UKCA vs CE Charger Importers: What Still Applies in 2026?

1. The Short Answer: UKCA vs CE Charger Rules for 2026

Direct answer: CE is still accepted in Great Britain, and UKCA is voluntary for most chargers. The 31 December 2027 date is a labelling easement, not a CE deadline. Northern Ireland is different: CE is required, and UKCA alone isn't accepted.

CE is the EU conformity mark. In Great Britain, CE is recognised for the 21 product regulations covered by the 2024 amendment. In Northern Ireland, CE is the required mark.

UKCA is the UK Conformity Assessed mark. It remains valid for Great Britain, but it isn't the only route for most covered products. It isn't accepted as the sole mark in Northern Ireland or the EU.

UKNI isn't a standalone mark. It appears with CE when a UK body carried out mandatory third-party conformity assessment for Northern Ireland. CE plus UKNI cannot be sold in the EU or EEA.

The table is a starting point. The final answer depends on the charger's design, the applicable regulations, and the conformity assessment route.

2. What Changed in 2024: CE Recognition in Great Britain

The Product Safety and Metrology etc. (Amendment) Regulations 2024 removed the expiry date for CE recognition in Great Britain. The change took effect on 1 October 2024 and covers 21 product regulations, including:

• Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016
• Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 2016
• Radio Equipment Regulations 2017
• Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances Regulations 2012
• Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products Regulations 2010
• Machinery, toys, pressure equipment, PPE, gas appliances, and other listed regulations

For these products, businesses can use either CE or UKCA to place goods on the GB market, provided the relevant UK essential requirements are met. Dual marking is allowed where both sets of conditions are satisfied.

Some sectors aren't in the 21-regulation list: medical devices, construction products, cableways, transportable pressure equipment, rail interoperability, unmanned aircraft systems, and marine equipment. Those sectors have separate arrangements. Chargers aren't in the excluded group, but the product must still fall within the listed regulations.

Why CE isn't automatically a UK presumption of conformity

Current gov.uk guidance adds an important technical point. CE-marked products that follow EU harmonised standards don't automatically get a presumption of conformity with UK regulations. UKCA-marked products that follow GB designated standards do.

Where a GB designated standard differs from or restricts an EU harmonised standard, a CE-marked manufacturer may need to supply additional technical documentation showing how the UK essential requirements are met. In some cases, a stricter conformity assessment route applies.

For most chargers, the standards overlap: BS EN 62368-1 for safety, and BS EN 55032 and BS EN 55035 for EMC. The practical lesson isn't to assume the EU file is enough. Check that the technical file references the GB designated standards and covers the UK essential requirements.

3. The 31 December 2027 Date Is Not a CE Deadline

Suppliers and lab blogs often describe 31 December 2027 as the date CE stops being valid in the UK. That's wrong.

The date is the end of a labelling easement. Until 11pm on 31 December 2027, UKCA may be affixed to a label or accompanying document for most sectors, rather than permanently on the product. The same easement allows importer information for EEA and Swiss goods to appear on packaging or accompanying documents.

It doesn't extend the CE recognition date, because CE recognition in GB no longer has an expiry date for the covered regulations. It doesn't make UKCA mandatory on 1 January 2028. It's a labelling flexibility with a fixed end date.

Sector exceptions apply. Medical devices, construction products, cableways, marine equipment, rail products, transportable pressure equipment, and uncrewed aircraft systems have separate rules.

4. Great Britain vs Northern Ireland

Great Britain and Northern Ireland are not one market for product marking. Treat them as two files.

Great Britain

CE or UKCA is accepted for the covered regulations. Dual marking is allowed. The UK importer must still meet the GB importer duties, even when the product carries CE.

Northern Ireland

CE is mandatory. UKCA alone isn't accepted. CE plus UKNI applies only when a UK-based body carried out mandatory third-party conformity assessment. If an EU notified body assessed the product, CE alone is the correct mark.

