United Kingdom Extends UK REACH Transitional Registration Deadlines by Three Years
On 22 December 2025, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published a summary report on its proposal to extend the UK REACH transitional registration deadlines. The government confirmed a comprehensive three-year postponement of the remaining registration deadlines under UK REACH.
Background
Following the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union in 2020, UK REACH was established to regulate chemicals in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), while Northern Ireland continues to operate under EU REACH.
The original transitional registration deadlines under UK REACH were set for:
27 October 2023
27 October 2025
27 October 2027
Due to disputes over data-sharing costs and access to EU REACH data, these deadlines were extended by three years in 2023, resulting in new deadlines of:
27 October 2026
27 October 2028
27 October 2030
At the same time, the UK government has been developing an Alternative Transitional Registration Model (ATRm) aimed at reducing registration costs for businesses. However, the necessary legislation has not yet been finalised.
With the first deadline in October 2026 approaching and the ATRm framework still under development, Defra concluded that companies would not have sufficient time to prepare. As a result, a further extension was considered necessary.
Between July and September 2025, Defra conducted an eight-week public consultation on options to extend the UK REACH transitional deadlines.
Consultation Options
Four options were presented during the consultation:
Baseline (No Change):
Maintain the existing deadlines:
27 October 2026
27 October 2028
27 October 2030
Option 1 (Government’s Preferred Option):
Extend all deadlines by three years, with one-year intervals:
27 October 2029
27 October 2030
27 October 2031
Option 2:
Extend deadlines by 2.5 years, maintaining two-year intervals:
27 April 2029
27 April 2031
27 April 2033
Option 3:
Set deadlines at:
27 April 2029
27 April 2030
27 April 2031
The proposal also included aligning the 20% compliance review deadline under Article 41(5) with the revised submission deadlines.
Consultation Feedback (210 Valid Responses)
98% of respondents opposed maintaining the status quo.
70% ranked Option 2 as their preferred choice.
Option 1 was selected as the first preference by 23% of respondents and ranked second by 61%.
Environmental NGOs tended to support Option 3, citing the need to obtain hazard data earlier.
94% agreed that compliance review deadlines should be aligned with the new registration deadlines.
Many respondents recommended a phased compliance review approach, conducted 1, 2 and 5 years after submission, with priority given to high-hazard and high-tonnage substances.
Government’s Final Decision
After reviewing consultation feedback, the UK government confirmed Option 1 as the most balanced approach.
According to Defra, this option:
Provides sufficient time to finalise and implement the ATRm legislation,
Avoids unnecessary delays in the registration of high-hazard chemicals, and
Aligns with the reduced data requirements and annual submission structure anticipated under ATRm.
Legislation to formally amend the deadlines will be introduced in 2026. Approval from the Scottish and Welsh Ministers will be required before the changes can take effect.
Next Steps
Subject to devolved administration approval, the UK government will proceed with legislation to extend the UK REACH transitional registration deadlines as follows:
27 October 2026 → 27 October 2029
27 October 2028 → 27 October 2030
27 October 2030 → 27 October 2031
In parallel, the government plans to align the statutory compliance review timelines under Article 41(5) with the revised submission dates, ensuring that compliance checks are carried out only after dossiers have been submitted.
This approach is intended to ensure fairness for registrants, while maintaining effective regulatory oversight.
The amended regulations will follow the standard parliamentary process in 2026, ensuring that the new deadlines and compliance review timelines are in place before the first extended deadline in October 2029.