UK REACH: NRES and New Substance Registration Explained

  • November 14, 2025
  • Rachna Nayyar, Regulatory Manager, REACHLaw UK

Are you a new UK importer? This is for you!

If you did not have an existing supply before January 2021, you cannot rely on a DUIN. In this case, either you or your overseas supplier must submit a new UK REACH registration for the substance before importing any substance at or above one tonne per year into Great Britain.

What is an NRES

A New Registration of an Existing Substance (NRES) applies when:

  • The substance has previously been registered under EU REACH, but you (or your supplier) did not have an existing supply before 1 January 2021.
  • You now intend to import or manufacture the substance in Great Britain for the first time under UK REACH.

Although the substance is not new from a regulatory perspective, as it is already known to authorities through its previous EU REACH registration, your registration will be considered new since your company is placing the substance on the UK market for the first time.

In other words, the substance is existing, but your registration is new, hence the term NRES. Think of NRES as a controlled deferral mechanism: it secures your right to import or manufacture while giving your business additional preparation time for full compliance.  Note:

  • NRES does not remove your obligations, you are still responsible for submitting the full registration dossier by the relevant deadline.
  • It is a tool to legally defer the timing of full registration for substances already known under EU REACH, reducing immediate compliance pressure for new UK importers.

If the substance does not meet the above conditions and has not been previously registered under EU REACH, it is considered a new substance. In this case, you must submit a full new UK REACH registration before placing it on the UK market.

What is a New Registration (for a New Substance)?

A new registration under UK REACH applies when:

  • The substance has never been registered under EU REACH or UK REACH before. It is therefore “new” in a regulatory sense, not recognized as an existing substance.
  • You must fully register the substance before placing it on the GB market (no deferral mechanism applies).
  • The full data requirements must be met before placing the substance on the market.
New Extended Deadlines:

Defra has extended the deadlines for submitting full registration data by three years, to:

  • October 27, 2026
  • October 27, 2028
  • October 27, 2030

(Depending on the tonnage and hazard profile of your substance.)

Defra Consultation Update:

The UK Government is consulting on proposals to extend the UK REACH registration deadlines beyond the current dates of October 2026, 2028, and 2030.

Three options are under consideration:

  • Option 1: October 2029, October 2030, October 2031
  • Option 2: April 2029, April 2031, April 2033
  • Option 3: April 2029, April 2030, April 2031

These proposed extensions are intended to give businesses more time to gather and prepare the necessary registration data.

It has not yet been confirmed which option will be adopted.

Need help with the registration for your existing or new substances? Contact as at sales@reachlaw.fi for support.

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