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A GPSR label shows the manufacturer’s name, postal and electronic address, a type, batch or serial number, and the EU responsible person’s contact details. Importers add their own details. If it won’t fit, use the packaging or an accompanying document.

This page sets out each block of a GPSR label, where each one is allowed to go, and what your online listing needs on top. There’s a free label template at the end you can copy into your artwork.

What goes on a GPSR label

The EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), Regulation (EU) 2023/988, has applied since 13 December 2024 to consumer products placed on the EU market from that date. For a typical consumer product, plan for these five blocks:

Block	What it says	Where the rule is
Manufacturer	Name, or registered trade name or registered trade mark, plus a postal and an electronic address	GPSR Article 9(6)
Product identifier	A type, batch or serial number, or another element that identifies the product	GPSR Article 9(5)
EU responsible person	Name and contact details of the economic operator established in the EU who is responsible for the product	GPSR Article 16(3)
Importer (if you import)	Your name, or registered trade name or registered trade mark, plus a postal and an electronic address	GPSR Article 11(3)
Instructions and safety information	Clear instructions and safety information, in a language consumers in the country of sale can easily understand	GPSR Article 9(7)

Instructions and safety information aren’t needed where the product can be used safely and as intended without them.

Where each block can go

The product itself comes first. The rules allow other places when a detail won’t fit:

• Product identifier: on the product, or, if its size or nature prevents it, on the packaging or in an accompanying document.
• Manufacturer details: on the product, or, if that isn’t possible, on the packaging or in an accompanying document.
• EU responsible person: on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document.
• Importer details: on the product, or, if that isn’t possible, on the packaging or in an accompanying document.
• Instructions and safety information: they have to accompany the product.

Your online listing needs its own set

A label on the box doesn’t cover the listing. Under GPSR Article 19, an online offer must show:

• the manufacturer’s name and postal and electronic address;
• the EU responsible person, if the manufacturer is outside the EU;
• product identifiers, including a picture of the product;
• warnings and safety information in the local language.

Our GPSR explainer covers the rest of the regulation, including what online marketplaces have to do.

Who your EU responsible person can be

A product can’t be placed on the EU market unless an economic operator established in the EU is responsible for it. That can be an EU manufacturer, an authorised representative with a written mandate, or the importer. A fulfilment service provider counts only if none of those exists.

The responsible person has real duties. They must regularly check the product against its technical documentation and labelling rules, and show evidence of those checks on request. So the label is something they should have checked, not just a place their name appears. See how our responsible person service works.

Northern Ireland and Great Britain

The GPSR applies in Northern Ireland but not in Great Britain, which stays under the UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005. In Northern Ireland, the responsible operator must be established in Northern Ireland or the EU.

For UKCA or CE-marked goods sold in Great Britain, importers must be established in the UK, and the importer’s name and address normally go on the product or its packaging. Our UK Responsible Persons guide covers the rules for UKCA and CE goods in GB.

Get the free GPSR label template

The template lays out all five blocks with fields to fill in, plus a one-page table of where each block can go. It’s a starting point for your artwork, not a compliance check: the details still have to be true, and the warnings still have to match your risk analysis.

Ask for the free label template, or see our category template packs for consumer electronics and toys. For CE products, our Declaration of Conformity template guide covers the paperwork side.

GPSR label FAQs

What has to be on a GPSR label?

The manufacturer’s name and postal and electronic address, a product identifier such as a type, batch or serial number, and the EU responsible person’s name and contact details. If you import the product, your own name and addresses go on too. Clear instructions and safety information must accompany the product, unless it can be used safely and as intended without them.

Can the GPSR details go on the packaging instead of the product?

Yes, in some cases. The product identifier can move to the packaging or an accompanying document if the product’s size or nature prevents it. Manufacturer and importer details can move there if putting them on the product isn’t possible. The EU responsible person’s details can go on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document.

Does a GPSR label need a CE mark?

Not because of the GPSR, which doesn’t require a CE mark. Products under the CE laws, such as toys, low voltage and radio equipment, still need CE marking and a Declaration of Conformity under those laws. For a general product under the GPSR alone, the requirement is an internal risk analysis and technical documentation.

Do products sold in Great Britain need a GPSR label?

The GPSR applies in Northern Ireland, not in Great Britain. Products sold in Great Britain stay under the UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005, and UKCA or CE goods normally carry the UK importer’s name and address.

Is an EU address on the label enough?

No. The address belongs to a responsible person who has duties, including regularly checking the product against its technical documentation and labelling rules and showing evidence of those checks on request.

What language do the safety instructions need to be in?

A language consumers can easily understand, as decided by the EU country where the product is sold. If you sell into several countries, plan for each one.

This page explains the rules in plain English. It isn’t legal advice, and a template doesn’t make a product compliant.

UKCA marking (UK Conformity Assessed) is the conformity mark for products placed on the market in Great Britain. It is the manufacturer’s claim that the product meets its sector’s rules. It is needed only where a sector regulation requires a conformity mark, and Great Britain continues to recognise CE marking for many of those products, with no end date stated.

This guide is for brands and Amazon sellers outside the UK who want to know whether their product needs a mark, which route to use, and what has to be in place before stock reaches Great Britain. If you sell UKCA or CE goods into GB from abroad, you will also need a UK-established importer or authorised representative: our UK Responsible Person service covers that part.

What does UKCA marking mean?

UKCA stands for UK Conformity Assessed. Like CE (Conformité Européenne), it is the manufacturer’s statement that the product meets the product requirements that apply to it.

It applies in Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. It does not apply in the Crown dependencies, and Northern Ireland has its own arrangements (see below).

What products need UKCA marking?

A conformity mark is only needed when a sector-specific regulation asks for one. Products with no such regulation sit under the UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005 in Great Britain instead.

The UKCA and CE regimes together cover more than 20 product types, mostly the goods that needed CE marking under EU “new approach” laws, plus some other sectors such as aerosols. Common ones for online sellers include toys, electrical equipment, radio equipment, products covered by RoHS, machinery, personal protective equipment and pressure equipment. A product often falls under more than one regulation, and it must meet all of them before it carries the mark.

Some sectors have their own rules. Medical devices have separate guidance, and construction products are the main exception to the general approach, because designated standards are mandatory there. Check the sector guidance before you assume the general route applies.

Is UKCA marking scrapped? CE recognition explained

No. UKCA marking still exists and is still valid in Great Britain. What changed is the deadline for switching from CE. Government guidance once set 31 December 2024 as the end of CE recognition for many products; a May 2024 update removed that deadline, and the government’s position is that recognition of current EU requirements will apply indefinitely for a range of product regulations.

So for most products in scope you can sell in Great Britain with either the UKCA mark or the CE mark, or both. Medical devices, construction products and some other sectors are not part of that announcement and follow their own arrangements.

The Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 gives the government powers to update UK product rules, and a consultation on a new framework closed on 23 June 2026. Nothing about the outcome is settled, so plan around the rules as they stand today and check the guidance before each new product launch.

How do I get UKCA marking?

Getting UKCA marking means following the conformity assessment route each of the product’s regulations sets, either self-declaration or assessment by an approved body, and then affixing the mark yourself. In practice:

1. Identify every regulation that applies to the product (the government’s product marking table is the starting point).
2. Check whether you can self-declare or need a third-party body (see the table below).
3. Test and assess the product against each regulation’s requirements, using designated standards where they apply.
4. Build the technical file: test reports, design documents, risk assessments and anything else the sector rules require. It can usually be kept digitally.
5. Draw up and sign a UK Declaration of Conformity.
6. Affix the mark and the required name and address details.
7. Keep the documents for the period the legislation sets, typically 10 years after each product is placed on the GB market.

If your product already meets recognised EU requirements and has been through the EU conformity assessment process, the government’s Fast-Track UKCA route lets you put a UKCA mark on it on that basis.

