Three documents come out of electrical work in Great Britain and people ask for them by the wrong name constantly. An Electrical Installation Certificate covers new work. A Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate covers a small addition to an existing circuit. An EICR reports on an installation that already exists. Which one you get is decided by what was done, not by what you ask for.
The installation certificate, for new work
Issued when a new installation or a new circuit is completed. It records the design, the construction and the inspection and testing of that work, and it is signed by the people responsible for each of those three. A rewire, a new consumer unit or a new circuit for a shower or a car charger all produce one, and it is the document a buyer's solicitor asks for.
The minor works certificate, for an addition
Issued for work that adds to or alters an existing circuit without creating a new one: moving a socket, adding a light, replacing an accessory. It records what was done and the tests carried out on the circuit affected. It is a short document, and it is the right one for small jobs rather than a condition report.
The condition report, for what already exists
The EICR is not issued by whoever did work. It is an assessment of an installation as found, whoever built it and however long ago, and it says whether the installation is satisfactory for continued use. It carries observations with classification codes rather than a declaration that the work meets the standard.
Why the wrong document causes trouble later
A satisfactory condition report does not evidence that a rewire was carried out properly, and an installation certificate for a kitchen refit says nothing about the rest of the house. Conveyancing, insurance claims and building control sign-off all turn on having the right one, and reissuing a certificate years later for work nobody witnessed is not possible.
Where certificate of compliance and BS 7671 fit
Certificate of compliance is a phrase from other jurisdictions and other trades; in Great Britain the compliant documents are the ones above, all of them model forms in BS 7671, the wiring regulations. A firm offering an electrical certificate of compliance is normally offering one of the three, and it is fair to ask which.
Questions people ask about difference between eic and eicr
Is an EIC the same as an EICR?
No. An EIC certifies new work by whoever carried it out. An EICR reports the condition of an installation that already exists.
Which certificate do I get for a new consumer unit?
An Electrical Installation Certificate, because replacing the board is new work and it is inspected and tested as such.
What is a minor works certificate for?
An addition or alteration to an existing circuit that does not create a new circuit, such as adding a socket or moving a light.
My electrician offered an electrical certificate of compliance. What is that?
Not a document in its own right in Great Britain. Ask which of the three model forms in BS 7671 you will be given and for what work.