Digital electrical certificates are accepted by NICEIC, NAPIT and the other competent person schemes, and by BS 7671 itself, which asks for certificates and reports to be "signed or otherwise authenticated" rather than signed in ink. What matters is content: the certificate must carry everything in the Appendix 6 model form for the edition you are working to, with every schedule attached, and it must identify who took responsibility. The IET allows contractors to photocopy or "electronically manipulate" its model forms free of charge. Paper remains valid, but the A2:2022 edition is withdrawn on 15 October 2026, so pads and apps alike need to be on the Amendment 4 forms for newly designed work.
- BS 7671 Appendix 6 model forms define the content of a certificate, not the medium. A PDF with the same content as the model form is as compliant as a pad.
- NICEIC and NAPIT assess certificates on completeness, plausible readings and correct coding. Neither scheme requires paper or a wet-ink signature.
- BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 was published on 15 April 2026 and changed some model forms. From 15 October 2026 newly designed work needs the Amendment 4 versions, whichever medium you use.
- Typed, drawn and login-authenticated signatures are all acceptable. A personal login with a date and time record is better evidence than a drawn squiggle.
- Six years is the minimum retention period. For work in dwellings, 15 years is the safer figure since the Building Safety Act 2022 extended Defective Premises Act claims.
- Issue one complete PDF the client can open without an account, and export your archive to storage you control at least every quarter.
What does BS 7671 require a certificate to be?
An electrical certificate is the document in which the people responsible for the design, construction, inspection and testing of an installation, or for a periodic inspection of it, declare that the work or the installation is as described. Chapter 64 requires an Electrical Installation Certificate with its schedules for new work and alterations, or a Minor Works certificate for an addition or alteration that does not include a new circuit. Chapter 65 requires an Electrical Installation Condition Report for a periodic inspection. The difference between an EICR and an EIC is the same on paper and on screen.
Three points in the standard settle the paper-versus-digital question.
The forms are models. Appendix 6 gives model forms and says forms based on them may be used. The intent is that whoever picks up the document later, whether an assessor, a landlord, the next electrician or a court, finds the same information in the same places.
Authentication, not ink. Part 6 requires certificates and reports to be compiled and "signed or otherwise authenticated" by skilled persons. The wording has allowed for electronic methods since the 17th Edition, which stated that certificates could be produced in any durable medium, written or electronic, provided their authenticity and integrity could be verified and any copy was a true copy of the original.
The schedules are part of the certificate. Section H of the model EICR says the schedules and continuation sheets listed "are part of this document and this report is valid only when they are attached to it". A certificate without its schedule of test results is incomplete in any medium.
The IET publishes the model forms as free downloads. Its terms permit you to "photocopy and/or electronically manipulate the forms for use solely in connection with your electrical contracting business", on condition that blank forms are not resold and the IET logo is not reproduced. The permission lapses after seven years unless renewed. That is the licence under which a contractor's own spreadsheet or fillable PDF version of the form is legitimate.
What do NICEIC, NAPIT and the other schemes accept?
The competent person schemes accept electronic certificates. NICEIC runs the NICEIC Online Certification System (NOCS), which it describes as exclusively for NICEIC-certified businesses and charged per certificate and notification used, and it endorses Clik's NICEIC Cert Software for its branded forms. NAPIT offers members its own certification software. Neither scheme vets or lists third-party apps, and neither needs to: the annual assessment samples the certificates the business has issued and judges them on content.
An assessor checks that the right form was used for the work, that the schedules are complete, that readings are plausible, that observations are coded in line with IET Guidance Note 3 and Electrical Safety First Best Practice Guide 4, and that the instruments were in calibration. The guide to becoming NICEIC registered covers what is sampled at assessment, and NICEIC vs NAPIT compares the two schemes.
Where format does matter is branding and numbering. Scheme-branded pads and scheme systems carry the scheme logo and a serial number under the scheme's terms. A certificate from third-party software is issued under the contractor's own business details and registration number, and a scheme logo may be added only if you are registered and the scheme's brand rules allow it. Neither is more valid than the other: both are the contractor's own certificate.
| Question | Paper (scheme pad or printed model form) | Digital (scheme system or third-party app) |
|---|---|---|
| Compliant with Appendix 6 | Yes, if the pad is the right edition | Yes, if the form follows the right edition's model |
| Accepted at NICEIC and NAPIT assessment | Yes | Yes |
| Serial numbering | Pre-printed | Generated by the software |
| Signatures | Wet ink | Typed, drawn or login-authenticated |
| Client's copy | Top copy or scan | PDF by email or link |
| Contractor's copy | Carbonless duplicate in a file | Stored record plus export |
| Risk of missing schedule pages | High once pages are separated | Low if schedules are in the same file |
| Validation of blank fields | None | Depends on the software |
| Legibility | Depends on handwriting | Consistent |
| Edition change | Buy new pads, scrap old stock | Provider must update the forms |
| Building control notification | Entered separately in the scheme portal | Entered separately unless the system is the scheme's own |
Part P notification is a separate step done through your scheme. The certificate, in whatever form, is the evidence behind it, and the Part P notification guide covers the process and deadlines.
