UK REACH: only two months left to apply for grandfathering

Grandfathering is a transitional arrangement under UK REACH that allows GB-based manufacturers and importers of a substance registered under EU REACH to continue to import or manufacture that substance in Great Britain past the end of the Brexit transition period. Provided that they submit some initial information on that substance, manufacturers and importers that qualify for grandfathering may then postpone the registration of their substance by 2, 4 or 6 years depending on its hazard profile and tonnage band.  

Companies qualify for grandfathering if: 

• They are a GB-based manufacturers or importers; and  

• They hold an EU REACH registration, or held an EU REACH registration and transferred it to an EU-based legal entity, at any point between 29th March 2017 and 31st December 2020 

Grandfathering allows GB-based legal entities to transfer their EU REACH registration into UK REACH, with no additional registration fee. To do so, they need to comply with the following requirements. 

• Before 31st April 2021: 

• open an account on Comply with UK REACH;  

• submit initial data (evidence of their existing EU REACH registration, identity of the registrant, identity of the substance etc.); and 

• submit any relevant information from their EU REACH registration dossier. 

• Before 28th October 2023/2025/2027 (depending on the tonnage band and hazard profile of their substance, as displayed in the table below): 

• submit registration data, as set out in art. 10 of UK REACH and EU REACH. 

If a company fails to submit the initial information before 31st April 2021, it will not benefit from the deadline extension of 2, 4 or 6 years. Instead, it will need to complete the full registration of that substance before placing it on the GB market, regardless of whether the substance is already registered under EU REACH. 

update: 2021-02-28