What is the EU battery passport?

The battery passport is the first mandatory Digital Product Passport in the EU. From 18 February 2027, every e-bike battery, every industrial battery above 2 kWh and every electric vehicle battery placed on the EU market needs one. Scanning the QR code on the battery opens an electronic record with information about the battery model and about that specific battery, from its chemistry and capacity to its state of health.

The passport is set out in Article 77 of the EU Battery Regulation. It sits alongside the regulation's other rules on labelling, carbon footprint, recycled content and due diligence, and it becomes the place where much of that information is published.

Which batteries need a passport

Three categories, regardless of chemistry:

• LMT batteries: batteries for light means of transport, such as e-bikes, e-scooters and other light electric vehicles.
• Industrial batteries above 2 kWh: including stationary energy storage systems.
• Electric vehicle batteries: traction batteries for cars, vans, trucks and similar vehicles.

The obligation applies to each battery placed on the market or put into service from 18 February 2027, including imported batteries. It follows the date a battery is placed on the market, not the date it was made: a battery manufactured or imported before 18 February 2027 but first placed on the EU market on or after that date generally needs a passport too, so stock in warehouses counts. Battery passports are registered in the same EU DPP registry as other Digital Product Passports. Portable batteries do not need a passport, but from the same date all batteries must carry a QR code under Article 13(6).

What the battery passport contains

Annex XIII of the regulation lists the data. It groups it by who may see it:

1. Public information: manufacturer and battery identification, category, place and date of manufacture, weight, capacity, chemistry, hazardous substances and critical raw materials, performance and durability values, and information on collection and recycling. Carbon footprint, recycled content and the due diligence report also go here once those obligations apply.
2. Persons with a legitimate interest and the Commission: detailed composition, part numbers and spare-part sources, dismantling information and safety measures, for repairers, remanufacturers, second-life operators and recyclers.
3. Notified bodies, market surveillance authorities and the Commission: results of test reports proving compliance.
4. Individual battery data for persons with a legitimate interest: state of health, battery status (for example original, repurposed or waste) and usage information.

The Commission is preparing an implementing act that defines exactly who counts as having a legitimate interest and what they may do with the data.

According to the Commission's battery passport FAQ, carbon footprint, recycled content and due diligence data are not yet required in February 2027. Each has its own application date and is added for batteries placed on the market after that date.

How the battery passport works

• Unique identifier and QR code. The economic operator gives each battery a unique identifier. A QR code, the data carrier, on the battery links to the passport. Today the regulation refers to the ISO/IEC 15459 series; a draft delegated act published in September 2026 proposes moving to the European DPP standards EN 18219 and EN 18220.
• Open, interoperable data. Article 77(5) requires the data to be based on open standards, machine-readable, structured and searchable, and transferable without vendor lock-in.
• Accurate and up to date. The operator placing the battery on the market is responsible for the content. It may authorize another operator, such as a service provider, in writing.
• Across the battery's life. A repurposed or remanufactured battery gets a new passport linked to the original. The passport ceases to exist once the battery is recycled.

Industry has developed detailed data models to put Annex XIII into practice, notably DIN DKE SPEC 99100 and the matching Asset Administration Shell templates.

How to prepare

1. List every battery model in scope and confirm its category: LMT, industrial above 2 kWh or EV.
2. Plan serialization. Each battery needs its own identifier and QR code, so align with your production line and your cell or pack supplier.
3. Collect the Annex XIII data now: chemistry, composition, hazardous substances, performance and durability values, and dismantling information.
4. Set up access levels for public, legitimate-interest and authority data.
5. Prepare for later fields. Start gathering carbon footprint, recycled content and due diligence data so it is ready when those obligations apply.