Self-declare or approved body? The quick check

Where a third party is required, in Great Britain that is a UK Approved Body accredited by UKAS. Approved bodies certify for UKCA only; an EU notified body certifies against EU requirements, which you can then use in Great Britain through CE recognition. Government guidance lists these cases where the manufacturer can self-declare under UKCA:

UK regulation	Where self-declaration is allowed
Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016	All products
Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 2016	All products
RoHS in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2012	All products
Aerosol Dispensers Regulations 2009	All products
Radio Equipment Regulations 2017	All products, unless designated standards for the essential requirements don’t exist or weren’t fully applied
Toy (Safety) Regulations 2011	All products, with the same exceptions as radio equipment, plus where a standard was published with a restriction
Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008	Most machinery, with conditions for machinery in Schedule 2, Part 4
Personal Protective Equipment Regulations	Category I PPE only
Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016	Category I pressure equipment only
Medical Devices Regulations 2002	Some Class I devices only
Construction Products Regulations	Products under System 4 assessment only

Anything outside these cases needs an approved body. That is the main thing that drives the cost of UKCA marking: self-declared products cost you the testing and paperwork, while third-party routes add the body’s assessment fees.

UKCA technical file and Declaration of Conformity

The technical file is the evidence behind the mark, so keep it complete, up to date and easy to retrieve.

The Declaration of Conformity is a formal statement that the product complies with the applicable legislation. The manufacturer, or an authorised representative, signs it once compliance is confirmed. It typically names:

• the manufacturer and their address
• identification of the product
• the UK legislation the product complies with
• the standards used
• the name and signature of the person signing, and the date of issue

Our guide to the EU Declaration of Conformity for consumer electronics walks through a filled-in example; the UK version follows the same structure but lists UK regulations.

UKCA marking size and label requirements

• At least 5mm high, unless the sector law sets a different minimum.
• Easily visible, legible and indelible, in its standard form; if you resize it, keep the proportions.
• On the product or its data plate. Where that isn’t possible, packaging or accompanying documents, as the legislation allows.
• The manufacturer’s and importer’s name (or registered trade name or trademark) and postal address, normally on the product or its packaging. There are some temporary easements for goods imported from the EEA, so check the current guidance for your product.

Who is responsible when you sell from outside the UK?

For UKCA or CE goods sold in Great Britain, importers and authorised representatives must be established in the UK. The importer is the UK business bringing the product in from outside the UK, and its name and address normally appear on the product or packaging. An authorised representative is a UK business the manufacturer appoints to carry out agreed tasks on its behalf.

An EU authorised representative or EU responsible person does not cover Great Britain for these goods. Our article on UK Responsible Person requirements by product type sets out who needs what for cosmetics, medical devices and UKCA or CE goods.

UKCA marking and Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland follows different rules. Government guidance for the Northern Ireland market covers CE marking, or CE together with the UKNI mark; UKCA on its own is not one of the markings it lists there. The UKNI mark is used where a UK-based notified body carried out the third-party assessment, and it is never used alone.

The EU General Product Safety Regulation also applies in Northern Ireland but not in Great Britain, and the responsible economic operator for covered products must be established in Northern Ireland or the EU. Our guide to GPSR for Northern Ireland and EU sales explains how that works for GB businesses.

Which mark where

Market	Marks covered by the guidance	Operator for non-UK manufacturers
Great Britain	UKCA, CE, or both (sector exceptions apply)	UK-established importer or authorised representative
Northern Ireland	CE, or CE with UKNI	For GPSR products, a responsible operator in Northern Ireland or the EU
EU	CE	An economic operator established in the EU

Worked example: an overseas brand launching on amazon.co.uk

A fictional manufacturer outside the UK makes a mains-powered desk lamp that it already sells in the EU with CE marking, and wants to sell it on amazon.co.uk. Suppose the lamp falls under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, the EMC Regulations 2016 and the RoHS Regulations 2012.

• Mark: all three allow self-declaration, and CE is recognised in Great Britain for these regulations, so the existing CE mark can stay. The brand could also add UKCA through the Fast-Track route.
• Paperwork: the technical file it built for the EU is the evidence base; it keeps it available for GB authorities.
• The gap: it has no UK presence. It needs a UK-established importer or authorised representative, and the importer’s name and address on the product or packaging. Its EU representative doesn’t fill this role.

In this example the mark is already sorted; the missing piece is the UK operator.

Your next step

If your products carry UKCA or CE marking and you sell into Great Britain from outside the UK, EU Brand Support can act as your UK authorised representative through our UK Responsible Person service, giving you a UK name and address for your labels and listings. We review your Declaration of Conformity, test reports and marking before taking a product on, and hold your technical file for authority requests. For the documents themselves, our compliance template packs include Declaration of Conformity, risk assessment and technical file templates by product category.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the government guidance for your specific product.

Frequently asked questions

Is UKCA marking mandatory?

Only for products whose sector regulation requires a conformity mark, and even then CE marking is still recognised in Great Britain for many product types. Products with no sector regulation need no conformity mark.

Is UKCA valid in the EU?

The EU market uses CE marking. If you sell in both, CE is the mark that works in the EU and is also recognised in Great Britain for many products.

Do I need a UK approved body for UKCA?

Only if your product’s regulation requires third-party assessment. Products under the electrical safety, EMC and RoHS regulations can all be self-declared, and radio equipment and toys usually can where designated standards were applied in full.

How long must I keep the UKCA technical file?

For the period the legislation sets, typically 10 years after each product is placed on the GB market.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain
• GOV.UK: Placing manufactured products on the market in Great Britain
• GOV.UK: Placing CE, or CE and UKNI marked products on the market in Northern Ireland
• GOV.UK: EU Regulation 2023/988 on general product safety, Northern Ireland guidance
• GOV.UK: GPSR Northern Ireland factsheet
• GOV.UK: Refining the law to better protect consumers
• EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR)

If you sell on Amazon’s EU stores, you may have had an email from Amazon Services with the subject line “Reactivate your EU listings – GPSR compliance required”. This guide explains what it means, what happens if you ignore it, and how to get your listings back.

What the email looks like

Here’s a redacted mock-up of the email Amazon is sending to sellers (wording abridged):

Mock-up for illustration only. EU Brand Support is not affiliated with Amazon.

Why Amazon has deactivated your listings

The EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) has applied since 13 December 2024 to most non-food consumer products offered for sale in the EU. Amazon is now removing listings that are missing the information it requires. There are three requirements:

1. Responsible Person information: appoint an EU-established Responsible Person for your non-food products, update your product labelling, and show their details on your listings.
2. Manufacturer information: show the manufacturer’s contact details on your listings and on your product labelling.
3. Warning and safety information: make sure your listings and labelling carry the required safety warnings and traceability information.

For most UK brands, the missing piece is the first one: there’s no EU-based Responsible Person.

What happens if you ignore it

Your deactivated listings stay unsellable until the information is provided. If you use Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), you may not be able to send more stock into EU fulfilment centres, and your inventory there will be returned or disposed of. According to Amazon’s email, if you don’t provide the information within 30 days, that stock will be destroyed at your cost.

How to reactivate your listings

1. Go to your Account Health page in Seller Central.
2. Select “Add filters” and tick “Listing removed” in the “Filter by action taken” column.
3. Click “Submit” next to each deactivated listing and follow the instructions.
4. Fix any other suppressed listing issues, because these can stop a listing being reactivated even when the GPSR information is complete.

If you’ve already submitted the information and have no pending actions in the Regulatory compliance section of Account Health, you can disregard Amazon’s email.

If you don’t want to keep selling in the EU

You can delete the affected products in Manage Inventory and create a removal order for any stock held in EU fulfilment centres, so it isn’t disposed of. If all your stock is held in the UK, there’s no EU inventory at risk.

Need an EU Responsible Person?

EU Brand Support acts as the EU-based Responsible Person for UK brands, so you can complete Amazon’s compliance information and get your listings back. Not sure what applies to your products? Use our free two-minute checker.

Registering for EPR can be cheap or even free. The bigger cost is usually the yearly fee you pay a scheme for your packaging, electricals or batteries. In Germany, LUCID packaging registration is free, while stiftung ear charges €9.50 per equipment type to register electricals plus €32.80 a quarter. France’s Citeo charges a flat €110 a year for household packaging below 10,000 units.

Those figures were checked on the registers’ and schemes’ own pages in October 2026 and are net of VAT. They change, so treat them as a guide to how the costs work rather than a quote.

Registration fees and licence fees are two different bills

EPR cost is easier to follow as three separate payments:

• Register fees. What the national register charges to record you as a producer. Sometimes nothing, sometimes a fee: a few euros at stiftung ear, but £2,842 for a large UK producer registering directly.
• Scheme or licence fees. What a compliance scheme (a dual system in Germany, an éco-organisme in France) charges to take on the recycling of what you sell. It depends on weight, material or units, so it grows with what you sell.
• Representative or service fees. What a private provider charges to act for you or do the filing. These are set by each provider, not by law.

