Quick answer
The familiar Categories I, II, III and IV came from Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2067. That act has been repealed. Certification now runs on Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215, adopted on 6 September 2024 under Article 10(8) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573.
There are now six certificate types for natural persons — A1, A2, B, C, D and E — plus a separate certificate for legal persons. Two things changed beyond the labels:
- Natural refrigerants came inside the scheme. Installation and servicing work involving ammonia, CO2 or hydrocarbons is now covered by the certification requirement, not left outside it.
- The equipment list grew. Organic Rankine cycles, refrigerated light-duty vehicles, intermodal containers and train wagons are now in scope.
Article 10(9) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 keeps certificates issued under Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 valid on the conditions under which they were issued. What changed is that a refresher obligation now sits on top of them.
What the certification regulation covers
Two lists define the boundary: which equipment, and which activities.
Equipment (Article 1): stationary refrigeration; stationary air conditioning and heat pump equipment; stationary organic Rankine cycles; refrigeration units of refrigerated trucks and refrigerated trailers; refrigeration units of refrigerated light-duty vehicles, intermodal containers and train wagons.
Activities for natural persons (Article 2(1)):
- leak checks of that equipment containing gases listed in Annex I and Section 1 of Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2024/573;
- installation of that equipment containing those gases or the alternatives ammonia (NH3), carbon dioxide (CO2) or hydrocarbons;
- repair, maintenance or servicing and decommissioning of that equipment, containing those gases or the same alternatives;
- recovery of fluorinated gases from the cooling circuits of stationary refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps, and from refrigeration units of refrigerated trucks and trailers.
Legal persons (Article 2(2)): undertakings carrying out installation, repair, maintenance, servicing or decommissioning for third parties on that equipment, with those gases or the alternatives.
Article 2(3) excludes manufacturing activity carried out at the equipment manufacturer's own site.
The six certificate types
Article 3(2) sets them out. Member States may issue them separately or combine several types into one certificate, provided it identifies the activities it covers.
| Type | What the holder may do | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | All activities in Article 2(1), for fluorinated greenhouse gases and hydrocarbons. | No charge-size limit |
| A2 | All activities in Article 2(1), for fluorinated greenhouse gases and hydrocarbons. | Charge under 3 kg, or under 6 kg for hermetically sealed systems labelled as such |
| B | All activities in Article 2(1), for carbon dioxide (CO2). | — |
| C | All activities in Article 2(1), for ammonia (NH3). | — |
| D | Recovery only — the activity in Article 2(1)(d). | Equipment containing under 3 kg of F-gases, or under 6 kg for labelled hermetically sealed systems |
| E | Leak checks only — the activity in Article 2(1)(a). | Provided the check does not entail breaking into the refrigerant circuit |
Certificate E covers leak checking that does not require breaking into the refrigeration circuit containing the listed gases. The moment the job means opening the circuit, E is not the right certificate.
The company certificate
A personal certificate covers the technician. It does not cover the undertaking. Under Article 5, legal persons within the scope of Article 2(2) have to hold a certificate of their own.
Article 6 sets two conditions for issuing it:
- the undertaking employs natural persons certified under Article 3 for the activities requiring certification, in a sufficient number to cover the expected volume of activities; and
- it can prove that the necessary tools and procedures are available to those persons.
The certificate has to state the name of the certification body, the full name of the holder, a certificate number and any expiry date; the activities the holder may carry out and, where relevant, the charge-size limit in kilograms; plus the issuing date and the issuer's signature.
Article 10(12) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 says an undertaking may only assign a certified activity to another undertaking after verifying that the other holds the necessary certificates. Passing work down the chain without checking is itself a breach.
How the old categories convert
Article 10 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215 maps the old certificates onto the new ones. Holders may continue using their certificates only if they update their knowledge and skills to the level of the corresponding new type.
| Old certificate (2015/2067) | New level to reach |
|---|---|
| Category I | Certificate A1 |
| Category II | Certificate A2 |
| Category III | Certificate D |
| Category IV | Certificate E |
The update happens through the refresher training or evaluation process required by Article 10(9) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573. Member States have to ensure those courses actually prove the practical skills and theoretical knowledge specified in Annex I to the implementing regulation — a refresher that does not cover the new material does not do the job.
