BS 7671 is the UK standard for electrical installations, published by the IET and BSI and known as the IET Wiring Regulations. It sets out how installations are designed, installed, inspected and tested. The current edition is BS 7671:2018+A4:2026.

What is the current edition of BS 7671?

BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, the 18th Edition with its fourth amendment. It was published on 15 April 2026, and from 15 October 2026 it is the only current edition.

Which certificates does BS 7671 define?

Three: the Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) for new work, the Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC) for small additions and alterations that do not provide a new circuit, and the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) for the condition of an existing installation.

What does Part 6 of BS 7671 cover?

Part 6 covers inspection and testing: initial verification of new work in Chapter 64, and periodic inspection and testing of existing installations in Chapter 65. It decides what you inspect and test before you sign an EIC, an MEIWC or an EICR.

Who can sign a BS 7671 certificate?

Anyone competent to do the work they are certifying. No single qualification is required by law, and membership of a competent person scheme is the usual proof. On an EIC the designer, installer and inspector each sign their own declaration, and one person can sign all three if they did all three.

Does CertSync check my readings against BS 7671?

Yes, in the EIC and EICR circuit schedules. As you enter each circuit, CertSync fills in the maximum Zs from the protective device and earthing arrangement, compares your reading with it and flags the circuit with the BS 7671 section number. The person who signs is still responsible for the certificate.

UK electrical compliance & regulation

BS 7671 explained for electricians: what the Wiring Regulations require on certificates

BS 7671 is the UK standard for electrical installations, published by the IET and BSI and known as the IET Wiring Regulations. It is not law in itself, but it is the benchmark electrical work is judged against, and it defines the three certificates electricians issue: the EIC, the MEIWC and the EICR.

Last updated 7 November 2026. Written by the CertSync team and checked against the standards.

The short answer

BS 7671, Requirements for Electrical Installations, sets out how electrical installations in the UK are designed, installed, inspected and tested. The current edition is BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, the 18th Edition with its fourth amendment. It is a non-statutory standard, but meeting it is the accepted way to show electrical work is safe. It defines the certificates you issue: an EIC for new work, an MEIWC for minor works and an EICR for the condition of an existing installation.

What BS 7671 is, and who publishes it

BS 7671 is the national standard for electrical installations in the UK. The IET and BSI publish it together, which is why electricians call it the IET Wiring Regulations, or just the regs. The 18th Edition was first published in 2018 and has been amended four times since. The current version, BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, was published on 15 April 2026, and from 15 October 2026 it is the only current edition.

It covers the design, installation and verification of fixed electrical installations: homes, shops, offices and factories, and special locations such as bathrooms, solar PV systems and EV charge points. It does not cover the appliances plugged into an installation, which is why in-service testing of portable appliances follows its own code of practice.

Is BS 7671 a legal requirement?

Not in itself. BS 7671 is a non-statutory standard: no Act of Parliament makes it law. In practice it is the benchmark. In England and Wales, Approved Document P, the guidance for Part P of the Building Regulations, points to BS 7671 as the way to make electrical work in homes safe. HSE guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 treats it as a recognised way of meeting those duties. The landlord electrical safety rules in England set their inspection standard by reference to it.

Competent person schemes assess their members’ work against BS 7671 too. So whether the question comes from building control, a scheme assessor or a later inspector, it is the same question: does the work meet the edition that applied when it was done?

How BS 7671 is organised: Parts, Chapters and Sections

The regulations are split into numbered Parts, and each Part into Chapters and Sections. A regulation number tells you where it sits: the first digit is the Part. Anything numbered in the 400s is about protection for safety, and anything in the 600s is about inspection and testing.

Part 1 sets out the scope, object and fundamental principles. Part 2 is definitions. Part 3 covers assessing the general characteristics of an installation, such as the supply and what it will be used for. Part 4 covers protection for safety, including protection against electric shock (Chapter 41), thermal effects (Chapter 42) and overcurrent (Chapter 43). Part 5 covers selecting and installing equipment, from wiring systems to earthing and protective conductors (Chapter 54) and stationary batteries (Chapter 57).