In Germany, paying one does not cover the others: a LUCID number with no scheme contract still leaves your packaging unlicensed, and a scheme contract does not register you. In France, joining an éco-organisme includes your registration. If you would rather not work through this alone, see what our EPR registration service for Amazon sellers covers. Whoever helps you, the LUCID registration itself has to be made in your own name.

Why Amazon sellers face these costs

Amazon asks sellers for EPR numbers: the LUCID number for German packaging and a unique identifier (IDU) for each French category. It may deactivate offers that are not compliant, and the seller stays legally responsible. In Germany, marketplaces and fulfilment providers must also regularly check that their partners meet their obligations under German packaging law.

What EPR costs in Germany

Packaging: LUCID plus a dual system licence

The Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister states that registration, data reporting and related activities in LUCID are free of charge for producers. You still pay participation fees to the system you choose, for the recovery and recycling of your packaging. Those fees are set by each system and depend on the packaging volumes you report, so there is no single published rate.

A foreign producer can appoint an authorised representative for its packaging duties, but not for the LUCID registration itself. The register says handing registration to a third party is prohibited under section 35(1) of the Packaging Act, so you register in your own name.

Electricals (WEEE): stiftung ear fees plus a representative

A company with no German branch cannot register electrical goods itself. It needs an authorised representative located in Germany, appointed in writing, in German, signed by both sides, for at least three months. Stiftung ear then charges these administrative fees (net of VAT, under the ElektroGBattGGebV fee regulation):

Fee	Amount	How often
Registration	€9.50 per equipment type (per represented company when a representative registers)	One-off
Authorised representative confirmation	€50.60 per represented company	One-off
Quarterly fee	€32.80	Every quarter
Guarantee check (any guarantee form)	€3.80 per equipment type	Yearly
Individual guarantee check	€156.90	One-off (stiftung ear lists it with the one-time fees)

Products for private households (b2c) also need an insolvency-safe guarantee, checked at registration and every year after. You either join a collective guarantee system, which charges for it, or arrange an individual one, such as a bank suretyship (banks usually charge for it) or a deposit with a German court (usually free). The representative’s own fee comes on top and is set privately.

Batteries

Stiftung ear lists a battery registration fee of €16.40 per battery type and a quarterly fee of €3.80, again net of VAT. The fee page lists register fees only, not what a take-back scheme charges.

What EPR costs in France

In France, producers are registered in ADEME’s SYDEREP register and receive an IDU. If you join an éco-organisme, it enters your details in SYDEREP for you, so the scheme membership is the cost that matters. For household packaging, Citeo’s 2026 tariff guide (updated 22 June 2026) works on three levels:

• Under 10,000 sales units a year: a flat €110 excluding VAT. Citeo counts a product’s own packaging and its shipping carton as separate units.
• 10,000 to 500,000 units: you can use a simplified declaration, priced per unit by product family.
• Over 500,000 units: priced per unit from the weight and material of its packaging. For example, 25.81 cents per kg for paper and cardboard, and 70.00 cents per kg for clear PET bottles, adjusted up or down by eco-modulation.

Citeo’s guide says membership includes allocation of your IDU. Other French categories, such as electricals, furniture or textiles, each need their own IDU and membership of an éco-organisme for that category, at its own tariff. Amazon expects a number for every category you sell.

What packaging EPR costs in the UK

UK packaging EPR only applies to businesses established in the UK with a worldwide turnover of £1 million or more that supplied over 25 tonnes of packaging in the previous year. A business with its head office abroad still counts as established in the UK if it has a UK branch, warehouse, PO box, returns address or other UK postal address. Large producers (over £2 million turnover and over 50 tonnes) registering for 2027 pay a registration fee of £2,842 directly to their regulator, or £1,803 through a compliance scheme, plus that scheme’s own fees. Large producers also pay waste disposal fees, which a scheme cannot pay on their behalf. If you sell into the UK from abroad with no UK address, note that gov.uk lists owning an online marketplace through which packaging is supplied into the UK from outside the UK as a producer activity of the marketplace owner.

Who you pay, for what and how often

Market and category	Register	Register fee	Scheme or licence fee	Representative
Germany, packaging	LUCID	Free	Set by the dual system on the packaging volumes you report	Optional for packaging duties; cannot register for you
Germany, electricals	stiftung ear	€9.50 per type once, then €32.80 a quarter	Insolvency-safe guarantee for b2c goods, priced by the provider	Required without a German branch; €50.60 confirmation fee plus their own charge
Germany, batteries	stiftung ear	€16.40 per type once, then €3.80 a quarter	Not on the register’s fee page	Not covered in this guide
France, household packaging	SYDEREP (via Citeo)	Included in membership	From €110 a year (under 10,000 units)	Not covered in this guide
France, other categories	SYDEREP (via each éco-organisme)	Included in membership	Each scheme’s own tariff	Not covered in this guide
UK, packaging (large producer)	Environmental regulator	£2,842 direct or £1,803 via a scheme, yearly	Scheme fees on top	Not covered in this guide

Worked example: a fictional small seller

Lumen Desk Co. is a made-up US brand. It sells one type of LED desk lamp for home use on Amazon.de and Amazon.fr, shipped in a cardboard box, and sells about 3,000 units a year in France. Its EPR cost lines look like this:

1. German packaging. LUCID registration: €0. Dual system licence for the cardboard: quoted by the system on the packaging volumes you report.
2. German electricals. Year one register fees: €9.50 registration, €50.60 representative confirmation, €131.20 in quarterly fees for a full year and €3.80 for the yearly guarantee check, so €195.10 net. From year two: €135.00 net. Stiftung ear charges these to the representative, so ask how yours passes them on. Add the guarantee provider’s charge and the representative’s own fee.
3. French packaging. Under 10,000 units, so Citeo’s flat €110 excluding VAT, with the IDU allocated through membership.
4. French electricals. A separate IDU and éco-organisme contribution for the lamp, at that scheme’s rate.

The fixed register fees are small. The line that grows with sales is the scheme fee, so ask for that quote first, along with any representative’s fee.

Next step

Our fee is from $119 per country and registration type per year, with scheme and licence fees passed on at cost; see EPR and Responsible Person pricing. If you also need someone established in the EU for product safety, that is a separate service covered on our EU and UK Responsible Person page. Selling electronics? The consumer electronics compliance template pack covers the Declaration of Conformity, a risk assessment and a technical file checklist.

Frequently asked questions

Is EPR registration free?

In some places, yes. LUCID registration in Germany is free, and in France your éco-organisme registers you in SYDEREP as part of membership. Stiftung ear and the UK regulator charge register fees. Scheme fees apply on top in Germany and France. In the UK, large producers also pay waste disposal fees, plus scheme fees if they register through a scheme.

What is the difference between EPR registration fees and licence fees?

The registration fee pays the register to record you. The licence or participation fee pays a scheme to recycle what you sell, and it is usually based on weight, material or units.

How do I check an EPR registration number in Germany?

Use LUCID’s public register of producers. It confirms registration only. It does not show whether a system participation contract exists; your system operator gives you a separate confirmation for that.

Can someone else register on LUCID for me?

No. An authorised representative can take on your other packaging duties, but the register says the registration itself cannot be handed to a third party.

Sources

• Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister: questions about registration
• Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister: checking a registration status
• stiftung ear: costs and fees
• stiftung ear: applying for WEEE registration as a foreign company
• stiftung ear: getting to know guarantees
• data.gouv.fr: producers registered in SYDEREP with their unique identifier
• Citeo: guide du tarif des emballages ménagers 2026
• Amazon: extended producer responsibility compliance
• gov.uk: EPR for packaging, register and pay the fee
• gov.uk: EPR for packaging, who is affected and what to do

Published prices we checked in October 2026 for an EU Responsible Person ranged from €199 to €1,500 a year for an entry plan, and £2,390 a year for the largest fixed plan we saw (up to 100 product families). What you pay depends on how the provider counts your range, which markets you need covered and how much of the legal work is actually included.

If you already know you need one, our EU and UK Responsible Person service page sets out exactly what we do and what we need from you.

