must be placed onto the product or its data plate, or, where that is not possible or necessary, onto the packaging and accompanying documents.
This documentation must be kept for the period specified in the legislation, typically 10 years, after each individual product has been placed on the Great Britain market.
Economic operators have a duty to act where they have reason to believe that a product they have placed on the Great Britain market is not in conformity with the legal requirements, and must immediately take the corrective measures necessary to bring the product into conformity or withdraw or recall it.
If an enforcement body finds that a product does not meet the marking requirements for UKCA or CE, depending on the risk, they will often provide the relevant economic operator with an opportunity to work constructively to bring the product into conformity.
If the economic operator fails to co-operate, they will be obliged to withdraw the product from the market or undertake a recall, and may also be liable for a fine and imprisonment.
Source: GOV.UK, Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain.
Working out which route fits, what evidence has to exist before the first unit leaves the factory, and which mark goes on the product is the scoping work we do before testing starts.
We check a product against these routes as part of the same market-access review we run for other markets, so the marking, the technical file and the declaration are settled before stock arrives.
Contact usFast-Track UKCA is the route under the Product Safety and Metrology (Amendment) Regulations 2024 that lets a business mark a product UKCA once it has completed the same conformity-assessment work it would do for a CE mark.
Yes — under the same regulations, a business can meet EU requirements and processes to CE mark its product for the Great Britain market under continued recognition.
Typically 10 years — the documentation must be kept for the period specified in the legislation after each individual product has been placed on the Great Britain market.
Source: GOV.UK, Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain.