UK Authorized Representative

A UK Authorized Representative (UK AR) is a legal or natural person established within the United Kingdom who is explicitly designated by a non-UK manufacturer to act on their behalf. Since Brexit, an EU Authorized Representative is no longer recognized for the British market. If you are exporting machinery to England, Scotland, or Wales, you now need a distinct UK-based entity to facilitate UKCA Marking.

For machinery specifically, the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations require the Declaration of Conformity (DoC) to list the name and address of a person "established in the UK" who is authorized to compile the Technical File. While an Importer can technically fulfill this role, many North American manufacturers prefer appointing a specialist UK AR.

This approach protects your intellectual property. Instead of handing over your full proprietary design data to a commercial distributor, you share it with a neutral representative whose sole job is to present it to Trading Standards if a regulatory audit occurs.