United kingdom Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in united kingdom, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Labeling/Marking Requirements
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The UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking is a new UK product marking used for goods being placed on the market in Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland). It covers most goods that previously required the CE marking, known as ‘new approach’ goods. The UKCA marking came into effect on 1 January 2021 and is now accepted. While the original plan was to discontinue us of the CE marking in the UK, August 1, 2023, the UK Department for Business and Trade announced an indefinite extension to the use of CE marking for businesses.

The UKCA marking alone cannot be used for goods placed on the Northern Ireland market. See the guidance on placing goods on the Northern Ireland market.

For guidance and information on placing goods on the market in the UK, see the guidance on placing manufactured goods on the market in Great Britain. There is also separate guidance for medical devices, rail interoperability, construction products and civil explosives. For more information on specialist markings, see the guidance on using the UKCA marking guidelines.

In most cases, businesses must apply the UKCA/CE marking to the product itself or to the packaging. In some cases, it may be placed on manuals or other supporting literature. This will vary depending on the specific regulations that apply to the product. The UKCA/CE marking must be clearly visible and legible when affixed to the product. If this is not possible, it must be attached to the packaging (if any) or accompanying documents.

UKCA/CE markings must only be placed on a product by the manufacturer or an authorized representative. When affixing the UKCA marking, the manufacturer takes full responsibility for the product’s conformity with the requirements of the relevant legislation. The UKCA/CE marking must only be used to demonstrate conformity with the relevant UK legislation. No marking or sign may be used to misconstrue the meaning or form of the UKCA/CE marking to third parties. Other markings on the product that affect the visibility, legibility or meaning of the UKCA/CE marking must not be attached. The UKCA/CE marking should not be placed on products unless there is a specific requirement to do so in the legislation. A product may have additional markings and marks, as long as they:

  • fulfil a different function from that of the UKCA/CE marking
  • are not likely to cause confusion with the UKCA/CE marking
  • do not reduce the legibility and visibility of the UKCA/CE marking

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

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As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

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The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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