An Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) is the BS 7671 certificate issued when a new electrical installation, a new circuit, a rewire or a consumer unit replacement is completed. It is the formal declaration, under Chapter 64 of BS 7671 (initial verification), that the work has been designed, constructed and inspected and tested in accordance with the Wiring Regulations. The full form carries three signatures, one each for design, construction, and inspection and testing; a single-signature version is provided for the common case where one person or company does all three. An EIC is not valid without a schedule of inspections and a schedule of test results attached.
- An EIC certifies new work: new installations, new circuits, rewires and consumer unit replacements.
- It has three responsibility sections: design, construction, inspection and testing.
- Use the single-signature form when one contractor is responsible for all three.
- The schedule of inspections and schedule(s) of test results are part of the certificate, not optional attachments.
- The person ordering the work keeps the original; the contractor keeps a copy for the life of the installation.
What is an Electrical Installation Certificate?
BS 7671 requires every new installation, and every addition or alteration to an existing one, to be inspected and tested before being put into service, and the results to be recorded on the appropriate certificate. Appendix 6 of the standard provides three model forms: the EIC, the Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC) for small additions to a single circuit, and the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) for periodic inspection of existing installations.
The EIC is the one for work that creates something new. It is a statement of fact by the people who did the work that, on the date of completion, the installation complied with BS 7671 (currently BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, with A2:2022 withdrawn on 15 October 2026). It is not a report on condition and it does not expire, although the certificate includes a recommended date for the first periodic inspection.
| Certificate | Used for | Signatures | Schedules attached |
|---|---|---|---|
| EIC (full) | New installations, new circuits, rewires, consumer unit changes where design, construction and testing are separate | Three | Schedule of inspections plus schedule(s) of test results |
| EIC (single signature) | Same work, where one person or firm is responsible for all three | One | Schedule of inspections plus schedule(s) of test results |
| MEIWC | Additions or alterations to one existing circuit, no new circuit | One | Test results on the form itself |
| EICR | Periodic inspection of an existing installation | Inspector (and reviewer where applicable) | Schedule of inspections plus schedule(s) of test results, plus observations |
Why does an EIC have three signatures?
The three-signature layout reflects how larger projects are organised: a consulting engineer designs, a contractor builds, and the contractor or an independent inspector tests. BS 7671 asks each responsible party to sign for their own part.
Design
The designer declares that the design complies with BS 7671. Design includes the choice of earthing arrangement, cable sizes, protective devices, discrimination, RCD selection (for example under Regulations 411.3.3 and 411.3.4), surge protection assessment and the maximum earth fault loop impedances that the installation must achieve. On a domestic job the designer is usually the electrician, whether they think of it as design or not.
Construction
The constructor declares that the installation has been built in accordance with the design and with BS 7671. This covers the selection and erection of equipment (Part 5), workmanship, cable routing including the requirements of Regulation 522.6.203 for cables concealed in walls, and the correct installation of earthing and bonding under Chapter 54.
Inspection and testing
The inspector declares that the installation has been inspected and tested in accordance with Chapter 64 and that the results are recorded on the attached schedules. This is the section that carries the actual measured values and the recommended interval to the first periodic inspection.
Departures and limitations
Each section allows the signatory to record departures from BS 7671 (intentional deviations permitted where the resulting safety is not less than that obtained by compliance) and, for inspection and testing, the extent and limitations of what was tested.
When is the single-signature domestic version used?
Most domestic and small commercial work is done by one electrician or firm who designs, installs and tests the job. For this case BS 7671 provides a short-form EIC with a single declaration covering all three responsibilities; it asks for the same information and schedules.
If a separate designer was involved, use the full form and get the designer's signature; do not sign the short form on behalf of a design you did not do. Competent-person schemes such as NICEIC and NAPIT accept both versions.
What must be attached to an EIC?
An EIC on its own is incomplete. BS 7671 states that the certificate must be accompanied by a schedule of inspections and a schedule of test results, and that it is only valid when they are attached.
Schedule of inspections
A checklist of the visual and physical inspections carried out before testing: presence of earthing and bonding conductors, condition of enclosures (including the non-combustible consumer unit requirement in Regulation 421.1.201), identification and labelling, cable selection and support, presence of RCDs and surge protection where required, and so on. Each item is marked as satisfactory, not applicable or, on new work, a limitation.
Schedule of test results
One or more sheets, one per distribution board, recording for every circuit: designation, wiring type, reference method, conductor sizes, protective device, RCD details, continuity (R1+R2 or R2, and r1, rn, r2 for ring final circuits), insulation resistance, polarity, Zs, and RCD test results, plus the supply characteristics at the origin (Ze, prospective fault current, nominal voltage, earthing system type).
On a consumer unit replacement the schedule of test results must cover every circuit connected to the new board, not only those you altered. That is one of the reasons a consumer unit change is an EIC job rather than a Minor Works job. For a step-by-step on the schedule itself, see how to fill in a schedule of test results.
When does a new circuit need an EIC?
Every new circuit needs an EIC, however small; the distinction is not the size of the job but whether a new circuit has been created.
| Work | Certificate |
|---|---|
| New shower circuit from a spare way in the consumer unit | EIC |
| New cooker circuit | EIC |
| New EV charging circuit (Section 722) | EIC |
| New solar PV installation (Section 712) | EIC |
| New garden or outbuilding supply | EIC |
| New lighting circuit for a loft conversion | EIC |
| Adding a socket to an existing ring | MEIWC |
| Extending an existing lighting circuit | MEIWC |
A single EIC can cover several new circuits installed on the same job; you do not need one certificate per circuit. For the boundary cases, see when to use a Minor Works Certificate.
Does a consumer unit change need an EIC?
Yes, every time. Replacing a consumer unit means every final circuit is disconnected, reconnected to a new protective device and, in most cases, newly RCD-protected. The installation has effectively been re-originated and BS 7671 treats it as new work requiring initial verification of all circuits. That means a full EIC, a schedule of inspections and a schedule of test results listing every circuit with measured values.
A consumer unit change is also where existing problems surface: low insulation resistance on an old lighting circuit, borrowed neutrals, missing bonding. The EIC has space for departures and limitations, but a circuit that cannot be made safe should be left disconnected and the customer told in writing, not hidden in the schedule. In England and Wales a consumer unit replacement is notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations; see Part P notification explained.
Who keeps the EIC and for how long?
BS 7671 is clear that the original certificate is given to the person ordering the work, and, where that person is not the owner or user, a copy should be passed to them. The certificate should then be retained with the property for the life of the installation and handed on to a new owner or occupier.
In practice that means:
- Customer or landlord: keep the EIC with the property documents. Landlords in England must be able to produce electrical safety records under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, and an EICR inspector under Chapter 65 will ask for the previous certificates.
- Contractor: keep a copy. Your competent-person scheme will review a sample of certificates at each assessment, and you may need to evidence what you did years later if a fault or fire investigation asks.
- Part P: the scheme's compliance certificate is separate from the EIC and is issued to the customer after notification; keep both together.
A lost EIC cannot be reissued by someone who did not do the work; the only route is an EICR, which reports condition today rather than certifying the original work.
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.