Part 6 covers inspection and testing: initial verification of new work (Chapter 64) and periodic inspection and testing (Chapter 65). Part 7 covers special installations or locations, each in its own Section, such as bathrooms (Section 701), solar PV (Section 712) and EV charging (Section 722). Each Section in Part 7 adds to or changes the general rules for that location; it does not replace them. Part 8 covers prosumer installations, which generate or store electricity as well as use it. The appendices follow, including the model certificate and report forms in Appendix 6.

The certificates BS 7671 defines: EIC, MEIWC and EICR

BS 7671 expects every new installation, addition or alteration to be inspected and tested before it is put into service, and the result recorded. It sets out three forms for this, with models in Appendix 6.

An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) is for new work: a new installation, a rewire, a new circuit or a consumer unit change. It carries separate declarations for design, construction and inspection and testing, with a schedule of inspections and a schedule of test results for every circuit.

A Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC) is for a smaller addition or alteration that does not provide a new circuit, such as adding a socket to an existing ring or a light fitting to an existing lighting circuit. If the job needs a new circuit, it needs an EIC instead.

An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) records the condition of an existing installation. It is a report, not a certificate: it does not certify new work. It records what the inspector found, codes any defects C1, C2, C3 or FI, and gives an overall outcome of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.

Inspection and testing in plain words (Part 6)

Inspection comes first. You look over the installation for damage, the right equipment for the job and the location, sound connections, correct labelling, suitable protective devices and cables that suit the circuit. Testing follows in a set order: the dead tests first, such as continuity of protective conductors, insulation resistance and polarity, then the live tests, such as earth fault loop impedance and RCD operation.

Each reading is compared with the limit that applies to that circuit, and the results go on the schedule of test results. On an EICR you agree the extent of the inspection and any limitations with the client and record them, because a periodic inspection looks at condition rather than re-checking every detail of the original design.

Initial verification and periodic inspection use the same kinds of test but answer different questions. Initial verification asks whether new work meets BS 7671 before anyone uses it. Periodic inspection asks whether an existing installation is still safe to keep using, judged against the current edition.

How CertSync helps you work to BS 7671

CertSync checks the EIC and EICR circuit schedules against BS 7671 as you enter the readings. It fills in the maximum Zs from the protective device and the earthing arrangement, compares your measured value with it, and marks each circuit compliant, amber or failed, with a message that names the BS 7671 section. You find the problem on site, before you sign, not after the certificate is printed.

CertSync’s EIC, MEIWC and EICR forms reference BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 and use the current edition’s outcome rules. The checks support your judgement rather than replace it: the person who signs is responsible for what the certificate says.

Frequently asked questions

What is BS 7671?: BS 7671 is the UK standard for electrical installations, published by the IET and BSI and known as the IET Wiring Regulations. It sets out how installations are designed, installed, inspected and tested. The current edition is BS 7671:2018+A4:2026.
Is BS 7671 a legal requirement?: No. It is a non-statutory standard. But Approved Document P, HSE guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and the landlord electrical safety rules in England all point to it, so in practice electrical work is judged against it.
What is the current edition of BS 7671?: BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, the 18th Edition with its fourth amendment. It was published on 15 April 2026, and from 15 October 2026 it is the only current edition.
Which certificates does BS 7671 define?: Three: the Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) for new work, the Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC) for small additions and alterations that do not provide a new circuit, and the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) for the condition of an existing installation.
What does Part 6 of BS 7671 cover?: Part 6 covers inspection and testing: initial verification of new work in Chapter 64, and periodic inspection and testing of existing installations in Chapter 65. It decides what you inspect and test before you sign an EIC, an MEIWC or an EICR.
Who can sign a BS 7671 certificate?: Anyone competent to do the work they are certifying. No single qualification is required by law, and membership of a competent person scheme is the usual proof. On an EIC the designer, installer and inspector each sign their own declaration, and one person can sign all three if they did all three.
Does CertSync check my readings against BS 7671?: Yes, in the EIC and EICR circuit schedules. As you enter each circuit, CertSync fills in the maximum Zs from the protective device and earthing arrangement, compares your reading with it and flags the circuit with the BS 7671 section number. The person who signs is still responsible for the certificate.

Disclaimer

This guide is general information, not professional advice, and does not replace the IET's own BS 7671 publication, professional judgement, or scheme-body guidance. Requirements can change; always check the current position before issuing certificates. CertSync does not verify qualifications or scheme membership. The contractor named on a certificate is responsible for what it certifies.

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