The UK government officially published the REACH (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026 No. 849), extending the final deadlines for UK REACH transitional registration from 2026/2028/2030 to 2029/2030/2031, entering into force on August 6, 2026.
What Happened
On July 16, 2026, the UK government published SI 2026/849, extending UK REACH’s three-batch transitional registration deadlines. This is the second extension since Brexit — the original 2023/2025/2027 deadlines were extended in 2023 to 2026/2028/2030, and are now extended again given the incomplete design of the ‘Alternative Transitional Registration Model’ (ATRm).
What’s New
- Batch 1 (SVHCs pre-2020, CMRs ≥1t/yr, aquatic-toxic ≥100t/yr, all substances ≥1,000t/yr): deadline moves from 27 Oct 2026 to 27 Oct 2029.
- Batch 2 (UK SVHCs, substances ≥100t/yr): deadline moves from 27 Oct 2028 to 27 Oct 2030.
- Batch 3 (all substances ≥1t/yr): deadline moves from 27 Oct 2030 to 27 Oct 2031.
- Minimum review proportion deadlines (Article 41(5)) for all three batches also extended by 2–3 years.
Key Dates & Compliance Deadlines
UK government published the REACH (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026.
Regulation enters into force.
New deadline for SVHCs, CMRs, aquatic-toxic, and high-tonnage substances.
New deadline for UK SVHCs and substances ≥100t/yr.
New deadline for all substances ≥1t/yr.
Affected Industries
Chemical manufacturers and importers; pharmaceutical and manufacturing sectors relying on chemical imports; downstream users across GB supply chains.
Who Is Affected
Companies with UK REACH transitional registration obligations across all three tonnage/hazard-based batches, particularly those with imminent (pre-extension) Batch 1 deadlines.
Substances / Products in Scope
All substances subject to UK REACH transitional registration, including EU SVHC-listed substances (pre-2021), CMRs, aquatic-toxic substances, and high-tonnage substances.
Prohibitions, Restrictions & Exemptions
No new prohibitions — this is a deadline-extension amendment giving industry more time to complete registration dossiers and compliance checks; high-hazard/high-tonnage substances should still be prioritized.
What Companies Should Do
- Recalibrate internal registration timelines to the new 2029/2030/2031 deadlines.
- Continue prioritizing high-hazard and high-tonnage substances despite the extension.
- Coordinate with upstream/downstream supply-chain partners to ensure phased registration readiness.
- Track the developing Alternative Transitional Registration Model (ATRm) for further procedural changes.
This extension meaningfully reduces near-term registration pressure for companies with GB chemical supply chains, but does not remove the underlying obligation — registration planning should continue on a risk-prioritized basis rather than being deprioritized entirely.
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