The REACH (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026

Published: Fri 17th Jul 26

These Regulations extend the statutory timeframes for the submission of chemical safety data and the performance of compliance checks under the UK REACH framework.

They reduce the immediate administrative burden on businesses by pushing back deadlines for providing full registration dossiers to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and simultaneously extend the window of time for the HSE to complete its evaluation of those dossiers.

The measures apply to all manufacturers, importers, and downstream users of chemical substances in England, Wales, and Scotland.

Arguments For

The Secretary of State asserts that these Regulations are consistent with the objectives of Article 1 of the REACH Regulation regarding the protection of human health and the environment.
Proponents argue that the extension of deadlines provides additional time for businesses to compile and submit necessary chemical safety information to the Health and Safety Executive.
The document indicates that the measures were developed in consultation with the Health and Safety Executive (the Agency) and devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales.

Arguments Against

Legal scholars may note that delaying compliance check deadlines for the Health and Safety Executive could postpone the identification of non-compliant chemical registrations.
Environmental organizations might argue that extending the periods for data submission results in a longer duration where chemicals are on the market without full regulatory scrutiny under the updated UK REACH framework.
Affected parties may find the shifting timeline for 'protected transitional imports' creates administrative complexity for long-term supply chain planning.

Citation, commencement, extent and application

—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the REACH (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026.

(2) These Regulations come into force twenty-one days after the day on which they are made.

(3) These Regulations extend to the United Kingdom and apply in relation to England, Wales and Scotland.

This section establishes the official name of the instrument and sets its commencement date as 6 August 2026.

While it extends to the whole of the United Kingdom, its practical application is limited to Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland) due to different arrangements in Northern Ireland.

Amendment of the REACH Regulation

The REACH Regulation is amended in accordance with regulations 3 and 4.

This provision introduces the specific modifications to the existing UK REACH framework.

It connects the following sections to the primary body of chemical safety law being updated.

Amendment of Article 41

—(1) Article 41 (compliance check of registrations) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph 5—

(a) in subparagraph (a), for '2027' substitute '2030';

(b) in subparagraph (b), for '2030' substitute '2032';

This section extends the deadlines by which the Health and Safety Executive must perform compliance checks on a minimum percentage of registration dossiers.

The deadlines for various tiers of chemical dossiers are moved from 2027 to 2030, 2030 to 2032, and 2035 to 2036 respectively.

Amendment of Article 127P

—(1) Article 127P (post-IP completion periods used in this Title) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (4B)—

(a) in subparagraph (a)—

(i) in the words before point (i), for '2026' substitute '2029';

(ii) in point (i), for '31 December 2023' substitute '27 October 2027';

(b) in subparagraph (b)—

(i) in the words before point (i), for '2028' substitute '2030';

(ii) in point (i), for '1 January 2024 and ending with 27 October 2026' substitute '28 October 2027 and ending with 27 October 2028';

This section alters the 'post-IP completion periods' which determine when businesses must submit full data packages for different tonnages of chemicals.

It postpones the earliest deadline from 2026 to 2029 and shifts sub-deadlines for specific transitional registrations, effectively allowing companies more time to comply with data requirements.

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