The refresher clock
This is the deadline most technicians have not yet put in a calendar.
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Recurring interval | By 12 March 2027, Member States must require certified natural persons to take refresher training or complete an evaluation process at least every 7 years. |
| First time for existing holders | Persons holding a certificate or training attestation under Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 must do so no later than 12 March 2029. |
| National programmes | Member States had to establish or adapt certification programmes within one year of the implementing act entering into force. It was published on 9 September 2024 and entered into force twenty days later. |
If your technicians were certified in the same intake, their refresher dates will cluster. Spreading them out is a scheduling decision, not a legal one — but a whole crew off the road in the same month is a commercial problem.
Who does not need a certificate
Article 3(3) and 3(4) of the implementing regulation carve out three situations.
- Brazing, soldering or welding. A person holding the qualification required under national law for that work may carry it out as part of a covered activity, provided they are supervised by a certificate holder who is fully responsible for the correct execution.
- Small WEEE recovery. Recovery from equipment covered by Directive 2012/19/EU with a charge under 3 kg and under 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, on premises with a permit under Article 9(1) and (2) of that directive, by an employee of the permit holder who has completed a training course matching the Certificate D skills, verified by an attestation of competence issued by the permit holder.
- Trainees. A person enrolled in a training course for the relevant certificate may carry out the activity under the supervision of a certificate holder who is fully responsible. This lasts for periods not exceeding 24 months in total.
In both the welding and the trainee case, the regulation puts full responsibility on the supervising certificate holder. That is a person, not a department.
Training attestation is not a certificate
Alongside certification, Regulation (EU) 2024/573 has a lighter qualification: the training attestation. Article 10(1), second subparagraph, requires it — not a certificate — for:
- maintenance, servicing or repair of air conditioning in motor vehicles within the scope of Directive 2006/40/EC, and recovery from that equipment;
- recovering gases from the equipment in Article 8(3), points (b) and (c), and Article 8(10), second subparagraph;
- maintenance, servicing, repair and leak checks of the equipment listed in Article 5(3), point (c) — air conditioning and heat pumps in heavy duty vehicles, vans, non-road mobile machinery used in agriculture, mining and construction, trains, metros, trams and aircraft.
Article 8(5) gives operators of the mobile equipment in Article 8(3), points (b) and (c), until 12 March 2027 before the recovery obligation applies to them.
An attestation qualifies its holder for the activities listed above. It does not authorise stationary refrigeration work, and a purchase of bulk gas under Article 11(6) has to match the qualification the activity actually requires.
How a certificate is obtained
Find the certification body
Each Member State designates or specifies in national law the body authorised to issue certificates. It has to be independent and impartial.
Sit the examination
An evaluation body organises a theoretical and a practical examination covering the minimum skills and knowledge in Annex I for that certificate type.
Expect both parts
Annex I marks each item T for a theoretical question or P for a practical task. The practical part means performing the task with the relevant material, tools and equipment.
Know which groups are compulsory
Groups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 and 11 are covered for every certificate. A1 and A2 add group 12 (hydrocarbons), B adds group 13 (R744 / CO2), C adds group 14 (R717 / NH3).
Prepare for the unannounced component
The examination covers at least one of groups 6, 7, 8 and 9 — compressors, condensers, evaporators and expansion devices. The candidate does not know in advance which one.
Ask about exemptions for prior qualifications
Member States may allow certification bodies to exempt applicants whose earlier qualifications are equivalent, or to require only a supplementary examination where they are partly equivalent.
Check what the certificate says
It must state the certificate type, the activities the holder may carry out and the type of equipment concerned, plus the certificate number.
Working in another Member State
Article 9 of the implementing regulation governs recognition. Mutual recognition applies to certificates issued in accordance with Article 4 for natural persons and Article 6 for legal persons, for the activities specified in those certificates.
Member States may not impose any evaluation or other assessment procedure, or disproportionate administrative requirements, on the holder of a certificate issued in another Member State — either to recognise it or to allow access to employment for the activities it names. They may require a translation into another official language of the Union.
