On December 22, 2025, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) released a summary report on the proposal to extend the UK REACH transitional registration deadlines, announcing a comprehensive three-year postponement of the final deadlines.
Background
Following Brexit in 2020, Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) established UK REACH based on the EU REACH framework, while Northern Ireland continues to follow EU REACH regulations. The original transitional deadlines for UK REACH were set for 2023, 2025, and 2027. Due to data cost disputes, the deadlines were already extended by three years in 2023 (to 2026, 2028, and 2030). The government is currently designing an Alternative Transitional Registration Model (ATRm) to further reduce costs, but the legislation has not yet been finalized. With the first deadline in October 2026 less than two years away, businesses lack sufficient time to prepare, necessitating another extension. From July to September of this year, Defra conducted an eight-week public consultation on the proposed extension plan.
Consultation Options
Four options were proposed:
- Baseline: Maintain the current deadlines (October 27, 2026 / October 27, 2028 / October 27, 2030).
- Option 1 (Government’s Preferred Option): Extend all deadlines by three years to October 27, 2029; October 27, 2030; and October 27, 2031 (with one-year intervals).
- Option 2: Extend all deadlines by 2.5 years, maintaining two-year intervals: April 27, 2029; April 27, 2031; and April 27, 2033.
- Option 3: Set deadlines for April 27, 2029; April 27, 2030; and April 27, 2031.
The proposal also included aligning the 20% compliance review deadline with the new submission deadlines.
Consultation Feedback (210 Valid Responses)
- 98% opposed maintaining the status quo.
- 70% ranked Option 2 as their preferred choice.
- 23% favored Option 1 as their first choice, while 61% ranked it second. NGOs tended to support Option 3 to obtain data sooner.
- 94% agreed to align the compliance review deadlines with the new submission dates. Most respondents recommended conducting compliance reviews in phases—1, 2, and 5 years after submission—prioritizing high-hazard and high-tonnage substances.
Government’s Final Decision
- The government upheld Option 1 as the most balanced approach, providing sufficient time to finalize ATRm legislation without excessively delaying registrations for high-hazard chemicals. The one-year interval aligns with the reduced data requirements under ATRm.
- Legislation will be introduced in 2026 to formally adjust the deadlines to 2029, 2030, and 2031, with corresponding changes to compliance review timelines. The legislation requires approval from Scottish and Welsh ministers.
Next Steps
Following approval from Scottish and Welsh ministers, the UK government will advance legislation to extend the UK REACH submission deadlines from October 27, 2026, October 27, 2028, and October 27, 2030, to October 27, 2029, October 27, 2030, and October 27, 2031, respectively.
The government also plans to align the statutory compliance review dates under Article 41(5) with the new deadlines, ensuring compliance reviews occur only after data submission. This approach maintains fairness for registrants while ensuring effective regulatory implementation.
The amended regulations will proceed through the standard parliamentary process in 2026 to ensure the new deadlines and compliance review timelines take effect before the first extended deadline in October 2029.
Further Information
