DEFRA (UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) has announced updates to certain registration and authorisation fees under UK REACH. The new fees came into effect on 1 April 2025.

According to UK authorities, this update is based on the price indices and fee structures proposed by HSE. The updated fee schedule was published on 10 March 2025 under the name The REACH Fees and Charges (Amendment of Commission Regulation (EC) No 340/2008) Regulations 2025.

Updated UK REACH Fees

Registration Fees

Fees for full registrations and intermediate-only registrations have been revised as follows:

1. Standard Fees

Tonnage Band Individual Submission Joint Submission
All Tonnage Bands £2,222 £2,222

2. Reduced Fees for SMEs

Tonnage Band Medium (Ind.) Medium (Joint) Small (Ind.) Small (Joint) Micro (Ind.) Micro (Joint)
All Tonnage Bands £740 £740 £399 £399 £57 £57

The lack of tonnage differentiation in standard fees means the base registration cost is the same whether 1 tonne or 1000 tonnes of a substance is manufactured. It is a different approach compared to the EU REACH regulation.

However, the reduced fees can help SMEs. A micro-enterprise may pay up to 97% less than a large company for the same registration.

Update Fees

To maintain transparency and oversight in UK REACH processes, fees for updates under Article 22 have also been revised:

Tonnage Band Updates

1. Standard Fees

Type of Update Individual Submission Joint Submission
All Updates £2,222 £2,222

2. Reduced Fees for SMEs

Type of Update Medium (Ind.) Medium (Joint) Small (Ind.) Small (Joint) Micro (Ind.) Micro (Joint)
All Updates £1,249 £1,249 £672 £672 £96 £96

Identity Change

Identity change fees apply in cases such as mergers, name changes, etc.

1. Standard Fees

Type of Change Fee
Change in identity of the registrant involving a change in legal personality £290

2. Reduced Fees for SMEs

Type of Change Medium Small Micro
Change in identity of the registrant involving a change in legal personality £261 £232 £72

Other Changes

1. Standard Fees

Type of Update Individual Submission Joint Submission
Degree of purity and/or identity of impurities or additives £4,271 £3,203
Relevant tonnage band £1,424 £1,068
A study summary or a robust study summary £4,271 £3,203
Information in the safety data sheet £2,847 £2,135
Trade name of substance £1,424 £1,068
IUPAC name for non-phase-in substances referred to in Article 119(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 £1,424 £1,068
IUPAC name for substances referred to in Article 119(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 used as intermediates, in scientific research and development or in product and process orientated research and development £1,424 £1,068

2. Reduced Fees for SMEs

Type of Update Medium (Ind.) Medium (Joint) Small (Ind.) Small (Joint) Micro (Ind.) Micro (Joint)
Degree of purity and/or identity of impurities or additives £2,776 £2,082 £1,495 £1,121 £214 £160
Relevant tonnage band £925 £694 £498 £374 £72 £53
A study summary or a robust study summary £2,776 £2,082 £1,495 £1,121 £214 £160
Information in the safety data sheet £1,851 £1,388 £996 £747 £142 £107
Trade name of the substance £925 £694 £498 £374 £72 £53
IUPAC name for non-phase-in substances referred to in Article 119(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 £925 £694 £498 £374 £72 £53
IUPAC name for substances referred to in Article 119(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 used as intermediates, in scientific research and development or in product and process orientated research and development (not specified)          

PRORD Fees

Under Article 9 of the UK REACH Regulation, the fees for PRORD notification and PRORD exemption extension are as follows:

PRORD Notification

Standard fee £751
Reduced fee for medium enterprise £308
Reduced fee for small enterprise £166
Reduced fee for micro enterprise £24

PRORD notification fees are relatively low compared to other categories, which supports research and development activities.

Fees for Extension of PRORD Exemption

Standard charge £751
Reduced charge for medium enterprise £617
Reduced charge for small enterprise £332
Reduced charge for micro enterprise £47

Authorisation Application and Review Fees

Authorisation Application

1. Standard Fees

Application Type Fee
Base Fee £57,689
Additional Fee Per Substance £11,538
Additional Fee Per Use £51,920

2. Reduced Fees for SMEs

Application Type Medium Small Micro
Base Fee £43,267 £25,960 £5,769
Additional Fee Per Substance £8,653 £5,192 £1,154
Additional Fee Per Use £38,940 £23,364 £5,192

Authorisation Review

1. Standard Charges

Review Type Fee
Base Charge £57,689
Additional Charge Per Substance £11,538
Additional Charge Per Use £51,920

2. Reduced Charges for SMEs

Review Type Medium Small Micro
Base Charge £43,267 £25,960 £5,769
Additional Charge Per Substance £8,653 £5,192 £1,154
Additional Charge Per Use £38,940 £23,364 £5,192

Authorisation and review fees are notably high, representing a significant cost for companies dealing with SVHCs. Firms are advised to support their applications with thorough justification and explore safer alternatives.

Strategic Recommendations

Cost Planning
Companies are advised to prepare annual budgets that consider costly processes like authorisation and review.

SME Declaration
To benefit from reduced fees, companies must complete their SME declarations accurately and on time.

Alternatives to SVHCs
Where possible, firms should prioritize substitution of SVHCs to avoid the authorisation process.

Consultancy Support
Errors in these processes may lead to serious financial consequences; expert guidance is strongly recommended.

How Chemleg Consultancy Can Help

At Chemleg, we support companies in navigating UK REACH registration, notification, and authorisation processes, including:

• Development of compliance strategies
• Accurate SME declarations
• Technical dossier and IUCLID preparation
• Data sharing management for lead registrants and obtaining Letter of Access (LoA) for co-registrants with LoA-Pro.

Learn more about our UK REACH registration services.