UK confirms deadline extensions for chemical registration

London, UK, December 2025 - The UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has confirmed plans to extend UK REACH chemical registration deadlines following its response to a public consultation.

The original registration deadlines, set to begin on 26 October 2026, will now be delayed by at least three years, providing industry with additional time to prepare for compliance.

New deadlines

27 October 2029 will apply to registrations for:

• Substances identified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction (CMRs) on the EU or UK REACH SVHC lists before 31 December 2023, and manufactured or imported at ≥1 tonne/year

• Substances identified as very toxic to aquatic life at ≥100 tonnes/year

• All substances manufactured or imported at ≥1,000 tonnes/year

27 October 2030 will apply to registrations for:

• Substances added to the UK REACH SVHC list between 1 January 2024 and 27 October 2026

• Substances manufactured or imported at ≥100 tonnes/year

Starting on 27 October 2031, all remaining substances manufactured or imported at ≥1 tonne/year must be registered.

Next step

The UK government, subject to agreement from Scottish and Welsh Ministers, plans to introduce legislation in 2026 to formalize the revised deadlines.

Additional regulatory measures will support implementation and ensure the UK REACH framework is operational ahead of the first extended deadline in 2029.

Implications for industry

he extension provides companies with critical additional time to prepare registration dossiers, negotiate data-sharing agreements, align supply chain data. However, companies should not delay compliance efforts and must continue to track substance classifications, including SVHC status; and monitor annual tonnage thresholds for each chemical.