Manufacturing & Engineering UK-wide

Which approval regime applies to your transport equipment

An orientation guide for makers of transport equipment (SIC divisions 29 and 30). It routes you to the right conformity or approval regime by product type and mode of transport — road vehicles, motorcycles, recreational craft, ships, railway vehicles, aircraft, spacecraft and pedal bicycles — and names the regulator that runs each one.

Guide summary

Find your transport equipment in this guide to identify which approval regime and regulator apply. You must follow the correct rules for your product type before you sell it in Great Britain. Check the Northern Ireland position separately if you sell there.

  • Identify your product type in the guide before you build
  • Follow the approval regime listed for your product
  • Contact the named regulator for your product type
  • Check Northern Ireland rules separately if you sell there
  • Different products have different regulators and standards
On this page

Related guides in General Compliance

"Transport equipment" covers very different products, and each mode of transport has its own approval regime and its own regulator. Before you build anything, work out which regime your product falls under, because the route, the standards and the regulator all change with the type of equipment. This guide is for makers across SIC divisions 29 and 30 — motor vehicles and trailers, and other transport equipment such as boats, ships, trains, aircraft, spacecraft and bicycles.

Find your product below, read the short description, then open the linked detail for the regime that applies. Several entries cover Great Britain only (England, Scotland and Wales); where a regime is UK-wide, Northern Ireland may follow the EU rules under the Windsor Framework, so check the NI position separately if you sell there.

Road vehicles, trailers, bodywork and caravans

If you make complete road vehicles, vehicle bodywork, trailers, semi-trailers or caravans, GB type-approval applies and the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) is your regulator. This is a Great Britain regime.

Motorcycles, mopeds, tricycles and quadricycles

If you make L-category vehicles, a separate strand of the same GB type-approval scheme applies, again run by the VCA.

Recreational craft and personal watercraft

If you build boats from 2.5 m to 24 m or personal watercraft, the recreational craft conformity-assessment regime applies, with UKCA marking; the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) oversees it.

Ships and shipbuilding

If you build ships, the merchant-shipping construction, survey and certification regime applies under the MCA, often through a recognised classification society.

Railway rolling stock

If you build railway vehicles, the interoperability regime applies and you need authorisation from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) before a vehicle enters service.

Aircraft and aircraft parts

If you design or manufacture aircraft, engines, propellers or parts, the airworthiness system applies and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issues the design and production organisation approvals.

Launch vehicles and spaceflight equipment

If you make or operate launch vehicles or run a spaceport, spaceflight activities are licensed by the CAA as the spaceflight regulator.

Pedal bicycles

If you make pedal bicycles, a supply-safety regime applies, policed by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) and local Trading Standards.

What to do next

Once you have identified your regime, follow the detailed guide for it. Makers of motor vehicles, trailers and components should read the deep type-approval task guide, then the ongoing material duties for end-of-life recycling and restricted substances. Whatever you make, run the sector compliance checklist before you place product on the market or export.

Official sources

Regulators and statutory guidance for transport-equipment approval regimes