The UK government has extended transitional registration deadlines under UK REACH, offering relief to companies manufacturing or importing chemicals into Great Britain.
The announcement, made on 6 August 2026, applies to businesses operating across England, Scotland, and Wales under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals framework.
UK REACH governs how chemicals are registered, evaluated, and controlled, placing significant compliance obligations on manufacturers and importers across Great Britain.
The extension covers so-called grandfathered substances, which are grouped into different deadline categories based on their hazardous properties and the volume in which they are produced or imported.
Substances manufactured or imported at or above one metric tonne per year and classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction fall into the first category of the revised deadlines.
Also captured in that first group are substances manufactured or imported at or above 100 metric tonnes per year and classified as very toxic to aquatic organisms, whether on an acute or chronic basis.
Substances of very high concern appearing on the Candidate List before 31 December 2023 are likewise subject to that first revised deadline, alongside SVHCs added to the list between 1 January 2024 and 27 October 2026.
A further category covers substances manufactured or imported at or above one metric tonne per year that do not fall into the higher-hazard classifications described above.
The government granted the extension specifically to allow time to develop and legislate the Alternative Transitional Registration model, known as the ATRm, which is designed to reduce data and financial burdens on businesses.
The Health and Safety Executive has aligned its compliance review timelines with the newly revised deadlines, providing businesses with a more coherent regulatory pathway going forward.
Companies that are Great Britain-based downstream users or distributors of substances registered under European Union frameworks were previously required to submit a downstream user import notification, commonly referred to as a DUIN.
Businesses subject to UK REACH obligations are advised to review the updated deadline structure carefully to ensure their compliance programmes reflect the revised timelines and the forthcoming ATRm framework.