Guide
What happens to your waste carrier licence in 2027
Last updated 15 September 2026
Your waste carrier registration does not stop on 22 July 2027. It runs until its normal expiry date. When it expires, you apply for a permit instead of renewing the registration. Lower-tier registrants who need a permit or exemption under the new rules get a further twelve months after 22 July 2027 to sort it out. The switch is phased, and the last registrations will not move across until around 2030.
What the dates mean for you
If your registration expires before 22 July 2027, you renew as normal under the current rules and get another three years on the old system.
If your registration expires after 22 July 2027, you will apply for a transporter, controller or combined permit when it expires. You will need to pass the identity, criminal record and tax checks and show competence at that point.
If you are not registered at all, registering before 22 July 2027 gives you three years under the simpler rules. A registration made in June 2027 would run to June 2030 on the transition as it has been described. That is time to prepare for the permit checks properly rather than under pressure.
Being straight about the current route
Registration today is a form on the EA's website and a fee of £191.02 for upper tier, with no checks beyond the basics. You can do it yourself on gov.uk. If you use our service, our fee is for our help with the form and for the reminders and support that follow; the EA fee is passed through at cost. We say this on every page because the new permit regime is partly about clearing out operators who are not honest, and we want to be around after it starts.
What to do between now and your expiry
Keep proper transfer records for every load from now on. Start learning the material the competence assessment will test. Make sure your tax affairs are registered and filed. If you have a conviction that might be relevant, get advice early. Plan how you will put your number on your vans and adverts. And watch your post and email, because the EA may write to registrants ahead of their expiry, though that has not been confirmed.The competence assessment explainedThe tax check stepCriminal record checks for waste permitsShowing your permit number on adverts and vans
Wales
None of this applies in Wales, which keeps the current registration system.Waste carrier registration in Wales
Still to be confirmed
- Whether the EA will write to registration holders before their expiry.
- Whether permit applications can be submitted before 22 July 2027.
- How long a permit application will take, and therefore how early you should start before your registration expires.
- The exact transitional treatment of lower-tier registrants who need a permit rather than an exemption.
Frequently asked questions
- Will the EA contact me?
- Not confirmed. Do not rely on it. Put your expiry date in your diary.
- Can I apply for a permit early?
- Not confirmed. If your registration expires soon after July 2027, start gathering documents now so you can apply as soon as the route opens.
- My registration expires in August 2027. What do I do?
- You will need a permit rather than a renewal. Begin preparing now, and check back here for the EA's application timescales once published.
Not registered yet? Registering now under the current rules is straightforward. Not sure what you will need after 2027? Use the permit checker.Register under the current rulesCheck which permit you need
This guide is general information, not legal advice. The Environment Agency makes the final decision on any application.