What you are paying for

Under the EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), a product can’t be placed on the EU market unless an economic operator established in the EU is responsible for it. If you are a non-EU seller with no EU manufacturer or importer, that is often an authorised representative appointed under a written mandate. Our guide to what GPSR requires from sellers covers the background, so here we focus on the work behind the fee.

Under Article 16 of the GPSR, as the UK government’s guidance on the regulation summarises it, the responsible operator has to:

• check that the technical documentation exists, including the risk analysis and any Declaration of Conformity
• check the product carries a type, batch or serial number or other identifier
• keep the technical documentation available to market surveillance authorities for 10 years
• regularly check the product against that documentation and show evidence of the checks on request
• give authorities the information they ask for, tell them if a product may present a risk, and cooperate on corrective action

Its name and contact details also go on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document, and online listings must show it when the manufacturer is outside the EU. An address is only the visible part. Most of what you pay for is document checks, record keeping and being there when an authority writes.

Published prices we checked

We opened three providers’ public pricing pages on 26 October 2026. They are listed under Sources. Each counts your range differently, which is why headline prices are hard to compare.

Pricing basis	Published price (per year)	Notes on the page
Per product type	€199 for one type, €349 for two, €690 for six, €1,790 for sixteen	Extra types €119 to €149 each; optional priority support €199 a month
Per product family	£490 for up to 5 families, rising to £2,390 for up to 100	Excludes VAT; extra charges per product for moderate or high risk items; EU and UK both included only on the two larger plans
Per product category	€1,500 per category (EU); €900 a year (UK); €2,200 a year (EU and UK package)	Only the EU price is stated per category; category coverage, external fees and taxes are set out in a proposal

Three pages is a small sample, so treat this as a snapshot rather than a market survey. The useful lesson is the unit. A seller with one brand and twelve SKUs across three categories could pay very different amounts depending on whether a provider counts types, families or categories.

What a fair fee should include

Use this as a checklist against any quote. Each line comes from the legal tasks above, so a service that leaves one out is leaving part of the job with you.

• A written mandate appointing the provider as your authorised representative.
• An EU name and address you can put on labels, packaging and listings, belonging to a business that is actually established in the EU.
• A document review before they sign: risk analysis, technical documentation and, for CE products, the Declaration of Conformity.
• Keeping your file available to authorities for the full 10 years, and a clear answer on what happens to it if you leave.
• Regular checks of the product against its documentation, with evidence kept.
• Handling authority requests and cooperating on corrective action, without a fee per request.

Base fee or extra? A cost-line table

Cost line	In the base fee?	Often charged separately
EU name and address for labels and listings	Should be
Written mandate	Should be
Technical file held for authorities	Should be
Authority requests and corrective action	Should be, but only one of the three pricing pages we checked says so	Ask whether requests are billed one by one
More products, types or categories	Up to the plan limit	Per extra type, family or category
Higher risk products		Per product surcharge on one page we checked
A second market (UK as well as EU)	On combined plans	Separate fee on smaller plans
Priority support		Monthly add-on on one page we checked
Product testing or notified body certification	No	Paid separately to a lab or notified body where the law requires it
VAT		Check whether prices include it

EPR is a separate duty with its own registrations and fees; see our EPR registration service if you sell packaged goods in Germany or France.

UK Responsible Person cost: do you need both?

An EU representative does not cover Great Britain. The GPSR applies in Northern Ireland but not in Great Britain, which stays under the UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005. For UKCA or CE goods sold in GB, importers and authorised representatives must be established in the UK. In Northern Ireland, the responsible operator can be established in Northern Ireland or the EU.

So if you sell into both the EU and GB, expect two appointments or a combined plan. On the pages we checked, UK cover was priced at €900 a year on its own, included in combined plans, or added for £200 a year. For general products with no UKCA or CE marking, official guidance doesn’t yet settle whether GB needs a named UK responsible person. Our guide to who needs a UK Responsible Person sets out the rules product by product.

Questions to ask before you sign

1. What is one unit in your price: a brand, a product type, a family, a category or a SKU?
2. Will you review my documents before you take me on, and tell me what is missing?
3. Is your EU address a real business establishment? A PO box doesn’t count.
4. Are authority requests and corrective action included, or billed each time?
5. Does the price cover the UK, and Northern Ireland?
6. Are there surcharges for higher risk products?
7. Do prices include VAT, and is there a setup fee?
8. What is the notice period, and what happens to my file if I leave?

Treat these as red flags: a provider that never asks for your technical documentation, an address with no evidence of a business behind it, or any promise of “guaranteed compliance”. Whether a product conforms is for the manufacturer and the authorities to establish. No representative can guarantee it.

What our service costs and includes

We charge a fixed fee, monthly or annually, with two months free if you pay for the year. There are three packages: EU, UK, or EU and UK together. Current prices are on our Responsible Person pricing page.

Every package includes our name and address for your labels, packaging and Amazon listings, a review of your Declaration of Conformity (for CE products), risk assessment, test reports and CE or UKCA marking before we take you on, your technical file held ready for inspection, and market surveillance requests handled for you. The EU and UK package adds an Amazon GPSR listing check. Each package includes a category template pack (two with the combined package), or you can buy compliance template packs by product category on their own.

We don’t charge by the hour, there are no long contracts and you can cancel with 30 days’ notice. We won’t take on every product: if one needs testing or a notified body certificate you don’t have, we tell you before you pay. Templates don’t replace product testing or certification where the law requires it.

Frequently asked questions

Is an EU Responsible Person a one-off cost?

No. The role carries ongoing duties, including regular checks and keeping your file available to authorities for 10 years, so every provider we checked charges a yearly or monthly fee.

What does a GPSR representative cost?

It is the same service under another name. A GPSR representative is usually an authorised representative acting as your EU responsible person, so the prices above apply.

Can Amazon or my fulfilment provider act as my Responsible Person instead?

A fulfilment service provider can only fill the role if there is no EU manufacturer, importer or authorised representative. A marketplace doesn’t become your responsible person just by hosting your listing.

Why do quotes vary so much?

Mostly because of the pricing unit and the scope. A per-category price and a per-type price can give very different totals for the same catalogue, and some plans leave UK cover, risk surcharges or VAT outside the headline figure.

Sources

• Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety, EUR-Lex
• EU Regulation 2023/988 on general product safety: detailed guidance, GOV.UK
• EU Regulation 2023/988 on general product safety: factsheet, GOV.UK
• Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain, GOV.UK
• EAS GPSR pricing page, checked 26 October 2026
• Euverify pricing page, checked 26 October 2026
• Ecocomply pricing page, checked 26 October 2026

If your UK small business sells only in Great Britain, the EU GPSR does not apply to those sales: GB stays under the UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005. It does apply when you sell into Northern Ireland or the EU. Then you need a responsible operator established in Northern Ireland or the EU, plus product and listing details.

So the real question is where you want to sell, and what each route needs. Below are the three routes side by side and a fictional maker deciding. If you already want Northern Ireland or EU customers, our EU Responsible Person service provides the operator the rules ask for.

Where you sell decides which rules apply

The GPSR (Regulation (EU) 2023/988) applies to consumer products placed on the market from 13 December 2024, filling the gaps where no sector-specific EU rules cover a risk. For a GB-based business, here is what changes as you add destinations.

Where you sell	Product safety law for those sales	Who must be responsible, and where they must be established	What the product or parcel must show	What the listing must show
GB only (England, Scotland, Wales)	UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005, not the EU GPSR	For UKCA or CE goods: a UK-established importer or authorised representative where you use one. For roles under other UK product laws, such as cosmetics, see our UK Responsible Person guide.	For UKCA or CE goods, your name and postal address as manufacturer (and the importer’s, for imported goods) normally appear on the product or its packaging	The EU GPSR listing rules do not apply to GB sales
GB plus Northern Ireland	EU GPSR for the products you place on the NI market	A responsible economic operator established in Northern Ireland or the EU. A PO box does not count.	On the product (or, if its size or nature prevents it, the packaging or an accompanying document): your name and postal and email address as manufacturer, and a batch, serial or other identifier. On the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document: the responsible operator’s name and contact details	Manufacturer’s name, postal and email address; responsible person’s details; product identifiers and a picture; warnings in a language buyers easily understand
GB plus EU countries	EU GPSR, plus EU sector laws (such as toys or electrical goods) where they apply	An economic operator established in the EU: an EU manufacturer, an authorised representative with a written mandate, the importer, or, only if none exists, a fulfilment service provider	As for Northern Ireland	As for Northern Ireland, with warnings suited to each country’s buyers

Behind the NI and EU rows sits the same groundwork: before placing a product on the market, the manufacturer does an internal risk analysis and draws up technical documentation, kept for 10 years.

