EIC Certificate AppElectrical Installation Certificate

An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) must be issued whenever a new circuit is installed. This includes running a new cable from the distribution board with a new protective device (MCB, RCBO, or fuse). Examples include installing a new radial circuit for an electric shower, a new cooker circuit, a new ring final circuit, an EV charger circuit, or any circuit forming part of a complete rewire. If the work involves only additions or alterations to an existing circuit — such as adding a socket outlet to an existing ring — a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate is appropriate instead. The key distinction is whether a new circuit has been created. BS 7671 Section 631 covers the EIC requirement.

Yes. BS 7671 permits the same competent person to fulfil all three roles — designer, constructor, and inspector — and to sign the EIC in all three capacities. This is common for sole traders and small firms where one electrician carries out the entire job from design through to inspection and testing. However, the person signing must be genuinely competent in all three areas. On larger projects, these roles are often split between different individuals or firms — for example, an electrical consultant may design the installation, a contracting firm may construct it, and an independent inspector may carry out the final inspection and testing. In this case, each person signs only for the role they have fulfilled.

The EIC schedule of test results requires the following for each circuit: continuity of protective conductors (R1+R2 values), continuity of ring final circuit conductors (for ring circuits — r1, rn, r2 end-to-end readings and cross-connection readings), insulation resistance (minimum 1.0 MΩ at 500 V DC for circuits up to and including 500 V, or 0.5 MΩ at 250 V DC for SELV and PELV circuits — per Table 64 of BS 7671), polarity verification (confirmed correct at each point), earth fault loop impedance (Zs at the furthest point of each circuit), prospective fault current (PSCC at the origin and at each distribution board), and RCD operating times where RCD protection is fitted. The schedule also requires details of the protective device (type, rating, and short-circuit capacity) and the cable (type, size, and reference method) for every circuit.

In England and Wales, any electrical installation work in a dwelling that involves the installation of a new circuit is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations (Approved Document P). Since an EIC is required precisely when new circuits are installed, the two requirements align closely — virtually all domestic work requiring an EIC will also be notifiable. If you are registered with a competent person scheme (such as NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, STROMA, or BRE), you can self-certify the work by submitting the EIC to your scheme provider, who issues a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate. If you are not registered with a scheme, you must notify the local authority building control before starting the work, and they will arrange an inspection. The rules differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland, so always check the regulations for the nation in which you are working.

There is no specific legal requirement stating exactly how long EIC certificates must be retained, but best practice and scheme provider guidance recommend keeping copies for a minimum of 10 years. Some scheme providers require their registered members to retain copies for the duration of their membership. The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require landlords to keep the most recent EICR (not EIC, but the principle of record-keeping applies), and the Limitation Act 1980 allows claims for breach of contract up to 6 years and claims under deed up to 12 years. Keeping certificates for at least 10 years provides protection against most potential claims. Elec-Mate stores all certificates in your cloud archive indefinitely, so you always have a copy available.

BS 7671 Appendix 6 provides model forms for the EIC, schedule of inspections, and schedule of test results. These are recommended forms, not mandatory forms — BS 7671 states that the information required "shall" be provided but does not prohibit the use of alternative formats, provided all the required information is present and the certificate is unambiguous. Amendment A4:2026 updated the Appendix 6 model forms to include fields for recording surge protective devices (SPDs) and arc fault detection devices (AFDDs) where installed — certificates that omit these fields may be considered incomplete on installations where those devices are fitted. In practice, NICEIC, NAPIT, and other scheme providers publish their own approved EIC forms, and software certificates (such as those generated by Elec-Mate) are widely accepted provided they contain all the required information. What matters is that the certificate documents the design, construction, and verification of the installation completely — the exact layout of the form is secondary. When submitting to local authority building control, check their specific requirements, though digitally generated PDFs are accepted by the vast majority of councils.