Since January 2021, UK REACH is the regulation in force in Great Britain for the registration, evaluation, and authorisation of chemical substances. It was implemented after the UK left the European Union (EU), replacing the EU REACH regulation, which no longer applies in Great Britain.
UK REACH applies to all companies operating in Great Britain and introduces new regulatory obligations, particularly for businesses that previously relied on registrations made under EU REACH.
Companies based in Great Britain that were previously considered downstream users of substances registered under EU REACH are now regarded as importers of chemical substances under UK REACH. They must therefore register these substances with the relevant UK authority: the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
To reduce the administrative burden, the UK introduced a simplified procedure: the DUIN (Downstream User Import Notification). This notification allows UK-based companies to inform the HSE that they import chemical substances from:
đź’ˇ This notification provides a deferral period of 1, 3, or 5 years before a full registration under UK REACH is required.
To be eligible to submit a DUIN, the following conditions must be met:
If these conditions are not met, a full registration under UK REACH will be required immediately.
Once a DUIN has been submitted, full registration must be completed based on the tonnage and properties of the substance:
đź“… 27 October 2026 (previously 2 years from 28 October 2021)
đź“… 27 October 2028 (previously 4 years from 28 October 2021)
đź“… 27 October 2030 (previously 6 years from 28 October 2021)
The DUIN notification must be submitted via the official “Comply with UK REACH” portal. The required information varies depending on the volume imported:
For imports of 1–10 tonnes/year:
For imports >10 tonnes/year, also include:
Grandfathering applies to UK-based companies that held an EU REACH registration between 29 March 2017 and 31 December 2020.
This provision allows the transfer of an existing EU REACH registration to UK REACH without having to restart the process from scratch.
Any company that manufactures or imports a substance in quantities over 1 tonne per year in Great Britain must complete a registration.
đź’ˇ UK REACH is based on the same principles as its European counterpart:
To learn more about REACH authorisation in the UK, see our article: “UK REACH and Authorisations: How to Stay Compliant in the UK.”
Companies not established in the UK can appoint a local Only Representative (OR) to handle their UK REACH obligations, including DUIN submissions and full registrations.
For more information, check out our article: “UK REACH: Do I Need to Appoint an Only Representative (OR)?”
As a specialist in REACH and REACH-like regulations, EcoMundo can support you at every stage:
Feel free to contact us!
Since January 2021, UK REACH is the regulation in force in Great Britain for the registration, evaluation, and authorisation of chemical substances. It was implemented after the UK left the European Union (EU), replacing the EU REACH regulation, which no longer applies in Great Britain.
UK REACH applies to all companies operating in Great Britain and introduces new regulatory obligations, particularly for businesses that previously relied on registrations made under EU REACH.
Companies based in Great Britain that were previously considered downstream users of substances registered under EU REACH are now regarded as importers of chemical substances under UK REACH. They must therefore register these substances with the relevant UK authority: the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
To reduce the administrative burden, the UK introduced a simplified procedure: the DUIN (Downstream User Import Notification). This notification allows UK-based companies to inform the HSE that they import chemical substances from:
đź’ˇ This notification provides a deferral period of 1, 3, or 5 years before a full registration under UK REACH is required.
To be eligible to submit a DUIN, the following conditions must be met:
If these conditions are not met, a full registration under UK REACH will be required immediately.
Once a DUIN has been submitted, full registration must be completed based on the tonnage and properties of the substance:
đź“… 27 October 2026 (previously 2 years from 28 October 2021)
đź“… 27 October 2028 (previously 4 years from 28 October 2021)
đź“… 27 October 2030 (previously 6 years from 28 October 2021)
The DUIN notification must be submitted via the official “Comply with UK REACH” portal. The required information varies depending on the volume imported:
For imports of 1–10 tonnes/year:
For imports >10 tonnes/year, also include:
Grandfathering applies to UK-based companies that held an EU REACH registration between 29 March 2017 and 31 December 2020.
This provision allows the transfer of an existing EU REACH registration to UK REACH without having to restart the process from scratch.
Any company that manufactures or imports a substance in quantities over 1 tonne per year in Great Britain must complete a registration.
đź’ˇ UK REACH is based on the same principles as its European counterpart:
To learn more about REACH authorisation in the UK, see our article: “UK REACH and Authorisations: How to Stay Compliant in the UK.”
Companies not established in the UK can appoint a local Only Representative (OR) to handle their UK REACH obligations, including DUIN submissions and full registrations.
For more information, check out our article: “UK REACH: Do I Need to Appoint an Only Representative (OR)?”
As a specialist in REACH and REACH-like regulations, EcoMundo can support you at every stage:
Feel free to contact us!