Article 10(13) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 adds a special case: where running certification and training would be a disproportionate burden on a Member State because of its small population, compliance may be achieved by recognising certificates issued elsewhere.
Common mistakes
- Still saying “Category I”. The act that created those categories is repealed. The current names are A1, A2, B, C, D and E.
- Assuming natural refrigerants are outside the scheme. Installation and servicing with NH3, CO2 or hydrocarbons is explicitly inside Article 2(1).
- Relying on a personal certificate for company work. An undertaking working for third parties needs its own certificate under Articles 5 and 6.
- Treating a training attestation as a certificate. They cover different activities and are not interchangeable.
- Missing the refresher deadline. Existing holders have until 12 March 2029 for the first refresher, then at least every seven years.
- Using Certificate E for work that opens the circuit. E only covers leak checks that do not entail breaking into it.
- Subcontracting without checking. Article 10(12) requires verification that the other undertaking holds the necessary certificates.
Checklist
- Every technician's certificate type recordedA1, A2, B, C, D or E — and what each one actually permits.
- Charge-size limits understoodA2 and D are limited to under 3 kg, or under 6 kg for labelled hermetically sealed systems.
- Company certificate held and currentRequired for work carried out for third parties.
- Enough certified staff for the workloadArticle 6(1)(a) asks for a sufficient number to cover the expected volume.
- Tools and procedures demonstrably availableArticle 6(1)(b) is a condition of the company certificate, not a formality.
- Refresher dates in the calendarFirst one by 12 March 2029 for old-regulation holders, then at least every seven years.
- Natural refrigerant work matched to B or CCO2 to Certificate B, ammonia to Certificate C.
- Subcontractor certificates verifiedBefore assigning any activity that requires certification.
- Trainee supervision documentedNamed certificate holder responsible, and the 24-month limit tracked.
Frequently asked questions
Is my Category I certificate still valid?
Yes. Article 10(9) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 keeps certificates issued under Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 valid on their original conditions. Article 10 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215 adds that you may continue using it only if you update your knowledge and skills to the level required for Certificate A1, through the refresher training or evaluation process.
What is the difference between A1 and A2?
The scope of activities and gases is the same — all Article 2(1) activities for fluorinated greenhouse gases and hydrocarbons. A2 is limited to equipment with a charge under 3 kilograms, or under 6 kilograms for hermetically sealed systems labelled as such.
Do I need a certificate to work with CO2 or ammonia?
Yes, for the activities in Article 2(1). Certificate B covers carbon dioxide and Certificate C covers ammonia. Hydrocarbons are covered within Certificates A1 and A2.
Does my company need its own certificate?
If it carries out installation, repair, maintenance, servicing or decommissioning of the covered equipment for third parties, yes — Articles 5 and 6 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215.
When do I have to do refresher training?
Member States must require it at least every 7 years. If you hold a certificate or training attestation issued under Regulation (EU) No 517/2014, the first refresher has to be completed no later than 12 March 2029.
Can an apprentice work on systems?
Yes, within limits. Article 3(4) allows a person enrolled in a training course for the relevant certificate to carry out the activity under the supervision of a certificate holder who is fully responsible, for periods not exceeding 24 months in total.
Is a training attestation enough for stationary refrigeration?
No. The attestation route under Article 10(1), second subparagraph, of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 covers motor vehicle air conditioning, recovery from certain mobile equipment, and work on the equipment in Article 5(3)(c). Stationary refrigeration work needs a certificate.
Is my certificate valid in another Member State?
Yes, for the activities specified in it. Article 9 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215 prohibits additional evaluations or disproportionate administrative requirements, though a translation into another official language of the Union may be requested.
Official sources
Article 10 of the F-gas Regulation and the whole of the certification implementing regulation were read directly in the Official Journal text through the EU Publications Office.
Currency of this guide and limits of responsibility
Certification and training programmes are run nationally, and the exam format, fees and provider list differ between Member States. This guide describes the EU minimum requirements; your national certification body is the authority on how they are applied.
This is general information prepared by EgoLog from the regulations and official Commission material. It is not legal advice and it does not certify anyone.
Which certificate type your work requires depends on the equipment, the refrigerant and the activity. Where it is unclear, ask your national certification body before taking on the job.