Selling only in Great Britain

If all your customers are in England, Scotland and Wales, the EU GPSR is not your rulebook. GB continues to recognise CE marking for many product types, with no end date stated, though medical devices, construction products and some other sectors have separate rules. The Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 lets the government update UK product rules, and a consultation on a new framework closed on 23 June 2026, but no dates for new GB rules are confirmed. For GB roles by product type, see UK Responsible Person requirements by product type.

Shipping to Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is a domestic sale, but for product safety it follows EU rules: the GPSR applies there, so a parcel to Belfast needs what an EU parcel needs.

Who can be your responsible operator

The operator must be established in Northern Ireland or the EU. Gov.uk explains that “established” means a presence there, such as a registered office or permanent place of business; for a sole trader it can be where you live. A PO box is not enough. A GB business has three realistic options:

• Use your own NI premises, as in a gov.uk case study, if you have them.
• Sell through an NI importer: if you wholesale to an NI business that brings your goods in from GB, it is likely to be the importer. This does not cover orders you send direct to NI customers.
• Appoint an authorised representative established in Northern Ireland or the EU, with a written mandate.

What goes on the product and parcel

The operator’s name and contact details must appear on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document. Gov.uk says that document can be a despatch note or receipt, and need not sit inside the product’s packaging as long as it travels with it. Products must also carry a batch, serial or other identifier.

If you would rather not ship to Northern Ireland

Some small sellers have decided a handful of NI orders is not worth the set-up. That is a business choice. If you make that choice, switch off Northern Ireland delivery on every channel you sell through, including marketplaces and your own website.

Selling into the EU

A product cannot be placed on the EU market unless an economic operator established in the EU is responsible for it. That operator must regularly check the product against its technical documentation and labelling rules, and show evidence of those checks on request. Our GPSR explainer covers these duties in general.

The useful overlap: because Northern Ireland accepts an operator established in the EU, one EU-established representative can serve both. Gov.uk says a GB business that has already taken steps to trade in the EU should not have to make any additional changes to operate in NI.

Two extras apply. CE-marked goods such as toys and electrical products need a Declaration of Conformity under their own laws; a product under the GPSR alone needs the risk analysis and technical documentation instead. And producer rules apply country by country: in Germany, businesses that first make packaged goods available there must register with the LUCID Packaging Register; France issues EPR unique identifiers (IDUs); and Amazon asks sellers for these numbers. See EPR registration for Germany and France.

Etsy, Amazon or your own website: does the platform matter?

Not for the core duties. The listing rules attach to any online or distance-sales offer, so Etsy, Amazon and your own site all need the same details for NI or EU buyers. What differs is where you enter them:

• Marketplaces such as Etsy and Amazon must let sellers enter product safety information. Hosting your listing does not make the marketplace your responsible person.
• Your own website has no form, so you add the details to each product page yourself.

Worked example: a fictional GB maker decides

Marsh Lane Studio is a fictional business, used only to show the reasoning. It is a Leeds sole trader printing cotton cushion covers and tote bags, selling on Etsy and its own website, GB only so far. Customers in Belfast and Dublin keep asking for delivery, and Amazon.de is a maybe for next year.

1. GB orders: nothing changes because of the GPSR.
2. Belfast and Dublin: both need an operator established in Northern Ireland or the EU. With no NI premises, the owner appoints one EU-established authorised representative with a written mandate, covering both.
3. Before the first order: she writes a risk analysis and technical documentation for each product type, kept for 10 years, adds a batch code and her own name and postal and email address to the sewn-in label, and prints the representative’s name, postal and email address on her despatch note.
4. Listings: she fills in Etsy’s product safety fields and adds the same details, a product code and warnings to each website page.
5. Amazon.de: she waits. Germany also means LUCID packaging registration and warnings German buyers can easily understand.

One appointment and the paperwork above cover the GPSR for both new markets; check each country’s producer rules too, and GB trading carries on as before.

Your next step

Decided to ship to Northern Ireland or the EU? Start with the operator. Our EU Responsible Person service is run by an Estonian company, so it is established in the EU, and gov.uk confirms that an operator established in the EU is accepted for Northern Ireland as well as the EU. We review your documents before you sign up. For your own risk analysis and technical documentation, our compliance template packs are a structured starting point; a template alone does not make a product compliant, which still takes a real risk analysis, testing where relevant, and checks.

Frequently asked questions

Does the GPSR apply to UK small businesses?

Only to their sales into Northern Ireland or the EU. Sales in Great Britain stay under the UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005. The gov.uk Northern Ireland guidance does not set separate rules for small businesses.

Do I need an EU responsible person to sell to Northern Ireland on Etsy?

You need a responsible operator established in Northern Ireland or the EU. Without NI premises or an NI importer, the route is an authorised representative established in Northern Ireland or the EU. Etsy does not become your responsible person by hosting the listing.

Can my GB company be the responsible operator for Northern Ireland?

Only with a real presence in Northern Ireland or the EU, such as premises. A GB address does not count, nor does a PO box.

Do hobby sellers need to comply?

Gov.uk says occasional supplies by hobbyists or charities are, in principle, not a commercial activity, but it is judged case by case, including how regularly you sell. If you sell regularly, do not rely on it.

Sources

• gov.uk: EU Regulation 2023/988 on general product safety, detailed guidance (Northern Ireland)
• gov.uk: EU Regulation 2023/988 on general product safety, factsheet (Northern Ireland)
• gov.uk: Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain
• gov.uk: Refining the law to better protect consumers
• EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (General Product Safety Regulation)
• Stiftung Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister: checking a registration status
• data.gouv.fr: SYDEREP producer register (ADEME)
• Amazon: extended producer responsibility compliance

If you sell cosmetics into Great Britain from outside the UK, a business established in the UK must act as each product’s responsible person. That can be a UK importer, a UK manufacturer, or a UK business you appoint by written mandate. Northern Ireland follows EU rules, so its responsible person must be in Northern Ireland or the EU.

The rules come from the UK version of the Cosmetics Regulation, explained in OPSS guidance. For how the role works across the EU and UK in general, see our EU and UK Responsible Person service page; everything below is specific to cosmetics.

Who can be your responsible person: GB and Northern Ireland side by side

GB applies the UK version of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. Northern Ireland applies the EU version under the Windsor Framework.

	Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales)	Northern Ireland
Where the responsible person must be established	The UK	Northern Ireland or the EU. A GB-based responsible person is not accepted.
Who it can be	A UK manufacturer, a UK importer, or a UK-established person appointed by written mandate who accepts in writing	A manufacturer or importer, or a third party appointed by written mandate, based in NI or the EU
Where each product is notified	The UK SCPN service	The EU portal (CPNP). A product also sold in GB needs a separate SCPN notification.
Product information file	In English, at the address notified, kept for ten years after the last batch	At the address notified, kept for ten years after the last batch
Country of origin on imports	Required, including for goods from the EU. “Made in the EU” is not accepted. Until 31 December 2027, a label that meets the EU name, address and country of origin rules is accepted instead.	Required, including for goods from GB, which can state “Made in UK”

For a brand with no UK company, note that the GB guidance defines an importer as a business established in the UK. If no one in your supply chain is established in the UK, the route left is a written mandate to a UK-established person who accepts it in writing. An EU responsible person cannot fill the GB role unless it is also established in the UK, and a GB-based one cannot fill the NI role.

For the same question across other product types, such as electricals or medical devices, see UK Responsible Person requirements by product type.

What the responsible person must do

Under the GB guidance the responsible person must:

• make sure a safety assessment is completed before the product is placed on the GB market;
• hold the product information file and make it readily available to the authorities at the address notified;
• notify every product through SCPN before it is first supplied in GB, and update the notification straight away when anything changes;
• take corrective action, withdraw or recall a product they believe does not comply, in proportion to the problem;
• tell the authorities immediately about a product that presents a risk;
• make sure claims about the product are truthful and backed by evidence;
• report serious undesirable effects to the Secretary of State on the UK form. The UK reads “without delay” as within 30 calendar days of anyone in the company hearing of a possible case.

