What is an EU Declaration of Conformity?

An EU Declaration of Conformity (DoC) is the manufacturer's formal, signed statement that a product meets every piece of EU legislation that applies to it. It names the product, the laws and harmonized standards it complies with, and the person who signs on behalf of the company.

The declaration sits at the end of the conformity assessment. Once the manufacturer has tested the product and compiled the technical documentation, it draws up the DoC and affixes the CE marking. By signing, the manufacturer takes full responsibility for compliance.

What the declaration contains

Most EU product laws follow the model in Annex III of Decision 768/2008/EC. A declaration typically includes:

1. Product identification: model, type, batch or serial number, so the declaration clearly matches the product.
2. Manufacturer details: name and address, or those of the authorized representative.
3. Sole responsibility statement: that the declaration is issued under the manufacturer's sole responsibility.
4. Object of the declaration: a description of the product, with a photo where the law asks for one.
5. Legislation: every EU act the product conforms to, such as the RoHS, EMC or Battery rules.
6. Standards and specifications: the harmonized standards or other technical specifications used.
7. Notified body: its name, number and certificate, where third-party assessment was required.
8. Signature block: place and date of issue, name, function and signature.

Some laws add items. The EU Battery Regulation, for example, has its own model declaration, and the Radio Equipment Directive allows a shorter simplified declaration that points to the full text online.

Who is responsible

The manufacturer draws up and signs the declaration. Where the law allows it, an authorized representative in the EU can do this on the manufacturer's behalf. Other economic operators have duties too:

• Importers check that the manufacturer has carried out the conformity assessment and that the product comes with the required documents, and keep a copy of the DoC available for authorities.
• Distributors check that the product bears the CE marking and comes with the required documents.

The declaration must stay available to market surveillance authorities for at least 10 years after the product is placed on the market, unless the product law sets a different period. Products without a CE marking still fall under the General Product Safety Regulation, which has its own documentation duties but no DoC.

The declaration goes digital

EU law is moving the declaration from paper to the web, and into the Digital Product Passport:

• ESPR: Annex III of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation lists compliance documentation "such as the declaration of conformity" among the information a passport can carry.
• Machinery: from 14 January 2027, the Machinery Regulation lets manufacturers provide the internet address or machine-readable code where the declaration can be accessed. A digital declaration must stay online for at least 10 years.
• Toys: under the Toy Safety Regulation (EU) 2025/2509, the Digital Product Passport replaces the toy declaration of conformity from 1 August 2030.
• Omnibus IV: on 9 June 2026, the Council and Parliament reached a provisional agreement to digitalize the declaration across 20 product laws. It awaits formal adoption.

Alongside the declaration, many manufacturers are also moving their instructions online as electronic instructions for use.

How to prepare

• Keep one declaration per product model, and update it when the product, the standards or the legislation change.
• Store each version with its date, so you can show which declaration applied to which batch.
• Publish declarations online at a stable address you control for at least 10 years, so they can be linked from a QR code or a passport.
• Consider machine-readable formats. A declaration issued as a signed verifiable credential can be checked by customs, retailers and authorities without manual review.