Designers, weavers and kiltmakers across the North face higher costs to register new tartans from Monday 19 January 2026, after Scottish Ministers approved a fresh Scottish Register of Tartans Fees Order. The instrument was made on 4 November and laid before the Scottish Parliament on 6 November, and it also ends the framed certificate service.

Under the new schedule consulted on earlier this year, the headline charge to register a tartan moves from £70 to £150. Requests to reconsider a refusal rise to £85, while information requests and research carried out by the Keeper are set at £85 per hour. Copy certificates and amendments increase to £32 and £54 respectively, and a new £32 certificate of inclusion is introduced, with the overall package aimed at full cost recovery.

Officials note fees have been frozen since the Register opened in 2009, leaving the service running at a loss. National Records of Scotland put direct costs in 2023–24 at around £60,000 against about £31,000 income, with 400 registrations that year. The Register now holds more than 10,000 designs, with roughly 400 added annually.

For Northern makers who work across the Border - from small kiltmakers and textile studios to designers producing university, club and festival tartans - the change means higher upfront costs on each new pattern. Many orders are tied to Burns Night, wedding season and local anniversaries, so pricing decisions will need a fresh look this winter.

Two budgeting points stand out. The £70 registration fee has been VAT‑exempt and is listed that way on the Register’s site, while other services include VAT where appropriate. And with framed certificates withdrawn, customers wanting a display piece will need to arrange framing separately.

The legal route is straightforward. Section 14 of the Scottish Register of Tartans Act 2008 lets Ministers set fees by order after consulting the Keeper. The new order revokes the 2009 fees instrument and replaces the schedule of charges. Future adjustments are expected to track inflation - a change most respondents supported.

What the consultation told us is clear: 28 of 30 respondents backed cost recovery, and most who commented supported the revised figures. There were concerns about affordability, but the overall steer was to put the Register on a sustainable footing.

If you are planning a tartan for a 2026 launch, consider submitting designs before 19 January to avoid the higher charge, and build the new figures into quotes for spring deliveries. The Register remains open to anyone worldwide, and the process - account, threadcount, image and a name with a clear link - is unchanged.

Bottom line for our region: this isn’t a niche administrative tweak. It affects real work across Cumbria, Northumberland, the North East and beyond - from solo designers naming community tartans to kiltmakers serving the pipe band and wedding trade. We’ll report back once the order takes effect on 19 January.