There is a special transitional regime for substances which were already manufactured or placed on the market before REACH entered into force. Such substances are called phase-in substances.
Companies benefit from the transitional regime if they pre-registered their substances by 1 December 2008 (or in certain circumstances, made a later pre-registration before the relevant registration deadline).
Substances that fulfil at least one of the following criteria may be considered as phase-in substances in accordance with REACH:
- Substances listed in the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances (EINECS)
- Substances that have been manufactured in the EU (including the countries that joined on 1 January 2007) but have not been placed on the EU market after 1 June 1992
- Substances that qualify as "no-longer polymer''
For these substances, the REACH Regulation sets the following registration deadlines:
30 November 2010
Deadline for registering substances manufactured or imported at 1 000 tonnes or more a year; substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction above 1 tonne a year; and substances dangerous to aquatic organisms or the environment above 100 tonnes a year.
31 May 2013
Deadline for registering substances manufactured or imported at 100-1 000 tonnes a year.
31 May 2018
Deadline for registering substances manufactured or imported at 1-100 tonnes a year.