Guide
Waste carrier registration in Wales: what changes in 2027
Last updated 15 September 2026
Nothing changes in Wales on 22 July 2027. The regulations that move England to environmental permits leave the waste carrier, broker and dealer registration system in place in Wales, where Natural Resources Wales (NRW) remains the regulator. If your business is based in Wales and works only in Wales, you carry on registering as you do now.
The current Welsh system
Wales uses the same two-tier registration as England does today. Upper tier covers anyone carrying other people's waste or their own construction and demolition waste, lasts three years and carries a fee [check the current NRW fee]. Lower tier covers businesses carrying only their own waste, along with charities and public bodies. There is no competence requirement and no criminal record or tax check.
Working across the border
This is the open question for businesses in Chester, Shrewsbury, Hereford, Bristol and along the whole border. Today a registration held with either the EA or NRW is treated as valid across England and Wales. From July 2027 England will have permits and Wales will have registrations, and the regulations do not yet say whether an English permit is recognised in Wales or whether a Welsh registration is enough for jobs in England.
Until that is confirmed, a Welsh business that regularly collects or delivers waste in England should plan on needing the English permit, with its checks and competence requirement, and a business based in England that works in Wales should plan on the English permit being enough unless NRW says otherwise. Both are working assumptions, not settled positions.
What does still reach Wales
Digital waste tracking is a UK-wide programme. Welsh carriers and brokers will be brought into it on the same timetable as English ones, so the record-keeping side of the reforms applies to you even though the permit side does not.
Will Wales follow England
The Welsh Government has not announced plans to move to permits. Waste policy is devolved, so it could adopt the same model later, adopt a different one, or leave things as they are. There is no timetable.
Still to be confirmed
- Whether an English permit will be recognised for work in Wales.
- Whether a Welsh registration will be accepted for work in England after July 2027.
- The Welsh Government's longer-term intentions.
Frequently asked questions
- I am based in Wales. Do I need the competence assessment?
- No. It is part of the English permit regime only.
- I am an English company with jobs in Wales. What do I need?
- An English permit from July 2027. Whether anything extra is needed for the Welsh jobs has not been confirmed.
- Will Wales copy England?
- No announcement has been made.
Based in Wales and need to register or renew? Our registration service covers NRW registrations.Register under the current rules
This guide is general information, not legal advice. The Environment Agency makes the final decision on any application.