Electrical certificates explained: EIC, Minor Works and Part P

Electricians in the UK issue a handful of different certificates, and homeowners, landlords and buyers' solicitors often mix them up. This guide explains the Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC), the Minor Works Certificate, the EICR and Part P notification, and how the rules change in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Which electrical certificate do I need?

The EIC, Minor Works and EICR are model forms published with BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations. Scheme operators such as NICEIC and NAPIT issue their own branded versions. Since 15 April 2026, the forms have been updated for BS 7671 Amendment 4 (A4:2026).

What does each certificate cover?

Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC)

The EIC is the full certificate for new work. It records the design, the installation and the inspection and testing, with signatures for each (one person can sign all three). It includes a schedule of inspections and a schedule of test results for every new or altered circuit. Electricians often issue a simpler single-signature version for domestic work. Use an EIC for any new circuit, a rewire, or a consumer unit or distribution board replacement.

Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate

The IET's A4:2026 model form is clear: it is "to be used only for minor electrical work which does not include the provision of a new circuit". Examples are adding a socket or light point to an existing circuit, or relocating a switch. It may also cover replacing accessories or light fittings, but "not for the replacement of consumer units, distribution boards or similar items". On the A4 form, end-to-end continuity tests are now recorded as r1-r1, rn-rn and r2-r2, according to NICEIC.

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

An EICR is a report, not a certificate of new work. It assesses an existing installation and codes faults C1, C2, C3 or FI. It is what landlords need every 5 years. Read our full EICR guide for the rules and deadlines.

Part P and Building Regulations

Part P of the Building Regulations covers electrical safety in homes in England and Wales. All electrical work in a home must meet it, but only some work is notifiable, meaning building control must be told. A registered competent person can self-certify. The homeowner then receives a Building Regulations compliance certificate, separate from the BS 7671 certificate.

What other certificates might an electrician issue?

Beyond the three BS 7671 forms, specialist work comes with its own paperwork. Certificate apps list these separately, so it is worth knowing the names:

• EV charger installation certificates: Tradecert lists four EV charger forms, and iCertifi includes an EV charger certificate. Amendment 4 also introduced RDC protective devices for EV charging, according to NICEIC.
• Solar PV certificates: offered by Tradecert, iCertifi, EasyCert and NAPIT FastTest.
• Fire alarm (BS 5839) and emergency lighting (BS 5266) certificates: these follow separate British Standards, not BS 7671. See our guide to fire alarm and emergency lighting certificates.
• PAT records: portable appliance testing is not part of the fixed installation and is not covered by an EICR. Our PAT testing guide explains when it is needed.
• Landlord's interim check and visual inspection forms: lighter checks between full inspections, offered in apps such as iCertifi. They do not replace the 5-yearly EICR.

What should a homeowner, buyer or landlord ask for?

If you are paying for electrical work, ask before the job starts which certificate you will get and whether the work is notifiable. A good electrician will tell you without being asked. When the work is finished you should receive the BS 7671 certificate (EIC or Minor Works) straight away, and, for notifiable work in England or Wales, a Building Regulations compliance certificate from the electrician's scheme a few weeks later. If you are buying a home, your solicitor may ask the seller for these for any recent rewire, consumer unit change or extension. Missing paperwork can usually be sorted, but it is slower and more expensive after the event, because building control or a third-party certifier may need to inspect the work. Landlords need one more thing: proof of any remedial work after an EICR, sent to the tenant and, in England, the council.

How does certification work on a typical job?

1. Decide the certificate before you start. New circuit or board change: EIC. Small addition to an existing circuit: Minor Works.
2. Check whether the work is notifiable. In England, new circuits, consumer unit changes and bathroom alterations are. In Wales, add kitchens and outdoor work. In Scotland, check whether a building warrant is needed.
3. If you are not in a scheme, notify first. In England, a non-registered installer must notify building control before work begins, or appoint a registered third-party certifier before starting.
4. Inspect and test. Record results on the schedule as you go. A tablet app saves rewriting later.
5. Issue the BS 7671 certificate. Give the customer the EIC or Minor Works Certificate.
6. Notify through your scheme. In England, a registered competent person must make sure the compliance certificate reaches the occupier and the building control body is notified within 30 days of finishing the work. NICEIC's online system can send the Building Control notification with the certificate.
7. Keep copies. Customers will need them when they sell, and landlords need them as proof of remedial work.

What are the deadlines and costs?

• 30 days: for a registered competent person in England to get the compliance certificate to the occupier and notify building control (Approved Document P, para 3.4).
• 5 days: for an installer using a third-party certifier in England to tell the certifier the work is finished (para 3.6).
• Before work starts: building notices from non-registered installers.
• 28 days: for landlords in England to send proof of remedial work (an EIC, Minor Works Certificate or new satisfactory EICR) to the tenant and council after the work is done.

Notification fees depend on the scheme and are usually included in the electrician's price. Building control fees for a building notice are set by each council. For the cost of the EICR itself, see our EICR cost guide.

Worked example: a kitchen job in Cardiff vs Bristol

A customer wants two extra sockets added to the existing ring in their kitchen, plus a new radial circuit for an induction hob.

An electrician can also cover the whole job on one EIC, because it includes a new circuit, and notify once. The difference matters most for smaller jobs: in Wales, adding a single kitchen socket is notifiable, while in England it is not.

Software cost: an electrician issuing 15 certificates a month on Sparkcerts (£12 a month for the whole firm after the first 3 jobs) pays 80p a certificate. On iCertifi's 12-month unlimited plan (£125.99 including VAT), 180 certificates a year is about 70p each.

What about electrical work in a rented home?

Landlords use these certificates in two ways. After an EICR, any remedial work comes back as a Minor Works Certificate or an EIC, which the landlord must send to the tenant and, in England, the council within 28 days of the work. And an EIC can stand in for an EICR in Scotland: the Scottish statutory guidance accepts an EIC issued in the last five years, as long as its next inspection date has not passed.

What are the common certificate mistakes?

• Using Minor Works for a consumer unit change. The IET form rules this out. It needs an EIC.
• Using Minor Works for a new circuit. Even a short new radial needs an EIC.
• Forgetting to notify. The BS 7671 certificate is not the Part P certificate. Buyers' solicitors ask for both.
• Applying English rules in Wales. Kitchen and garden work is notifiable in Wales.
• Calling an EICR a "safety certificate". It is a condition report. A landlord who receives an unsatisfactory EICR does not have a "certificate" at all until the faults are fixed.
• Issuing old forms. From 15 October 2026, NICEIC expects A4 certificates for work designed after that date.

What software do electricians use to issue certificates?

Certificate apps fill in the EIC, Minor Works and EICR forms on a phone or tablet, carry test results across schedules and email the PDF from site. Tradecert covers EIC, EICR, Minor Works, EV charger, fire alarm, emergency lighting, solar PV, PAT and danger notices from £18 a month. iCertifi lists 15 certificate types, including EIC, Minor Works, EICR and danger notices, for £125.99 a year including VAT. NAPIT members get FastTest (£195 ex VAT); NICEIC members can use NICEIC Online, which notifies Building Control too. For a side-by-side view, see our electrical certificate software comparison, and if you also need quotes, scheduling and invoicing, see our guide to software for electricians.