If you have responsibilities under REACH then you need to know what you should be doing and when. This page gives the REACH timeline, showing the start times and deadlines for the most important tasks and activities.
What is REACH?
REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals) is the system for controlling chemicals in Europe. It became law in the UK on 1 June 2007.
What should I have been doing since 1 June 2007?
By reading this page now and finding out more about REACH you are already starting to do what is needed. The pages below will help you work out your role under REACH, i.e. whether you are a manufacturer, importer and/or downstream user of chemicals
- What REACH means for manufacturers
- What REACH merans for EU Importers
- What REACH means for users of chemicals
What you need to do next will depend on your role. What next and when? Fortunately not everything has to be done at once – that would be impossible. The different tasks and activities will be phased in over a strict timeline that is laid out in the following two tables.
Table 1: Summary of key milestones and tasks for duty holders
| Key Date | Milestone and task |
| 1 June 2007 |
Entry into force of REACH. |
| 1 June 2008 | Registration begins for non-phase-in substances (i.e., “new” substances) when manufactured or imported into the EU at 1 tonne per annum (tpa) or more |
| 1 June 2008 – 1 Dec 2008 | Pre-registration period for phase-in substances (i.e., “existing substances”) manufactured in or imported into the EU at 1 tpa or more. This will lead to the formation of a Substance Information Exchange Forum (SIEF) for each substance. |
| 1 Dec 2008 | Registration required for phase-in substances that were not preregistered |
| 30 Nov 2010 | Registration deadline for pre-registered substances: supplied at ≥1000 tpa; classified under CHIP1 as Very Toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment (R50/53) at ≥ 100 tpa; classified under CHIP as Category 1 or 2 CMR2 at ≥1 tpa |
| 31 May 2013 | Registration deadline for pre-registered substances supplied at ≥100 tpa. |
| 31 May 2018 | Registration deadline for pre-registered substances supplied at ≥1 tpa. |
*1 – CHIP – Chemical (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2002
*2 – CMR- Substances that are Carcinogenic, Mutagenic or toxic to Reproduction (Category 1 and 2)
Two of the deadlines for phase-in substances have already passed, so any phase-in substances now meeting those criteria will not be eligible for pre-registration.
What about other activities that will affect me?
It’s not only manufacturers, importers or users of a chemical that have roles and responsibilities under REACH. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is also responsible for many activities. Some of those most directly affecting duty holders are listed below. The lists referred to below will be published on the ECHA website.
Table 2: Summary of tasks for the ECHA
| Deadline | Task | What this could mean for you |
| 1 Jan 2009 | Publication of the preliminary list of pre-registered substances. | Downstream users and other stakeholders who hold data on a substance will be able to indicate this to the relevant Substance Information Exchange Forum (SIEF) via the REACH-IT system. |
| 1 June 2009 | Deadline for publication by ECHA of the recommended first list of priority substances to be authorised | Once the Agency’s priority list (which is taken from the candidate list) is published, you will know the deadline for submission to ECHA of an authorisation dossier on the substance. |
| 1 Dec 2011 | Preparation of the first Community Rolling Action Plan of substances to be evaluated each year. | You will know whether your substance is to be subject to an in depth evaluation by Member State Competent Authorities and the European Chemicals Agency |
| 1 Dec 2012 | Draft decisions on testing proposals submitted with the first round of registrations received by 1 Dec 2010 | You will know what testing (if any) is required for your registered substances |
| 1 June 2016 | Draft decision on testing proposals submitted with the second round of registrations received by 1 June 2013 | You will know what testing (if any) is required for your registered substances |
| 1 June 2022 | Draft decision on testing proposals submitted with the third round of registrations received by 1 June 2018 | You will know what testing (if any) is required for your registered substances |