What goes in the product information file

The GB guidance lists five parts of the product information file (PIF):

1. A description of the product.
2. The Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR), signed by a qualified safety assessor. Part A holds the safety information, such as composition, stability, microbial quality, impurities, exposure and the toxicological profile. Part B holds the assessor’s conclusion, the warnings needed on the label, their reasoning, and their signature and date.
3. The method of manufacture and information on good manufacturing practice.
4. Proof of the effect claimed for the product.
5. Data on any animal testing.

The safety assessor should hold a qualification in pharmacy, toxicology, medicine or a similar discipline, or a recognised equivalent. Keep the PIF in English, up to date, and for ten years after the last batch is placed on the market.

SCPN notification, step by step

SCPN (Submit Cosmetic Product Notifications) is run by the Office for Product Safety and Standards. Every cosmetic available to consumers in Great Britain must be notified on it before it is first supplied.

1. Get access. The responsible person signs in with a GOV.UK One Login. Anyone with an older SCPN account uses the same email address for their One Login.
2. Gather the core details. The product name and category, the responsible person’s name, the address where the PIF is kept, and a named person to contact in an emergency. The SCPN page describes this as a contact for the National Poisons Information Service or Trading Standards.
3. Prepare the formulation. Give the frame formulation, which lets doctors treat someone quickly if something goes wrong. Name any category 1A or 1B CMR substances with their CAS or EC numbers.
4. Add the label. Upload the original labelling and, where it is legible, a photo of the packaging.
5. Check for nanomaterials. A product containing nanomaterials, other than those used as colourants, preservatives or UV filters, must be notified at least six months before it goes on sale, with their identity and reasonably foreseeable exposure.
6. Submit, then keep it current. Notify before the first unit is supplied in GB, and update the notification as soon as any of the information changes.

If the same product is also sold in Northern Ireland, it needs a notification to the EU through CPNP as well, made by the NI or EU responsible person.

What the label must show

These particulars must appear clearly and indelibly on the container and the outer packaging, unless an exemption applies. The ingredients list can go on the outer packaging alone:

• the responsible person’s name and address (an abbreviation is fine if they can still be identified);
• the country of origin for imported products;
• the nominal content by weight or volume, with exemptions for free samples, packs under 5g or 5ml, single applications and some multipacks;
• a “best used before the end of” date or the hourglass symbol for products that keep for 30 months or less, or a period after opening symbol for longer-lasting products;
• warnings and precautions for use, in English;
• a batch number or other reference to identify the batch;
• the product’s function in English, unless it is obvious from the presentation;
• an ingredients list headed “ingredients”, using the common ingredient names in descending order of weight, with fragrance shown as “parfum” or “aroma”, certain fragrance ingredients declared above 0.001% in leave-on or 0.01% in rinse-off products, and nanomaterials marked “(nano)”.

Where there is no room for all of it, the information can go in an enclosed leaflet, flagged on the pack with the hand and book symbol. Until 31 December 2027, GB treats the name, address and country of origin rules as met by a label that follows the EU rules, such as one showing an EU or EEA responsible person’s name and address. That eases the label only: the product still needs a responsible person established in the UK.

Worked example: a non-UK moisturiser on Amazon.co.uk

Willowmere Skincare is a fictional brand based in Canada with no UK company. It wants to sell one face moisturiser on Amazon.co.uk, shipped into a UK fulfilment centre. It works through the official steps in this order:

1. It has no UK establishment and no UK importer, so it appoints a UK-established business as responsible person by written mandate, and gets the acceptance in writing.
2. It commissions a CPSR from a qualified safety assessor and builds the PIF in English at the responsible person’s address.
3. It reprints the carton and jar with the UK responsible person’s name and address, “Made in Canada”, the nominal content, a period after opening symbol (the cream keeps for more than 30 months), a batch code, English warnings and the ingredients list.
4. The responsible person notifies the moisturiser on SCPN before the first unit ships.
5. Willowmere decides not to sell into Northern Ireland for now. If it does later, it will need an NI or EU responsible person and a CPNP notification as well.

Before the first cosmetic ships to GB: seven checks

• Do you, or anyone in your supply chain, have a business established in the UK? If not, who will you appoint by written mandate, and have they accepted in writing?
• Is there a signed CPSR for each product, and is the PIF complete, in English and at the responsible person’s address?
• Has each product been notified on SCPN, with the label image and frame formulation?
• Does any formula contain nanomaterials other than colourants, preservatives or UV filters, and if so was it notified six months ahead?
• Does the pack carry every label particular listed above?
• Do you know who reports a serious undesirable effect, and how fast?
• Are you selling into Northern Ireland too? If so, have you arranged an NI or EU responsible person and a CPNP notification?

Where to go from here

Our Responsible Person plans and prices page sets out the UK package. It does not list cosmetics, SCPN notification or PIF work, and we review your product files before we agree to act, so tell us what you sell before you assume it fits. Use our contact form with your brand, product categories and markets, and we will say what we can and cannot cover. General questions are answered in our Responsible Person and GPSR FAQs.

Frequently asked questions

My labels show an EU responsible person. Is that enough for GB until 2027?

For the label, yes: until 31 December 2027 GB accepts EU or EEA responsible person details. For the product, no: it still needs a responsible person established in the UK.

Does a GB-based responsible person work for cosmetics sold in Northern Ireland?

No, unless they are based in Northern Ireland. The NI guidance says responsible persons cannot be based in Great Britain; they must be in Northern Ireland or the EU.

Is Amazon my responsible person if I use its fulfilment service?

The GB guidance names the manufacturer, the importer, a person appointed by written mandate and, in some cases, a distributor. It does not name a marketplace or fulfilment service, so do not assume Amazon fills the role.

I already notified my product on CPNP. Do I still need SCPN?

Yes, for Great Britain. CPNP covers the EU and Northern Ireland; GB needs its own notification through SCPN before the product is supplied there.

Sources

• OPSS: Regulation 2009/1223 and the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013, Great Britain (gov.uk, updated 29 June 2026)
• OPSS: Regulation 2009/1223 and the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013, Northern Ireland (gov.uk, updated 29 June 2026)
• Submit cosmetic product notifications (SCPN), GOV.UK
• Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, EUR-Lex

GPSR is the EU General Product Safety Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2023/988. It sets baseline safety rules for consumer products placed on the market from 13 December 2024, in the EU and Northern Ireland but not Great Britain. Non-EU sellers need a named EU responsible person, product documentation, and safety details on the product and listing.

What GPSR covers

The GPSR covers consumer products where no specific EU rules with the same aim exist. Where sector rules do exist, such as the CE rules for toys or electronics, the GPSR covers only the risks those rules don’t (Article 2(1)).

UK government guidance on the GPSR in Northern Ireland adds that it covers new, used, repaired and reconditioned products, and that medicinal products, food, feed, living plants and animals, and antiques, among others, are outside it. In principle, occasional supplies by charities or hobbyists are not a commercial activity, so they aren’t caught.

Where GPSR applies: EU, Northern Ireland and Great Britain

Which product safety rules apply depends on where you sell, not where your business is based.

Selling into	Product safety rules	Where the responsible business must be established
EU countries	GPSR, Regulation (EU) 2023/988	An economic operator established in the EU (Article 16(1))
Northern Ireland	GPSR	An operator established in Northern Ireland or the EU
Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales)	UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005, not the GPSR	For UKCA or CE goods, importers and authorised representatives must be established in the UK

So an EU responsible person can cover Northern Ireland. Great Britain has its own rules: for UKCA or CE goods, importers and authorised representatives must be established in the UK. Our guide to what a UK Responsible Person is covers the GB side by product type.

What GPSR compliance means in practice

GPSR duties are split between several businesses:

Who	What the GPSR asks of them
Manufacturer	Do an internal risk analysis and draw up technical documentation before the product goes on the market, and keep it for 10 years (Article 9). Make sure the product can be identified, for example by a type, batch or serial number, and show their name, registered trade name or trade mark, and postal and electronic address (Article 9(5) and 9(6)).
Responsible person in the EU	Can be an EU manufacturer, an authorised representative with a written mandate, the importer, or, only if none of those exists, a fulfilment service provider (Article 16(1)). Must regularly check the product against its technical documentation and labelling rules, and show evidence of those checks on request (Article 16(2)).
Online marketplace	Must have contact points for authorities and consumers, act on authority orders about dangerous products within two working days, and let sellers enter product safety information (Article 22).
You, as the seller	Make sure the offer shows the information in the checklist below (Article 19).