What changes with the Amendment 4 forms?
BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 was published on 15 April 2026, and the previous version, A2:2022 as amended by A3:2024, is withdrawn on 15 October 2026. NICEIC's Amendment 4 guidance says the new edition brings changes to the certificates, and that from 15 October 2026 Amendment 4 certificates must be issued for newly designed work. Work designed before that date can be completed to the previous standard, even if it finishes afterwards.
The model EICR published by the IET for Amendment 4 shows the main differences an inspector will notice.
| Item on the form | Previous form (A2:2022, A3:2024) | A4:2026 form |
|---|---|---|
| Observations section | One list with a code against each item | Split in two: C1 and C2 items, then C3 and FI items |
| Effect of FI on the outcome | FI was treated as making the overall assessment unsatisfactory (GN3, Best Practice Guide 4) | C3 and FI are stated to be advisory and not to affect the overall assessment |
| Earthing arrangement options | TN-C, TN-S, TN-C-S, TT, IT | Protective neutral bonding (PNB) can now be selected |
| NICEIC form reference | 18.3 | 18.4 |
The split observations section matters to landlords and agents, so make sure the form you issue matches the edition you inspected to; the guide to EICR observation codes explains the outcome rules under each. PNB is covered in the guide to earthing arrangements.
An edition change exposes the real difference between the two media. With paper you buy new pads and bin the old ones; SELECT, for example, has given its Amendment 4 pads an orange cover band so members can tell them from the brown 2022 versions. With software you are relying on the provider to have updated the forms, so ask which edition the PDF cites and check the footer of the first certificate you issue after the changeover. A certificate on a superseded form is not automatically invalid, but an assessor will expect the form to match the edition the work was designed or inspected to.
Are typed or electronic signatures acceptable?
Yes. BS 7671 requires each declaration to be signed or otherwise authenticated by the person responsible: the designer, constructor and inspector on an EIC, and on an EICR the person who inspected and tested plus the person authorising the report for issue. The model EICR notes say the signatures "are those of the person(s) executing the work of inspection and testing and authorizing the report for issue". Nothing requires ink.
General law takes the same line. Section 7 of the Electronic Communications Act 2000 makes electronic signatures admissible in evidence, and the Law Commission's 2019 report on electronic execution of documents concluded that an electronic signature can validly execute a document provided the signer intends to authenticate it. The question in a dispute is never "was it ink?" but "can you show this person signed it?".
| Method | What it proves | Weak point |
|---|---|---|
| Typed name | Who is named as responsible | Anyone with access could have typed it |
| Signature drawn on screen | Familiar to clients; shows a deliberate act | The image can be reused on later certificates |
| Name applied under a personal login | Links the signature to one account, with date and time | Worthless if the team shares one login |
| Separate authorisation step by the QS | Shows review took place before issue | Only if the QS opened and read the report |
For a sole trader a typed or drawn signature under your own login is enough. For a firm, the second signature is the one assessors probe: the person authorising the report should be the qualified supervisor or someone working under their control, and the record should show they reviewed it. The guide to QS sign-off sets out what that review should cover. What assessors object to, on paper or screen, is a blank signature box, a signature that cannot be matched to a person in the business, or a report authorised by someone who plainly never read it.
How long must certificates be kept?
No regulation sets a single retention period, so the sensible periods come from the surrounding law. The model forms themselves say the person ordering the work should receive the "original" and the issuer should retain a duplicate.
| Who | What to keep | How long | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor | Every EIC, MEIWC and EICR issued | Six years as a minimum | Limitation Act 1980: six years for contract claims |
| Contractor, work in dwellings | EICs and Minor Works certificates | 15 years is prudent | Defective Premises Act 1972 as amended by the Building Safety Act 2022 |
| Landlord (England) | Current EICR | Until the next inspection, then hand to the next inspector | Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 |
| Landlord or agent | Written confirmation of remedial work | With the EICR it relates to | Same regulations: confirmation within 28 days of the work |
| Homeowner | EIC and building regulations compliance certificate | Life of the installation | Needed at sale and by the next electrician |
| Employer or duty holder | EICRs for the premises | Until superseded | Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 maintenance records |
The 15-year figure is the one many electricians have missed. Since 28 June 2022 the Defective Premises Act 1972 has covered work on existing dwellings as well as new ones, and claims for work completed after that date can be brought for 15 years. A rewire or consumer unit change in a house is the kind of work it can reach. Six years of paper is a filing cabinet; 15 years is a storage problem. A digital archive of the same period is a few gigabytes and a search box. The guide to certificate retention and GDPR covers the data protection side.
What goes wrong with paper, and what goes wrong with digital?
