The CE marking is the two-letter mark that shows a product meets EU harmonized product rules. By placing it on a product, the manufacturer declares that the product meets every applicable EU requirement and takes responsibility for that. Once a product carries it, the product can be sold anywhere in the EU and EEA without extra national approval.
The CE marking is not a quality label and not a certificate issued by an authority. It is the visible end of a process: identifying the rules, assessing conformity, documenting it in technical files and an EU declaration of conformity, and only then affixing the mark.
Which products need it
The CE marking is required only for products covered by EU harmonization laws that call for it. Examples include:
- Toys and electrical and electronic equipment, including the substance limits under RoHS
- Machinery, radio equipment and drones
- Personal protective equipment and medical devices
- Pressure equipment, gas appliances and construction products
- Batteries under the EU Battery Regulation
Products outside these laws must not carry the CE marking. Their safety is covered by the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR). Products regulated under ESPR delegated acts also follow a conformity assessment and CE marking route.
How to get the CE marking
- Identify all applicable EU laws. A single product, such as a smart toy, can fall under several at once, and it must comply with all of them.
- Check the conformity assessment procedure. Some laws allow self-assessment. Higher-risk products need a notified body, an independent organization designated by an EU country. Notified bodies are listed in the Commission's NANDO database.
- Test and document. Apply harmonized standards where possible, since they give a presumption of conformity, and build the technical documentation.
- Draw up and sign the EU declaration of conformity.
- Affix the CE marking, with the notified body's 4-digit number next to it where a notified body was involved.
Only the manufacturer or its authorized representative may affix the marking. Importers and distributors check that it is there, along with the required documents. Each economic operator has its own duties around it.
Rules for the mark itself
- It consists of the initials "CE" in the official form set in Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008.
- It is at least 5 mm high, unless the specific law says otherwise, and keeps its proportions when resized.
- It must be visible, legible and indelible.
- It goes on the product where possible, otherwise on the packaging or accompanying documents.
- Other markings are allowed only if they do not mislead about the CE marking or reduce its visibility.
How the CE marking connects to the Digital Product Passport
The CE marking stays a physical mark on the product. The documents behind it, especially the EU declaration of conformity, are moving online. Under ESPR, the Digital Product Passport can hold compliance documents, so authorities, business customers and consumers can reach the declaration and certificates by scanning the product's QR code.
How to prepare
- List every EU law that applies to each product and keep that list up to date.
- Keep technical documentation and declarations for at least 10 years after the product is placed on the market.
- Review the declaration whenever the product, a standard or the law changes.
- Watch for voluntary "CE certificates" that are not part of a legal conformity assessment; they have no legal standing.
- Plan to publish compliance documents digitally, so they can sit in the passport when your product group requires one.
How Veribl helps
Veribl checks each product against the EU rules that apply to it, from toys and batteries to RoHS substances, and lists the documents and fields still missing. The EU declaration of conformity can be published with the product's Digital Product Passport, including as a signed UN Transparency Protocol credential, and reached from the same QR code.
See the EU rules catalog in VeriblOfficial sources
Frequently asked questions
Which products need the CE marking?
Only products covered by EU harmonization laws that require it. Examples include toys, electrical and electronic equipment, machinery, radio equipment, personal protective equipment, medical devices, construction products, pressure equipment, gas appliances and batteries. Products outside those laws must not carry the CE marking; their safety falls under the General Product Safety Regulation.
Who issues the CE marking?
No authority issues it. The manufacturer identifies the applicable laws, carries out the required conformity assessment, involving a notified body where the law requires one, prepares the technical documentation, signs the EU declaration of conformity and then affixes the marking itself.
How big does the CE marking have to be?
At least 5 mm high, unless the specific product law sets other dimensions. If it is enlarged or reduced, the proportions of the official graphic must be kept. It must be visible, legible and indelible, and is placed on the product, or on the packaging or accompanying documents where that is not possible.
Does the CE marking expire?
No. It shows the product complied when it was placed on the market. The EU declaration of conformity and technical documentation must be kept up to date and kept for at least 10 years after the product is placed on the market, and must be reviewed when the product or the applicable rules change.
Is the CE marking a quality or safety certificate?
No. It is a declaration by the manufacturer that the product meets the EU requirements that apply to it. It is not a quality mark, and voluntary certificates sold as 'CE certificates' have no legal standing unless they come from the conformity assessment the law requires.
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