An EIC (Electrical Installation Certificate) certifies that new electrical work was designed, constructed, inspected and tested to BS 7671 at the time it was done. An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is a report on the condition of an existing installation, produced after periodic inspection and testing, with defects classified C1, C2, C3 or FI. A Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC or Minor Works) sits between the two: it certifies a small addition or alteration to a single existing circuit that does not include a new circuit. All three are model forms in BS 7671 Appendix 6, and choosing the wrong one is one of the most common findings at NICEIC and NAPIT assessment visits.
- EIC = certificate of new work. EICR = report on existing work. Minor Works = certificate for a small change to one circuit.
- A new circuit, a consumer unit change or a rewire is always an EIC, never a Minor Works.
- An EICR cannot certify new work and cannot replace Part P notification.
- Each certificate has its own signature block: an EIC has designer, constructor and inspector; an EICR has inspector and (where relevant) the person authorising issue; a Minor Works has one.
- All three must be accompanied by test results: full schedules for EIC and EICR, the specific results for the circuit worked on for Minor Works.
What is an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC)?
An EIC is the certificate issued for a new installation, an addition or alteration that includes a new circuit, or a replacement of the distribution equipment. It is the document required by BS 7671 Chapter 64 (initial verification) to confirm that the work complies with the Regulations at the time of completion. The EIC comes with a schedule of inspections and a schedule of test results for every circuit installed or affected. The designer of the work also records the recommended interval to the first periodic inspection.
Typical jobs that need an EIC (full detail in the EIC explained):
- Full or partial rewire.
- Consumer unit or distribution board replacement.
- A new circuit of any kind: cooker, shower, EV charger (Section 722), garden supply, extension, loft conversion.
- A new installation in a new build or an outbuilding.
- Solar PV or battery storage where a new circuit is created (Section 712, and the new stationary battery chapter in Amendment 4).
In England and Wales, most of this work is also notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations. A registered competent person (NICEIC, NAPIT and the other scheme operators) notifies the work through their scheme and the client receives a Building Regulations compliance certificate alongside the EIC.
What is an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)?
An EICR is a report on the state of an installation that already exists. It is produced under BS 7671 Chapter 65 (periodic inspection and testing), using the schedule of inspections and schedule of test results, and it lists observations with classification codes:
- C1 danger present
- C2 potentially dangerous
- C3 improvement recommended
- FI further investigation required
Any C1, C2 or FI gives an overall assessment of Unsatisfactory; C3 alone is Satisfactory (see EICR codes explained). An EICR does not certify anything; it reports. Landlords, buyers and insurers ask for it to know whether the installation is safe to keep using, not whether a particular job was done correctly.
The EICR is the document required every five years for rented homes under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, and the equivalent rules in Scotland and Wales. Recommended intervals for other premises are in how often is an EICR required.
What is a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate?
A Minor Works certificate is for additions and alterations to an existing circuit that do not include the provision of a new circuit. BS 7671 gives the examples of adding a socket outlet or lighting point to an existing circuit, and relocating a light switch. It is a single-page certificate with the essential test results for the circuit worked on: earthing arrangement, protective device, Zs, insulation resistance, polarity, RCD operation where applicable, and continuity of the cpc.
Typical Minor Works jobs:
- Adding a spur or socket to an existing ring or radial.
- Adding or moving a lighting point or switch.
- Replacing a damaged accessory (socket, switch, ceiling rose).
- Replacing a like-for-like protective device in an existing board.
- Repairs carried out as remedial work after an Unsatisfactory EICR, where no new circuit is involved.
Minor Works is not for anything that changes the circuit in a way that requires design: increasing the protective device rating, changing cable size, or extending into a special location such as a bathroom (Section 701). If in doubt, an EIC is always acceptable for small work; a Minor Works for large work is not. See Minor Works certificate: when to use it.