A 12-circuit domestic board on the schedule of circuit details and test results is well over 200 individual entries. Every one is a chance for an error, and each medium fails in its own way.
| Failure | Paper | Digital |
|---|---|---|
| Missing schedules | The loose sheet that gets lost | Rare, unless schedules are issued as separate files |
| Illegible readings | A 0.35 that reads as 0.85 | Not an issue |
| Blank boxes | No warning at all | Flagged only if the software validates |
| Arithmetic | R1+R2 from ring readings and Zs corrections done by hand | Calculated, but wrong inputs still give wrong answers |
| Copied data | Rare; each certificate is written fresh | Cloned certificates carry old readings, dates or limitations forward |
| Default values | None | Pre-filled "satisfactory" ticks and maximum Zs values accepted unread |
| Overall assessment contradicting the codes | C2 recorded, "Satisfactory" ticked | Same error if the software does not block it |
| Lost copies | Faded or missing duplicate four years on | Provider closes, account lapses or phone is lost with no export |
| On-site failure | Wet or damaged pad | Flat battery or no signal in an app that needs one |
The digital failures deserve as much respect as the paper ones. A cloned EICR for the flat next door that still shows last month's Ze, or a schedule where every circuit carries the same suspiciously round insulation resistance, is exactly what an assessor is trained to spot. Treat anything pre-filled or drafted for you as a draft: read it, correct it, then sign. Every box should end up with a value, a tick, N/A or LIM, and each LIM needs a matching entry in the agreed or operational limitations, as the guide to sampling and limitations explains. For the columns themselves, see how to fill in a schedule of test results, and for the wording of defects, how to write EICR observations.
How should certificates be delivered to clients?
The client needs a copy they can keep, forward and produce on demand. One PDF containing the certificate, the guidance for recipients and every schedule is what letting agents, solicitors and facilities managers can work with. A report locked inside a portal that needs a login becomes a support call every time the agent changes staff.
For private landlords in England the deadlines are fixed by the 2020 Regulations: a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection, to a new tenant before they occupy, to a prospective tenant within 28 days of a request, and to the local housing authority within seven days of a request. Financial penalties for breaches now run up to £40,000. A complete PDF issued from site lets the landlord meet all four on the same day; the landlord EICR regulations guide has the detail, including the written confirmation needed after remedial work on an unsatisfactory report.
Two habits keep digital delivery defensible. First, treat the issued PDF as the original: if something needs correcting, issue a revised certificate with its own revision note or number, and keep both. Second, never edit an issued certificate silently. "Authenticity and integrity" is the test the standard has always applied to electronic certificates, and a file that changes after signature fails it.
How should certificate data be backed up?
A certificate you cannot retrieve is a certificate you did not keep. The safeguards are the same as for any business record.
- Export regularly. Download every issued certificate as a PDF at least quarterly, and the underlying data too if the software offers it.
- Follow the 3-2-1 rule. Three copies, on two different kinds of storage, with one somewhere other than your office or van.
- Prefer archival PDFs for the long term. PDF/A (ISO 19005) embeds fonts and avoids external dependencies so the file opens the same way in 15 years.
- Scan the paper you still hold. Old pads fade, and carbonless duplicates fade faster. Scan them once and store the scans with the digital archive.
- Know where the data lives. Certificates contain names, addresses and descriptions of people's homes, and under the UK GDPR you are the data controller.
- Keep calibration records alongside. An assessor asks for the instrument calibration certificates and the electrical certificates together.
How do you switch from paper to digital without gaps?
Most electricians who move do it mid-year, between assessments. Done in order, it causes no problems.
- Finish or void the part-used pads. Record the last serial number used on each so the sequence is accounted for at assessment.
- Check the software's forms against the IET model forms for the edition you are working to, section by section, before issuing anything.
- Issue the first five certificates slowly. Compare each PDF with the model form and look for dropped fields, missing schedules and wrong edition references.
- Set up signatures properly: one login per person, and the qualified supervisor's authorisation as a separate step if you are a firm.
- Scan the paper duplicates you still need into the same archive: at least the last six years, and all domestic installation work since 28 June 2022.
- Run your first export and test that you can open the files without the app.
- Tell your assessor at the next visit which system you now use and show the export.
Keeping a notebook of raw readings for the first few weeks is a sensible fallback while you learn where everything goes. The step-by-step EICR guide follows the order in which the form is completed on site.
What should you look for in certificate software?
The guide on choosing electrical certification software goes into detail, and the comparison of UK certification apps sets out current prices. The short list for the paper-versus-digital decision is below.
| Requirement | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Forms follow the BS 7671 model forms, with a clear answer on Amendment 4 | The form must match the edition the work was designed or inspected to |
| Validation before issue | Catches blank fields and a C1 or C2 alongside "Satisfactory" |
| Fast data entry on site | Transcribing from a notebook is where errors and the extra hour come from |
| One complete PDF | All schedules in a file the client can open without an account |
| Personal logins and an authorisation step | Makes the signatures meaningful |
| Bulk export | Your archive should not depend on a subscription |
| Works without signal | Basements, plant rooms and rural sites |
How Certio helps
Certio produces the EICR, EIC, Minor Works certificate and PAT records on the BS 7671 model forms and turns them into branded PDFs. Photograph the consumer unit and the circuit schedule drafts itself; point the phone camera at a Megger MFT-X1 and the reading goes straight into the schedule of test results, or dictate it while your hands stay on the probes. Suggested observation wording with the regulation reference is there for you to check and confirm. The judgement stays yours; the typing goes. Starter is free for 7 days, then £4.99 a month.