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.