A product with CE plus UKNI cannot be sold in the EU or EEA. If you sell into both NI and the EU, plan the marking and the assessment route separately.

The EU

UKCA isn't accepted in the EU. The EU market requires CE. A UK Approved Body certificate isn't a substitute for an EU notified body certificate where third-party assessment is required.

5. Charger-Specific UK Rules

The marking decision is only one part of the file. Chargers have several UK-specific checkpoints that an EU-only compliance packet often misses.

Safety, EMC, radio, and RoHS

• Safety: Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016. The usual standard is BS EN 62368-1.
• EMC: Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 2016. The usual standards are BS EN 55032 and BS EN 55035.
• Radio: Radio Equipment Regulations 2017 if the charger has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or another radio function.
• RoHS: Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances Regulations 2012.
• Ecodesign: Check whether the external power supply or charger falls within the Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products Regulations 2010.

The BS 1363 plug and BS 1362 fuse

The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 require appliances intended for domestic use at 200V or above to be fitted with a BS 1363 standard plug containing a BS 1362 fuse. The fuse rating must match the manufacturer's instructions or the relevant table in BS 1363.

There's a narrow exception. A non-UK plug may be used if it's fitted with a notified-body-approved conversion plug that encloses the original plug and requires a tool to remove. A travel adaptor doesn't count.

This is a charger-specific checkpoint. A CE-marked charger with an EU plug isn't automatically ready for the UK shelf. Ask the factory for the UK plug version, the fuse rating, and the plug approval evidence.

PSTI for connectable products

If the charger is a connectable product with app or network functionality, check the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure regime. This is design-dependent. Don't assume every charger is in scope.

6. What a UK Importer Must Prepare

The importer is the responsible economic operator for the GB market. The factory can prepare documents, but the importer still has to check them and keep them.

A UK Declaration of Conformity

The UK DoC should identify the product, the manufacturer or authorised representative, the UK statutory instrument, the GB designated standards used, and the person signing on behalf of the manufacturer. It shouldn't simply reuse the EU DoC with the EU directive name left in.

If you place the product on the market under your own name or trademark, or modify it, you may be treated as the manufacturer and take on the full manufacturer obligations. Check your role before you approve the artwork.

The technical file, retained for 10 years

The importer must keep the declaration of conformity and technical documentation for 10 years. The file should include the test reports, the conformity assessment evidence, the label artwork, and the instructions. If a market surveillance authority asks for the file, you need the exact model, not a similar one.

Importer identity on the product

The importer's name, trade name or mark, and postal address must appear on the equipment. If that's not practicable, it may go on the packaging or accompanying documents. For EEA or Swiss goods placed on the GB market before 31 December 2027, the importer details may appear on packaging or an accompanying document.

English instructions and risk-based checks

The product needs English instructions. The importer must also carry out risk-based testing and complaint investigations, keep records, take corrective action, notify the market surveillance authority of risks, protect conformity during storage and transport, and cooperate with enforcement.

A document checklist

A typical importer scenario

Consider Alex, a UK importer who ordered a 65W GaN charger with a CE mark and an EU DoC. The factory's file was complete for the EU, but the DoC cited the Low Voltage Directive and the EMC Directive, not the UK regulations. The charger also arrived with an EU plug.

Alex's retailer asked for a UK DoC and a BS 1363 version. The factory could supply both, but the rework took two weeks and delayed the listing. The product was compliant in principle. The file and the plug weren't ready for the UK market.

The lesson is simple: ask for the UK DoC and the UK plug before the purchase order, not after the container arrives.

7. UK WEEE and Battery Producer Registration

Marking isn't the only UK obligation. Importing chargers can make you an EEE producer and a battery producer.

WEEE

If you import electrical and electronic equipment into the UK on a commercial basis, you're an EEE producer. Chargers and power banks fall within EEE categories such as small IT and telecommunications equipment.

