NI dental amalgam export ban starts 3 Dec 2025

If you work in a dental practice in Northern Ireland, your ordering and paperwork will change from 3 December 2025. The UK has updated how NI enforces the EU Mercury Regulation on dental amalgam, while keeping a time‑limited safeguard so local patients can still access treatment when a clinician decides it’s appropriate.

Here are the anchor dates to keep in mind. The instrument was made on 12 November 2025 and takes effect on 3 December 2025, according to legislation.gov.uk. From that start date, exports of dental amalgam from Northern Ireland are prohibited. Imports into Northern Ireland, and clinical use by registered professionals for UK‑resident patients in NI, remain permitted until 31 December 2034. After that, the import prohibition applies and the EU restriction on use will bite in NI.

In practice, if you try to send dental amalgam out of Northern Ireland after 3 December 2025, you will be in breach of the new rule. Customs officers are empowered to assist with enforcement. Bringing amalgam into Northern Ireland for local use by registered professionals is still allowed until the end of 2034, but this window closes on 31 December 2034, so teams should plan ahead for 2035.

The rules name who can still use amalgam during the transition. A “registered dentist” or a “registered dental care professional”, as defined in section 53(1) of the Dentists Act 1984, may continue to use dental amalgam in Northern Ireland when treating a person who resides in the United Kingdom, up to and including 31 December 2034. That allows continuity of care while alternative restorative materials remain available and widely used.

If you’re wondering why Northern Ireland has a different timetable, this is the Windsor Framework at work. NI continues to apply certain EU goods rules. The EU updated its mercury law in 2024 to tighten limits on mercury‑added products, including dental amalgam. The UK instrument implements those changes for NI while carving out a UK‑specific allowance for local patient treatment until the end of 2034. This is a live example of how EU–UK arrangements shape environmental rules on the ground.

What this means for your clinic is straightforward. You can still treat UK‑resident patients in NI with amalgam where a clinical decision supports it, up to 31 December 2034. You should not export amalgam from NI from 3 December 2025 onwards. You may continue to import amalgam into NI for permitted use until the end of 2034. After that, assume no imports and prepare to rely on alternatives unless the law changes.

For suppliers and distributors, stock management and paperwork matter. Check contracts that contemplate shipments leaving Northern Ireland, because exports are off‑limits from 3 December 2025. Speak with practices about forward orders for 2025–2034 and about a glide path to composites, glass ionomers, and other non‑mercury materials in 2035. Keep records in case enforcement bodies request evidence of intended use within NI during the permitted period.

For patients, nothing changes overnight about the conversation you have with your dentist. Amalgam has been regulated for years and remains one option in NI until 31 December 2034 when your clinician thinks it’s the right choice. If you’re curious about materials, ask at your next check‑up; many restorations already use alternatives that suit most cases without mercury.

Teachers and students can treat this as a civics case study. A UK department (Defra) signs a Statutory Instrument; Parliament approves it; and, because NI follows certain EU goods rules under the Windsor Framework, EU Regulation 2024/1849 is implemented in NI with a UK‑specific, time‑limited exception. The aim is environmental protection-reducing mercury releases-while managing a safe transition in healthcare.

For the record, the instrument is titled the Control of Mercury (Enforcement) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/1189), signed by Defra minister Emma Hardy on 12 November 2025. The note to the regulations says no significant impact is expected and a de minimis assessment exists. If you need the exact wording for compliance, read the text on legislation.gov.uk and share key dates with your team so everyone is ready for 3 December 2025 and for the 31 December 2034 cut‑off.