EICR vs EIC vs Minor Works: comparison table
| EIC | EICR | Minor Works (MEIWC) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Certifies new installation work complies with BS 7671 | Reports on the condition of an existing installation | Certifies a small addition or alteration to one existing circuit |
| BS 7671 basis | Chapter 64, initial verification | Chapter 65, periodic inspection and testing | Chapter 64, initial verification of the alteration |
| When used | Rewire, new circuit, consumer unit change, new build | Periodic inspection, landlord compliance, sale, insurance, change of use | Adding a socket or light to a circuit, replacing an accessory, like-for-like repairs |
| Covers | The new work and anything it affects | The whole installation within the agreed extent | The circuit that was altered |
| Outcome | Compliant / not issued | Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory with coded observations | Compliant / not issued |
| Schedules | Schedule of inspections + schedule of test results for all circuits affected | Schedule of inspections + schedule of test results for all circuits within extent | Test results for the altered circuit on the certificate itself |
| Signatures | Designer, constructor, inspector and tester (can be the same person) | Inspector and tester; plus the person authorising issue on behalf of the company | One: the person responsible for the work |
| Part P notifiable (England and Wales)? | Usually yes | No (it is not work) | Usually no, unless in a special location |
| Next inspection date | Recommended by the designer | Recommended by the inspector | Not applicable |
| Validity | Permanent record of the work | Until the recommended next inspection | Permanent record of the work |
Which certificate applies in common situations?
| Situation | Certificate |
|---|---|
| Landlord needs five-yearly electrical safety check | EICR |
| Consumer unit replaced | EIC (plus Part P notification) |
| New cooker circuit | EIC |
| New socket added to kitchen ring | Minor Works |
| Bathroom light replaced like-for-like | Minor Works |
| New shower circuit in bathroom | EIC (special location, new circuit) |
| EICR showed missing main bonding; bonding installed | Minor Works (or EIC if the electrician prefers) |
| EICR showed C2 on socket circuit; RCD added to existing board | Minor Works for the alteration, though many electricians issue an EIC because the board has been altered |
| EV charger installed | EIC (Section 722, new circuit) |
| House purchase, buyer wants to know condition | EICR |
| Full rewire | EIC |
| Insurance requires proof of periodic testing | EICR |
| Extension with several new circuits | EIC |
The grey areas are remedial jobs after an EICR. If you created a new circuit or replaced the board, it is an EIC; otherwise Minor Works is acceptable. A fresh EICR after extensive remedial work is also fine and often what a letting agent prefers. See Unsatisfactory EICR: what happens next for the detail.
Who can sign each certificate?
BS 7671 does not define who may sign; the requirement is that the person is competent for what they sign for. In practice:
- EIC: three roles, designer, constructor, and inspector and tester. On a small domestic job one electrician signs all three. On a larger job the designer may be a consultant and the constructor a contractor. Each signatory is responsible only for their part.
- EICR: signed by the inspector and tester who did the work. Where a company issues the report, there is also a signature by the person authorising issue on behalf of the company, who is usually the qualified supervisor. The inspector should hold a recognised inspection and testing qualification (City & Guilds 2391 or equivalent) and current 18th Edition.
- Minor Works: one signature by the person responsible for the design, construction, inspection and testing of the minor work.
For notifiable work in England and Wales, the person or business must be registered with a Part P competent person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, and others) to self-certify; otherwise the work must be notified to the local authority building control before it starts. Scheme registration is what most clients and letting agents mean when they ask if an electrician is "qualified to sign".
What changed with Amendment 4?
BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, published 15 April 2026, updates the model forms in Appendix 6 to reflect the new content on stationary secondary batteries and functional earthing, and the revised Section 710 for medical locations. The three certificate types and their purposes are unchanged. Certificates issued to the A2 forms remain valid; from 15 October 2026, when A2 is withdrawn, new certificates should be to the A4 forms. Use the current edition of the form your scheme provides.
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 £5 a month.