A marketplace is not your responsible person just because it hosts your listing. A fulfilment service provider only fills that role when there is no EU manufacturer, authorised representative or importer.

GPSR checklist for each listing and product

Use this before you list a product on an EU marketplace or ship it to a Northern Ireland customer.

On the listing (Article 19):

• The manufacturer’s name, registered trade name or trade mark, and its postal and electronic address.
• If the manufacturer is outside the EU, the name and postal and electronic address of the EU responsible person.
• Information that identifies the product, including a picture, its type and any other product identifier.
• Any warning or safety information that goes on the product, its packaging or an accompanying document, in a language consumers in that country can easily understand.

On the product:

• A type, batch or serial number or other identifier, on the product itself, or on the packaging or an accompanying document if the product’s size or nature does not allow it.
• The responsible person’s name and contact details on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document (Article 16(3)).

Behind the scenes:

• A risk analysis and technical documentation you can produce on request.
• A plan for accidents: the manufacturer must notify an accident caused by a product to the authorities of the country where it happened, through the EU’s Safety Business Gateway, without undue delay (Article 20).

GPSR and CE-marked products

The GPSR does not require a CE mark. CE marking and the EU Declaration of Conformity belong to the sector laws for products such as toys, electrical goods and radio equipment. For a general product that falls only under the GPSR, the requirement is the risk analysis and technical documentation instead. If your product is CE-marked, you follow its sector rules and the GPSR fills any gaps. See our Declaration of Conformity guide for consumer electronics for what that document contains.

Products placed on the market before 13 December 2024

The GPSR applies to products placed on the market from 13 December 2024. UK government guidance for Northern Ireland says no action is needed for products already placed on the market there before that date.

GPSR guidance documents from the EU and UK government

If you want to read the rules yourself, these are the primary sources:

• Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on EUR-Lex: the full legal text.
• European Commission guidelines on applying the general product safety framework by businesses (Commission notice, 21 November 2025).
• UK government detailed guidance on the GPSR in Northern Ireland.
• UK government guidance on the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 in Great Britain.

Our Responsible Person FAQs answer the questions sellers ask us most.

Getting an EU responsible person

If you are a manufacturer established outside the EU and there is no EU importer, you need an EU responsible person, such as an authorised representative, before you sell. Our EU Responsible Person service puts a named EU operator on your products and listings, checks your documents before we take the product on, and deals with market surveillance requests. See Responsible Person pricing for EU, UK and combined plans.

If you still need the paperwork itself, our compliance template packs give you fillable PDF templates by product category, in EU and UK versions. A template is a starting point: you still need a real risk analysis, testing where relevant, and regular checks.

Frequently asked questions

What is GPSR compliance?

Meeting the duties in Regulation (EU) 2023/988: a risk analysis and technical documentation, an EU-established responsible person, identification and contact details on the product, and the required information on online listings.

Does GPSR apply in the UK?

It applies in Northern Ireland but not in Great Britain, which stays under the UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005.

Do I need an EU responsible person for GPSR?

A product can’t be placed on the EU market unless an economic operator established in the EU is responsible for it. If you are a non-EU manufacturer with no EU importer, one route is appointing an authorised representative with a written mandate.

Does the GPSR require a CE mark?

No. CE marking comes from sector laws such as those for toys and electrical goods. Under the GPSR alone, the requirement is a risk analysis and technical documentation.

What information must an Amazon or other online listing show under GPSR?

The manufacturer’s name and postal and electronic address, the EU responsible person if the manufacturer is outside the EU, product identifiers including a picture, and any warnings or safety information in the local language.

Sources

Alongside the four guidance documents listed above:

• gov.uk: EU Regulation 2023/988 factsheet (Northern Ireland)
• gov.uk: Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain

A UK Responsible Person is the UK-based business that carries legal duties for a product sold in Great Britain. There isn’t one role for every product: cosmetics need a UK-established responsible person, medical devices from overseas makers need a UK Responsible Person (UKRP), and UKCA or CE-marked goods need a UK importer or authorised representative.

This guide sets out who needs what, product type by product type, for sellers based outside the UK, including Amazon sellers shipping into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland.

UK Responsible Person requirements by product type

Product type	Who the UK party is	Main duties
Cosmetics (GB)	A “responsible person” established in the UK	Notify each product through the UK’s Submit cosmetic product notifications (SCPN) service before it goes on sale in GB
Medical devices (GB)	A UK Responsible Person (UKRP), appointed by a manufacturer based outside the UK	Register the devices with the MHRA, keep technical documentation and the declaration of conformity available, cooperate with the MHRA
UKCA or CE-marked goods, such as toys and electrical products (GB)	A UK-established importer or authorised representative	The importer’s name and postal address normally go on the product or its packaging
Products covered by the EU GPSR (Northern Ireland)	A responsible economic operator established in Northern Ireland or the EU	Make sure compliance tasks are done and tell authorities about safety incidents

Cosmetics: the responsible person

Under the UK version of the Cosmetics Regulation, a cosmetic product can’t be placed on the market in Great Britain unless there is a responsible person established in the UK. Who that is depends on how the product reaches the UK:

• If you import it: any importer placing a cosmetic product on the market is its responsible person, unless it designates someone else in writing.
• By written mandate: the importer, or a UK-established manufacturer, can designate another UK-established person as responsible person by written mandate. The designation takes effect when that person accepts in writing. A manufacturer outside the UK must designate one this way for cosmetics made in the UK.
• If a distributor sells it under its own name or trade mark, or changes it in a way that could affect compliance, the distributor becomes the responsible person.

Before a new cosmetic product goes on sale in GB, it must be notified through the SCPN service. Northern Ireland has a separate process. Our guide to the UK responsible person for cosmetics covers SCPN notification, the product information file and labelling in detail.

Medical devices: the UKRP

The MHRA’s guidance says manufacturers based outside the UK must appoint a UK Responsible Person to place a device on the Great Britain market. Importers and distributors don’t need to appoint one. The UKRP’s tasks include:

• registering the manufacturer’s devices with the MHRA before they go on the GB market
• keeping the technical documentation and declaration of conformity available for the MHRA to inspect
• cooperating with the MHRA on any preventive or corrective action
• telling the manufacturer straight away about complaints and reports of suspected incidents

Where a device carries the UKCA mark, the UKRP’s name and address go on the labelling, the outer packaging or the instructions for use. For Northern Ireland, the MHRA says GB-based manufacturers must appoint an authorised representative in the EU or Northern Ireland.

UKCA and CE-marked goods: importer or authorised representative

Great Britain still recognises CE marking for many product types, with no end date stated. Medical devices, construction products and some other sectors have their own rules. For UKCA or CE goods sold in GB, importers and authorised representatives must be established in the UK, and the importer’s name and postal address normally appear on the product or its packaging. For some products imported from the EEA before 11pm on 31 December 2027, the importer’s details can be set out elsewhere instead of on the product itself.

General products with no UKCA or CE marking (GB)

This is the grey area. Great Britain stays under the UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005, not the EU GPSR. We haven’t found official guidance that settles whether GB requires a named UK responsible person for general consumer products outside the UKCA and CE regimes, so be wary of anyone who states it as fact either way. The Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 lets the government update UK product rules, and a consultation on a new framework closed on 23 June 2026. We haven’t seen any dates or content for new GB rules confirmed yet.

Northern Ireland: the EU rules apply

The EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) applies in Northern Ireland but not in Great Britain. For products it covers to be placed on the Northern Ireland market, there must be a responsible economic operator established in Northern Ireland or the EU. If you are a GB small business deciding whether to ship to Northern Ireland at all, our guide to GPSR for UK small businesses compares three routes: GB only, GB plus Northern Ireland, and GB plus the EU.

What makes you a UK Responsible Person?

