CE and UKCA marking for products made in China

The short answer

• The EU: CE marking, where an EU product law requires it.
• Great Britain: CE is still accepted for most products, alongside or instead of UKCA, and a product can carry both. (gov.uk)
• Northern Ireland: EU rules apply. That means CE alone, or CE with UKNI where a UK body carried out a required third-party assessment. UKNI is never used on its own. (gov.uk)

CE in Great Britain: how long?

In 2024 the UK removed the legal end date for recognising CE marking in Great Britain, for 21 sets of product rules. (Explanatory Memorandum to SI 2024/696) The government called this an indefinite extension, but there's no permanent guarantee: the same memorandum says it may stop recognising EU requirements in some areas in future. (gov.uk announcement)

The 21 cover most products you're likely to source from China:

• machinery, lifts and outdoor noise equipment
• toys
• electrical equipment (the low voltage rules), electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), radio equipment, and hazardous substances in electronics (RoHS)
• ecodesign
• personal protective equipment and gas appliances
• pressure equipment, simple pressure vessels and equipment for explosive atmospheres (ATEX)
• measuring instruments, non-automatic weighing instruments and measuring container bottles
• aerosols, explosives, pyrotechnics and recreational craft

Where the rules are different

Construction products

These are on a separate track. The government has committed to keep recognising CE while it reforms the system, with at least two years' transition before any change. (gov.uk: Product regulations by sector)

Medical devices

Under the current law, CE-marked devices are accepted in Great Britain until 30 June 2028 or 30 June 2030, depending on the device and the rules it was certified under. (gov.uk: Regulating medical devices) On 21 October 2026 the government confirmed it will keep accepting CE-marked medical devices long term, but the law hasn't been changed yet. (gov.uk announcement)

Batteries

Great Britain has no conformity marking for batteries, and the government says it is considering its approach to the EU's new rules. (gov.uk: Product regulations by sector) The EU's rules are below.

Other products with their own marks

A few areas, such as marine equipment, transportable pressure equipment and drones, use their own marks. The government's sector table lists them. (gov.uk)

UKCA is still an option

UKCA marking remains valid in Great Britain. Under "fast-track UKCA", a business can apply the UKCA mark on the basis of EU conformity assessment, as long as it draws up a UK Declaration of Conformity. The UKCA mark may go on a label or an accompanying document instead of the product itself until 11pm on 31 December 2027, with some exceptions by sector. (gov.uk: Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market)

What has to sit behind the mark

A CE or UKCA mark is a claim that the product meets the rules. Behind it there must be a conformity assessment, technical documentation, and a Declaration of Conformity drawn up by the manufacturer. Importers in Great Britain must check that the manufacturer has done these, and keep the technical documentation available, typically for 10 years after each product is placed on the market. (gov.uk) In the EU, manufacturers and importers of consumer products keep technical documentation for 10 years too. (General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988, Articles 9 and 11)

That's why the paperwork deserves as much checking as the product: a test report issued for a different product, a certificate that doesn't check out, or a declaration nobody can produce all mean the mark can't be relied on. We check each report and certificate with the lab that issued it. See how to check a Chinese factory.

Names and addresses on the product

Great Britain

The importer must put its name, trade name or trademark and a postal address on the product. Packaging or an accompanying document is allowed only where that isn't possible, for example because the product is too small. A wider easement allowing packaging or documents applies only to goods imported from the EEA, and in some cases Switzerland, until 31 December 2027, so it doesn't help goods coming straight from China. (gov.uk)

The EU

Under the General Product Safety Regulation, which has applied since 13 December 2024, a consumer product needs:

• a type, batch or serial number or other identifier that consumers can see;
• the manufacturer's name and its postal and electronic address;
• the importer's name and its postal and electronic address;
• instructions and safety information in a language consumers in that country can easily understand.

These go on the product, or on the packaging or an accompanying document where size or nature doesn't allow it. (Regulation (EU) 2023/988, Articles 9 and 11)

Someone responsible in the EU

A consumer product can't be placed on the EU market unless there is an economic operator established in the EU responsible for it, whose name and postal and electronic address appear on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document. (Regulation (EU) 2023/988, Article 16) That can be an EU-based manufacturer, the importer, an authorised representative with a written mandate, or, as a last resort, a fulfilment service provider. (Market Surveillance Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, Article 4)

If you sell online, the listing itself must show the manufacturer's details, the EU responsible person where the manufacturer is outside the EU, a picture of the product, its identifier and any warnings. (Regulation (EU) 2023/988, Article 19)

Chemicals: REACH

Under EU REACH, if a product contains a substance from the Candidate List of substances of very high concern above 0.1% by weight, the supplier must give its customers enough information to use it safely, at least the name of the substance, and must give the same to a consumer who asks, free of charge, within 45 days. (REACH, Regulation (EC) 1907/2006, Article 33) If the substance is present above 0.1% and above 1 tonne a year per producer or importer, it must also be notified to the European Chemicals Agency, unless exposure can be ruled out. (Article 7)

Suppliers must also send this information to the Agency's SCIP database, under the EU Waste Framework Directive. (Directive (EU) 2018/851) The European Commission has proposed removing that duty, but it still applies until the proposal is adopted.

Great Britain has its own chemicals regime, UK REACH, with its own list; check it separately if you sell there.

Batteries in the EU

The EU Battery Regulation brings in its rules in stages (Regulation (EU) 2023/1542):

• 18 August 2024: batteries need CE marking and a declaration of conformity.
• 18 August 2025: the separate-collection symbol.
• 18 February 2027: a QR code on all batteries, and a digital battery passport for each battery for light means of transport (such as e-bikes and e-scooters), each industrial battery over 2 kWh and each electric vehicle battery.
• 18 August 2027: supply-chain due diligence duties, postponed from 2025 (Regulation (EU) 2025/1561); businesses with turnover under €40 million are out of scope.

Importers must check the CE marking and the declaration of conformity, put their own details on the battery, and keep a copy of the declaration for 10 years. (Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, Article 41)

How we help

For brands, we check certificates, markings, declarations and labels before the goods leave China. For factories, we start with a gap report on what your product needs for the UK and EU. What we check.

Sources

All read on 29 October 2026.

1. gov.uk, Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain (updated 21 August 2026)
2. gov.uk, Placing CE or CE and UKNI marked products on the market in Northern Ireland (updated 8 April 2026)
3. legislation.gov.uk, Explanatory Memorandum to the Product Safety and Metrology etc. (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (SI 2024/696); gov.uk, UK government announces extension of CE mark recognition (1 August 2023)
4. gov.uk, Product regulations by sector and current approaches to product marking (31 March 2026)
5. gov.uk, Regulating medical devices in the UK (updated 20 February 2026); Government confirms indefinite recognition of CE marked medical devices (21 October 2026)
6. EU, General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988, Articles 9, 11, 16 and 19
7. EU, Market Surveillance Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, Article 4
8. EU, REACH, Regulation (EC) 1907/2006, Articles 7 and 33; Directive (EU) 2018/851 amending the Waste Framework Directive
9. EU, Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542; Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 postponing the due diligence duties