The UK’s leading electrical safety certification body. NICEIC membership allows self-certification of electrical work under Part P of the Building Regulations and is required or preferred by most commercial clients and insurers.
| Issued by | NICEIC (Certsure) |
|---|---|
| Typical cost | £400 a year |
| Renewal | Every year |
| Who needs it | Electricians |
What you need to get it
6 requirements, and what counts as evidence for each.
Electrical Qualifications
Hold a current 18th Edition BS 7671 Wiring Regulations qualification plus an AM2 assessment (or equivalent NVQ Level 3). If you qualified under a previous edition you must have the 18th Edition update.
Evidence: City & Guilds 2382-18 (18th Edition) certificate. AM2 certificate or NVQ Level 3 in Electrotechnical Technology.
Calibrated Test Equipment
Own appropriate electrical test equipment that has been recently calibrated. This includes an installation tester (multifunction tester), proving unit, loop tester, and RCD tester.
Evidence: Calibration certificates (within 12 months) for all test instruments.
Insurance
Minimum £2 million public liability insurance. You also need employer’s liability if you have employees.
Evidence: Current insurance certificate showing public liability and, if applicable, employer’s liability.
Permanent Business Address
You must have a permanent business address (not a PO Box). NICEIC will send correspondence and may visit your premises.
Evidence: Business address details — home address is acceptable for sole traders.
Initial Technical Assessment
Pass an initial assessment by an NICEIC technical assessor who will inspect completed installation work and verify your knowledge and documentation practices.
Evidence: Two or three recently completed electrical installation jobs with full test records (EICR, EIC) available for assessment.
Application & Annual Fee
Pay the application and annual registration fee (typically £250–£800 depending on number of operatives).
Evidence: Payment confirmation.
What you have to keep doing
Getting it is the easy part. Keeping it means:
Annual Technical Inspection
An NICEIC assessor will inspect completed work annually. Maintain an accessible archive of test records.
Self-Certify Part P Work
Notify building control of notifiable work within 30 days using the NICEIC Certsure portal.
Continuing Professional Development
Keep up with changes to BS 7671 and attend CPD events or re-assessment when new editions are published.
Random Audit Checks
NICEIC may conduct unannounced spot-check audits on your completed work.
Is it worth it?
At £400, the question isn’t the fee — it’s whether it wins you work. For electricians it usually does, because it’s the first thing a cautious customer or a commercial buyer checks. Most trades hold accreditations and then hide the logos in the footer. If you’ve paid for it, it belongs where customers actually look.
Tracking it
Accreditations lapse quietly. The renewal date lands in a busy month, nobody spots it, and you find out when a customer asks for the certificate. Gaffer keeps your accreditations, evidence and renewal dates in one place and reminds you before they expire.