If you currently hold a UK City & Guilds 2079 FGas certificate and plan to in other European countries, then you MUST convert your certificate to the European approved scheme. This is currently available free of charge until 31st December 2020. This applies to both individuals and companies (fee involved).
The UK withdrew from the European Union on 31 January 2020 on the basis of a Withdrawal Agreement. This Agreement includes a transition period which will run until 11pm on the 31st December 2020.
During this transition period, there will be no new restrictions on the movement of ODS or F-Gases between Ireland and the UK (including Northern Ireland). UK certified technician F-Gas handling certificates and company F-Gas certificates will continue to be recognised in the European Union (including Ireland) until the end of the transition period. EU certified technicians and companies will likewise continue to be recognised in the UK.
After the transition period, ODS and F-Gas certificates and training attestations awarded by a certification body in the UK will no longer be recognized within the remaining EU Member States.
If you are affected by these changes and want to remain certified to operate in Europe after the end of the transition period, you can take action as follows:
- Individuals holding UK training attestation/certification:
Under regulations 12B and 12J of the European Union (Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas) Regulations 2016 as amended, if you hold a certificate or training attestation which was issued by a certification body in the United Kingdom, such as City & Guilds, prior to the end of the UK withdrawal transition period, you may apply to the Environmental Protection Agency for a training certificate or attestation in respect of the same activity. This process does not involve re-training and there is no fee. This application process is set out below.
- Companies holding UK certification:
Companies, which are certified by a UK Certification bodies such as Refcom and Quidos, who wish to continue to operate within the EU-27 after 11pm on 31st December 2020 should attain certification from an EU-27 certification body. The designated company certification body in Ireland is F-Gas Registration Ltd. and company certificate applications can be submitted at 
http://www.fgasregistration.ie
If you do not make a valid application before the end of the transition period or if you are issued your UK certificate after the end of the transition period, then you will be unable to avail of the process outlined in this notice. You will then need to be certified by a certification body within the EU-27 such as the Irish certification body F-Gas Registration Ltd (companies) or QQI (individuals). In the case of individuals, this may require undertaking further training.
You are reminded that under Regulation 13(1)(a) of the European Union (Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas) Regulations 2016, S.I. No. 658 of 2016, it is an offence for a person, operator or undertaking, that does not hold the required F-Gas certification to engage in an act without the required certification or attestation.