What is an Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC)?

Glossary · Testing, inspection and certificates

How an Electrical Installation Certificate works

An electrician issues an Electrical Installation Certificate once new work is finished and tested. The model form says it is for a new electrical installation or for new work that is added to an existing one.^{[1]Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 model forms for certification and reporting (Electrical Installation Certificate)} It cannot be used to inspect an existing installation.^{[1]Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 model forms for certification and reporting (Electrical Installation Certificate)} For that, an electrician issues an Electrical Installation Condition Report instead, as our page on EICR vs EIC explains.^{[2]NICEIC, Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs)}

The certificate is a declaration. The people who designed, built and tested the work each sign to say it was done with reasonable skill and care and meets BS 7671, the wiring standard also known as the 18th Edition. Where one person carried out all three jobs, a single signature form is used.^{[1]Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 model forms for certification and reporting (Electrical Installation Certificate)}

Electricians who belong to a competent person scheme complete a BS 7671 certificate for every job they do and give it to the person who ordered the work.^{[4]Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Electrical safety: Approved Document P (2013 edition)}

What is on the certificate

The form states that the certificate is valid only if the Schedule of Inspection is completed and the Schedule of Circuit Details and Schedule of Test Results are attached.^{[1]Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 model forms for certification and reporting (Electrical Installation Certificate)} If you are handed a single page without schedules, ask for the rest.

Keeping it

The form’s guidance is specific. You should receive the original and the installer keeps a duplicate. If you ordered the work but do not own the property, pass the certificate or a full copy with its schedules to the owner. Keep the original in a safe place and show it to anyone who inspects or works on the installation later.^{[1]Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 model forms for certification and reporting (Electrical Installation Certificate)}

For landlords, the government guidance says a newly built home or a completely rewired one should have an EIC. A landlord can give a copy to tenants and, if asked, to the local council. They then need no further checks or report for 5 years after the EIC was issued, as long as they have met their other duties under the regulations.^{[3]Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance} Our page on how long an EICR is valid covers what happens after that.

Example

Priya owns a terraced house in Hyde Park that she lets out. She has it completely rewired. The electrician hands her an EIC with all three schedules. She gives the tenant a copy and files the original with her tenancy papers. Because the house was rewired, she does not need a fresh condition report for 5 years from the date on the certificate.^{[3]Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance}

If the rewire involved a new circuit or a new consumer unit, the electrician also has Building Regulations duties. We explain those under the Building Regulations compliance certificate. See our full house rewires page for that service.

What people get wrong

The EIC is not the same document as the Building Regulations compliance certificate. The EIC records that the work met BS 7671. The compliance certificate shows that work covered by Part P complies with the Building Regulations, and the installer or their scheme sends a copy to building control. A job can involve both, and you should receive both.

A second mistake is treating an EIC as permanent proof that a house is safe. It shows the work complied when the certificate was issued, and the form itself recommends an interval before the next inspection.^{[1]Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 model forms for certification and reporting (Electrical Installation Certificate)}

The bottom line

An Electrical Installation Certificate is the paperwork that proves new electrical work was designed, built and tested to BS 7671. It is signed, it has schedules attached, and it should stay with the property. It does not replace an EICR on an older installation, and it does not replace the Building Regulations compliance certificate. If you have had work done and cannot find the certificate, ask the electrician who did it.