European Union
No product from outside the Union reaches an EU consumer legally without an economic operator established inside it. This page is about what that means on the printed label, and about what the operator does after the label is printed.
An importer established in the EU, an authorised representative with a written mandate, a fulfilment service provider, or the manufacturer if it has an EU establishment. The choice is yours, but the person named must actually exist at that address and be able to answer an authority.
The same operator has to appear for all the goods it covers. Naming one operator on the box and another in the marketplace listing is a contradiction that gets flagged automatically.
Name and postal address of the responsible person, on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document. Adding an email address helps a customer but does not replace the postal one.
For CE-marked categories, article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 asks for the same identification and expects that operator to hold the declaration of conformity and the technical documentation, or at least to be able to produce them.
Keep the declaration of conformity and the technical file available for ten years for most CE categories. Answer a reasoned request from an authority in a language that authority accepts. Inform the authority when a product is dangerous, and cooperate on corrective action.
This is why the role is a legal mandate and not a line of text. We produce the artwork carrying the details; appointing the operator itself is a separate service, and we say so before you buy rather than after.
A dedicated block, headed in the language of the market, with the operator's registered name and full postal address, kept distinct from the manufacturer's block so that an inspector can read both in one glance.
An authorised representative acts under a written mandate that says which products are covered and which tasks are delegated. Without it, the address on the label is decoration.
The mandate cannot delegate the manufacturer's core duties — designing a safe product, running the conformity assessment, drawing up the declaration. It delegates keeping documents available, answering authorities and cooperating on corrective action.
Ask for the mandate before you print. If the operator cannot produce one in a day, they will not produce an answer to an authority in ten.
A reasoned request usually asks for the declaration of conformity, the technical documentation or a specific test report, in a language the authority accepts, within a stated deadline that is often ten working days.
The operator named on your label receives that request. If they have never seen your file, the deadline passes and the product is presumed non-compliant.
This is the practical reason the label block and the document folder have to be organised together, and why we date every artwork version we issue.
Operators change: a contract ends, an agency closes, a company moves. Every label already printed names the old address.
The permanent code solves the common case. The public record is updated, the scan shows the new operator, and the printed label keeps pointing at accurate information while the next print run catches up.
| Operator | Established in | Typical cost | Obligation it carries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own EU subsidiary | EU | Already yours | Full operator duties |
| Your EU importer | EU | Usually free | They become responsible for what they import |
| Authorised representative | EU | €200–€900 a year | Documents, authority contact, corrective action |
| Fulfilment service provider | EU | Per shipment | Limited, and rarely accepted for this purpose |
The same information, in the order an inspector or a reviewer meets it.
Only if they accept the role in writing and are established in the EU. Most forwarders refuse, because the role carries obligations after delivery.
Northern Ireland follows EU product rules, so the EU responsible person applies there; Great Britain needs its own.
The record is updated and we reissue the artwork free of charge. Labels already printed keep working through the permanent code.
Yes, with a separate mandate for each, and each product naming the operator on its own label.
Not legally. A postal address is required; contact details help a consumer and cost nothing to add.
They are liable for their own tasks. Product liability stays with the manufacturer and, in cases, the importer.
Print-ready artwork for the markets you sell in, a permanent code with a public record, and a free reissue whenever your details change. Seven days free, no card.
EU Label Compliance