UAS intended to be used in the Open Category will be subject to product standards from 1 January 2026. The product standards will ensure that UAS have an effective minimum level of safety, security and performance. The framework for Open Category product standards is referred to as ‘class marking’ and is based on EU retained law. Find out more about UAS class marking.
In March 2025, the government named us as the UK’s Market Surveillance Authority (MSA) for UAS.
Role of the MSA
The role of the MSA is underpinned by the regulatory frameworks set out in UK Regulation (EU) 2019/945 and Regulation (EC) No 765/2008. As the MSA we will be responsible for carrying out the following activities:
- Ensuring product standards for UAS are met by manufacturers, importers and distributors (i.e. economic operators) and intervening when there is non-compliance. This will involve executing the surveillance and control of products placed on or entering the market under UK Regulation (EU) 2019/945.
- Evaluating UAS products to identify potential risks to health or safety.
- Requiring relevant manufacturers, importers and distributors to take appropriate corrective actions to bring a UAS product into compliance with regulatory requirements.
- Requiring relevant manufacturers, importers and distributors to withdraw a UAS product from the market, or to recall it within a reasonable period, should a serious risk be identified by the MSA.
- Informing the Secretary of State for Transport about UAS products that present a serious risk at the national level, as well as taking appropriate measures to alert users of these hazards.
- Implementing and overseeing the conformity assessment framework in the UK, ensuring manufacturers demonstrate compliance with designated standards applicable for class marked UAS. This will involve the management, oversight and approval of conformity assessment bodies, which are third-party organisations that perform conformity assessment activities to ensure UAS products are compliant with requirements.
Conformity Assessment
Conformity assessment is the process of demonstrating whether the specified requirements relating to a product have been fulfilled. UK Regulation 2019/945 outlines three approaches to conformity assessment for class marked UAS: internal production control, type examination, and conformity based on full quality assurance.
These approaches to conformity assessment are summarised as follows:
- Internal production control – the manufacturer ensures that the product meets all requirements through self-declaration.
- Type examination – a third-party conformity assessment body provides an initial verification that the product meets applicable standards, and the manufacturer ensures production remains consistent with the approved design.
- Full quality assurance - the manufacturer confirms that the product meets applicable standards and uses a quality management system that is approved by a third-party conformity assessment body.
In the UK, manufacturers will be allowed to demonstrate conformity through internal production control for products with a type-examination certificate from an EU-approved conformity assessment body for C1, C2 and C3 class UAS until 31 December 2027.
From 1 January 2028 onwards, manufacturers will be required to obtain a type-examination certificate from a UK-approved conformity assessment body for UK1, UK2 and UK3 class UAS. Internal production control is allowed for UK0, UK4, UK5 and UK6 UAS irrespective of whether the product has a type-examination certificate from an EU-approved conformity assessment body.
The MSA is currently working with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, the Office for Product Safety and Standards and industry to set up the conformity assessment framework for UAS in the UK. This includes the development of a conformity assessment scheme that will establish a consistent and harmonised framework for conducting conformity assessments.
The United Kingdom Accreditation Service is the National Accreditation Body for the United Kingdom and is responsible for the assessment and accreditation of conformity assessments bodies. If your organisation would like to become an accredited conformity assessment body for UAS, find out more on their website UKAS - The UK Accreditation Body - Creating Confidence.
Next Steps
We have recently recruited specialists to implement the Market Surveillance function. We will be working collaboratively with government, industry and operators to ensure the function is effective and serves the needs of the UAS sector.
We will share more information about the implementation of the MSA here as the function develops.