• 5 tonnes or less per year: register directly with the environmental regulator through the WEEE online service by 31 January, or within 28 days of first placing EEE on the market.
• More than 5 tonnes per year: join an approved producer compliance scheme by 15 November, or within 28 days if you enter the market later.

Producers must report EEE by category and by household or non-household status, keep records for at least four years, mark products with the crossed-out wheeled bin and date mark, and give distributors the producer registration number.

Batteries

A UK business that is first in the selling chain to make batteries available on the UK market is a battery producer. This includes batteries fitted in imported equipment, such as power banks and chargers with built-in cells.

• 1 tonne or less per year of portable batteries: register on the NPWD with the regulator for the UK nation where your registered office is, and report by 31 January.
• More than 1 tonne per year: join a battery compliance scheme by 15 October.

Report battery weight separately from electrical equipment weight, even if the equipment is outside WEEE. Confirm the classification with the regulator if the battery is built in and not removable.

8. When UKCA Still Makes Sense

UKCA isn't mandatory for most chargers in GB, but it can still be useful.

• Retailer or marketplace requirements. Some buyers ask for UKCA documentation even when CE is accepted. If a retailer requires it, dual marking may be the simplest commercial answer.
• Future divergence. If the UK changes a designated standard or introduces a new requirement, a UKCA file may be easier to update than a CE-only file.
• Packaging already retooled. If the packaging already carries UKCA, keeping it is low-risk where the conditions are met.
• Dual-market labeling. Some brands prefer one label for GB and NI. Remember that UKCA alone isn't valid in NI, and CE plus UKNI has its own conditions.

UKCA isn't a substitute for CE in Northern Ireland or the EU. It's also not a substitute for the UK importer file. The mark is only one part of the compliance package.

9. How to Verify a Supplier's UK Compliance File

A supplier's claim is only as good as the documents behind it. Verify the file, not the logo on the quotation.

Check the UK DoC

1. Does it reference the UK statutory instrument, not only the EU directive?
2. Does it list the GB designated standards used?
3. Does it identify the exact model and plug variant?
4. Is it signed and dated by the manufacturer or authorised representative?

Check the technical file

1. Do the test reports match the model you're buying?
2. Do they cover the radio configuration if the charger has Bluetooth or Wi-Fi?
3. Is the file complete enough to support the UK DoC?
4. Can the factory explain which regulations apply?

Check the plug and fuse

1. Is the plug a BS 1363 standard plug?
2. Is the fuse a BS 1362 fuse with the correct rating?
3. If a conversion plug is used, is it notified-body approved and tool-removable?
4. Does the packaging match the plug variant?

Check the importer and EPR details

1. Is the importer's name and address on the product or permitted packaging?
2. Has the importer registered for WEEE and batteries where required?
3. Does the label show the crossed-out wheeled bin and date mark where applicable?

Red flags

• "UKCA is mandatory, CE is dead" with no reference to the 2024 amendment.
• A CE DoC with the EU directive name and no UK statutory instrument.
• A UKCA mark on the box but no UK DoC.
• An EU plug with a travel adaptor in the box.
• A test report for a similar model, not the model you're buying.
• No importer name or address on the product or packaging.
• A supplier who can't explain the difference between GB and NI.

For a step-by-step certificate check, see our guide to verifying FCC and CE charger certificates.

Next Steps: Match the File to the Market

Direct answer: the UKCA vs CE question is not a binary choice. It's a market-by-market file.

• Great Britain: CE or UKCA, with a UK DoC, importer identity, BS 1363 plug, and English instructions.
• Northern Ireland: CE, with CE plus UKNI only after UK-body third-party assessment.
• EU: CE, with no UKCA substitution.

The practical work is in the documents and the plug, not the logo. Ask your factory for the UK DoC, the GB designated standards, the exact-model test reports, the UK plug version, and the importer details before you approve the order. Then register for WEEE and batteries where the thresholds apply.