Q&As

Q&A info

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PIC

ePIC

A. Log in to ePIC and account management

How do I access ePIC?

All PIC related activities should be carried out using the ePIC portal. If you are new to ePIC, you need to register a company before you can log in.

If you already have a valid account created in REACH-IT or you use a REACH-IT account for REACH or CLP purposes, refer to the ECHA Accounts Q&As and ECHA Accounts Manual.

I try to log in to ePIC and I receive a message indicating that “no role or company details have been provided”. What shall I do?

You need an ePIC role in ‘ECHA Accounts’ before you gain access to the ePIC application.

If you have signed up in ‘ECHA Accounts’ from 2 September 2014, you may also receive this message, if no legal entity details have been provided. If this applies to you, log in to ECHA Accounts, encode your legal entity and include a contact person before you log in to ePIC.

I can access ePIC but I am not able to create any notifications. What should I do?

You may have a “read-only” access to ePIC. You should contact your Legal Entity Manager within your company to verify your ePIC role.

The following roles are available in the system:

For account management: Legal Entity Manager - can modify the legal entity data, contact data and user data.

  • Access to ECHA application (ePIC in this case):

  • Manager: full access

  • Reader: read-only access

Please find further information on the ECHA Accounts Q&As and ECHA Accounts Manual.

My company has changed name and we have valid notifications under the old name of the company. Do we need to send new notifications with the new company name?
A company can change its legal entity name in “ECHA accounts”. The name change will have the following consequences:
  • The PDF templates for the already submitted export notifications will not be impacted by the change: they will still have the ‘old’ name in the exporter details section.
  • The name change will take immediate effect in the customs application, e.g. when customs checks the current RINs, the new legal entity name will be displayed.
Therefore, in case of name change of the exporting company, there is no need to submit new notifications for exports that have already been notified.
Can a legal entity be created after a successful merger of two companies use the export notifications submitted by one of the companies before the merger?
The PIC Regulation does not describe a so-called “legal entity change” and therefore no such functionality is available within the ePIC submission tool. It is not possible to transfer assets (export notifications, special RIN request etc.) from one account to another in ePIC. To continue exporting, the legal successor will need to submit new notifications.
B. Functionalities of ePIC

Which functionalities are available to exporters in ePIC?

The ePIC industry interface enables exporters and importers of PIC chemicals to submit data to and exchange information with authorities in a secure way. More specifically, through this interface industry users can submit:

  • export notifications,

  • special RIN requests,

  • waiver proposals,

  • exports and/or imports reports.

Industry users can also follow in ePIC the progress of the processing and status of their submissions.

How can I submit a waiver proposal?

A waiver proposal can be submitted in ePIC from the notification form using the ‘Propose waiver’ functionality.

 

More information can be found in ‘Waiver information sheet.

I created an export notification for a mixture but I did not manage to attach a Safety Data Sheet (SDS). How can I do this?

In case the export notification concerns a mixture, the “Attachments” section of the notification form displays automatically all SDS files that are associated to the selected mixture.

 

If no SDS is displayed in the “Attachments” section, you need to go back to your mixture master data (using “Manage mixtures” functionality in ePIC) and upload the SDS file(s) before (re)submitting your notification. Once the SDS file(s) are attached to your mixture and you have saved the record, the uploaded document(s) will be automatically displayed in the export notification form. If you have attached several language versions of the SDS, you may choose the relevant one(s) by selecting the checkboxes in the “Action” column.

 

Note that you should not use the options "Other" or "Emergency" for uploading SDS files.

I have received an e-mail stating that "Information requirements are not met", but with no further information. How can I find out which information requirements are not met?

The reason why your notification has been sent back to you can be consulted in ePIC, in the “Message history” section.

You can access the message history of a notification by clicking on the link you received in the automated e-mail. Alternatively, you can view messages by doing the following:

1.Log in to ePIC if necessary

2.Search for the RIN

3.Go to View menu (see image)

4.Select "Message history"

5.Click in the arrow Arrow next to the message to open it. You can consult the details there.

If you need additional clarification you can contact your DNA directly.
The contact details for the designated national authorities

What are the statuses of an export notification in ePIC?

The ePIC application shows the status of a RIN at the present moment in time. The possible statuses are: "Inactive", "Active", "Disabled" or "Expired".

"Inactive" means that the export cannot take place yet.

Inactive

"Inactive" without the validity period in brackets: The RIN has not been activated yet. The export cannot take place unless an appropriate explicit consent/waiver has been registered in the system.

"Inactive" with the validity period in brackets means that the notification has been activated, but the export will happen in the future. For example, a RIN status such as the following "Inactive (19/07/2017 – 25/10/2017)” tells you that:

  • The RIN is inactive today

  • The RIN shall be active from 19 July 2017 until 25 October 2017; and

  • The RIN activation is linked to a consent/waiver whose validity ends on 25 October 2017

The status "Active" with the validity period in brackets means that the export can take place at present. The validity period of the RIN is indicated in brackets.

 

 Disabled

"Disabled" means that the export notification has been either rejected or disabled due to a negative explicit consent response. 

 

The status "Expired" means that the export notification refers to previous years' exports.

I am trying to prepare an export notification for a group entry, but the system displays an error message. What shall I do?

It is not possible to create an export notification for a chemical by selecting the generic group entry only. You must specify either the CAS number or the EC number (when available) of the specific substance you intend to export.

How do I attach more than one language version of the SDS in my notification?

In case the export notification concerns a chemical, you can upload several language versions of the SDS in the “Attachments” section of the export notification form. You should not use document types “Other” or “Emergency”.

 

In case the export concerns a mixture, the different language versions can be added using the “Manage mixture” functionality. Once the safety data sheet is attached to your mixture and you have saved the record, the uploaded document(s) will be automatically displayed in the “Attachments” section of the export notification form. If several language versions are attached to your notification, you should choose the relevant one(s) by selecting the checkboxes in the “Action” column.

I am trying to enter a CAS number in ePIC but the system does not recognise it. Does this mean that the substance is not subject to the PIC Regulation?

No. It should be understood that the lists of substances under group entries in ePIC are not fully comprehensive and new entries can be added on a case-by-case basis.

From a legal perspective, when a group entry is subject to the provisions of the PIC Regulation, all the substances under that entry are covered irrespective whether the  specific substance identifiers (e.g. CAS or EC numbers) is already included under the group entry in ePIC or not.

If you are exporting a substance that you believe belongs to this group but cannot find it in ePIC, you should contact the ECHA Helpdesk.

ECHA then verifies the entry and adds the substance under the relevant group in ePIC if needed.