You become one in one of three ways, depending on the product:

1. By your role in the supply chain. A UK importer of cosmetics is the responsible person unless it designates someone else in writing. For UKCA and CE goods, the UK importer takes on importer duties, including putting its details on the product.
2. By written appointment. A UK-established person or business is appointed in writing: for cosmetics, by the importer (or by the manufacturer, for products made in the UK); for medical devices, a UKRP appointed by a manufacturer outside the UK; for UKCA and CE goods, an authorised representative appointed by the manufacturer.
3. By selling under your own brand. For cosmetics, a distributor that sells a product under its own name or trade mark becomes its responsible person.

For these GB regimes the person or business has to be established in the UK. If you’re a seller based outside the UK, that means appointing someone, or setting up a UK importer, rather than doing it yourself.

Does an EU Responsible Person cover Great Britain?

Not for the GB regimes above. In the EU, a product can’t be placed on the market unless an economic operator established in the EU is responsible for it (GPSR Article 16(1)). That EU operator doesn’t meet the GB requirements for cosmetics, medical devices or UKCA and CE goods, which all need a UK-established party. If you sell cosmetics, medical devices or UKCA or CE goods in both markets, you need cover in each.

Northern Ireland is the exception that works the other way: because the GPSR applies there, the responsible economic operator for Northern Ireland can be established in the EU.

A checklist for sellers shipping into the UK

1. Sort your products by regime. Cosmetic, medical device, UKCA or CE-marked (toys, electrical, radio equipment and so on), or a general consumer product.
2. Cosmetics: agree who the UK responsible person is (your UK importer, or a UK-established business the importer designates in writing) and notify each product on SCPN before it goes on sale in GB.
3. Medical devices: appoint a UKRP and make sure your devices are registered with the MHRA before they reach the GB market.
4. UKCA and CE goods: name a UK-established importer or authorised representative, and check the importer’s name and postal address are on the product or packaging.
5. Northern Ireland: check you have a responsible economic operator in Northern Ireland or the EU for products the GPSR covers.
6. Keep your paperwork ready. Whoever acts for you will need your technical documentation, and a declaration of conformity where the product’s rules require one. A template helps you start, but it doesn’t replace a real risk analysis and testing where needed.
7. Watch for UK rule changes under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025.

Getting a UK Responsible Person

If you need a UK address on your labels and listings, our UK Responsible Person service provides one, holds and reviews your technical file, and handles requests from authorities. For UKCA and CE goods you still need a UK importer or authorised representative, so check with us which role fits your products. You can compare the UK, EU and EU + UK Responsible Person plans, or start your technical file with a compliance template pack for your product category. Cosmetics notifications and medical devices have their own rules, so if you sell either, read our Responsible Person FAQs or ask us before you sign up.

Frequently asked questions

What is a UKRP?

UKRP is short for UK Responsible Person, the term used for medical devices. A manufacturer based outside the UK must appoint one to place devices on the Great Britain market. The UKRP registers the devices with the MHRA and cooperates with it on any corrective action.

Is a UK Responsible Person the same as an importer?

Sometimes. For cosmetics, any importer placing a product on the market is its responsible person, unless it designates someone else in writing. For medical devices, the UKRP is appointed by the manufacturer, and importers don’t need to appoint one.

Do I need a UK Responsible Person to sell on Amazon UK?

The legal answer depends on your product: cosmetics, medical devices and UKCA or CE goods all need a UK-established party, as set out above. Check Amazon’s own requirements in Seller Central too.

Can my EU Responsible Person cover Northern Ireland?

For products covered by the GPSR, yes: the responsible economic operator for Northern Ireland can be established in Northern Ireland or the EU. It doesn’t cover Great Britain.

Does the GPSR apply in the UK?

Only in Northern Ireland. Great Britain stays under the UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005.

Sources

• legislation.gov.uk: Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (UK version), Article 4, Responsible person
• gov.uk: Submit a cosmetic product notification
• gov.uk (MHRA): Regulating medical devices in the UK
• gov.uk: Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain
• gov.uk: EU Regulation 2023/988 on general product safety, Northern Ireland detailed guidance
• gov.uk: EU Regulation 2023/988 on general product safety, Northern Ireland factsheet
• EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR)
• gov.uk: Refining the law to better protect consumers

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Checked 17 October 2026.

An EU Declaration of Conformity (DoC) for consumer electronics is a signed statement in which the manufacturer declares the product meets every CE law that applies to it, typically the Low Voltage, EMC and RoHS directives. For electrical equipment it follows a seven-part model: product, manufacturer, responsibility, object, conformity, standards, then signature, place and date.

Below: which laws to list, each of the seven parts, a filled-in example you can follow line by line, and where to get a ready-to-edit template.

What a Declaration of Conformity is, and who issues it

The DoC is the manufacturer’s document. Under the Low Voltage Directive (LVD), once compliance has been demonstrated the manufacturer draws up the EU declaration of conformity and affixes the CE mark, and by issuing it takes responsibility for the product’s compliance. The DoC must be kept continuously up to date, and the manufacturer keeps it, with the technical documentation, for 10 years after the product is placed on the market (LVD Articles 6 and 15).

A manufacturer outside the EU can appoint an EU authorised representative by written mandate. The representative can keep the DoC and technical documentation available to market surveillance authorities, but drawing up the technical documentation can’t be handed over to them (LVD Article 7).

A DoC belongs to the CE regime. A general product that falls only under the GPSR needs a risk analysis and technical documentation instead (GPSR Article 9(2)).

Which EU laws a typical gadget’s DoC lists

When a product falls under more than one EU law that requires a DoC, you draw up a single declaration covering all of them, and it must identify each law with its publication reference (LVD Article 15(3); EMC Article 15(3)). For most mains-powered consumer electronics that means three:

• Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU (OJ L 96, 29.3.2014, p. 357): electrical equipment designed for a voltage rating of 50 to 1,000 V AC or 75 to 1,500 V DC.
• EMC Directive 2014/30/EU (OJ L 96, 29.3.2014, p. 79): electromagnetic compatibility of apparatus. The manufacturer draws up a DoC and keeps it for 10 years (EMC Article 7).
• RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU (OJ L 174, 1.7.2011, p. 88): restricted substances in electrical and electronic equipment, with its own DoC model in Annex VI (RoHS Article 13). RoHS has been amended since 2011, so check the consolidated version on EUR-Lex before you list it.

Two checks before you copy a template:

• Battery or USB-powered only? A product that only ever runs at 5 V is below the LVD’s voltage range, so the LVD may not be one of the laws on its DoC. A mains plug or charger supplied with it is a different matter.
• Wi-Fi or Bluetooth? Then it is radio equipment under the Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU (OJ L 153, 22.5.2014, p. 62), not the LVD (RED Article 1(4)). RED brings in the LVD’s safety objectives with no voltage limit and the EMC requirements (Article 3(1)), and its DoC follows a different model, in RED Annex VI (Article 18). Don’t use an LVD and EMC template for it.

The seven parts of an EU DoC for electrical equipment

The LVD’s Annex IV sets the model. The heading reads “EU declaration of conformity”, with a number. Numbering the declaration is optional under the LVD model. The RoHS model (Annex VI) starts with a unique identification number for the product, so a combined electronics DoC should include one.

1. Product model or product: product, type, batch or serial number. Use the model number exactly as it appears on the rating label and the listing.
2. Name and address of the manufacturer or its authorised representative.
3. The responsibility statement: “This declaration of conformity is issued under the sole responsibility of the manufacturer.”
4. Object of the declaration: an identification of the equipment that allows it to be traced. It may include a colour image clear enough to identify the product.
5. The conformity statement: that the product described is in conformity with the relevant EU harmonisation legislation, followed by the list of laws and their publication references.
6. Standards: references to the harmonised standards used, or the other technical specifications conformity is declared against. Copy these from your test reports, including the edition year.
7. Additional information, then “Signed for and on behalf of:”, place and date of issue, and the name, function and signature of the person signing.

Under LVD Article 15 the DoC must also be translated into the language or languages required by each Member State where the product is placed on the market or made available.

Filled-in example

Example only. The company, product and details are fictional. Replace every line with your own, and take the standards from your own test reports.

EU declaration of conformity No. NL-200-01

1. Product: Northlight desk lamp, model NL-200, batch from 2610 onwards

2. Manufacturer: Northlight Trading Ltd, [full postal address]. Authorised representative: [EU name and address, if appointed]

3. This declaration of conformity is issued under the sole responsibility of the manufacturer.

4. Object of the declaration: LED desk lamp, 230 V AC, 50 Hz, with in-line switch. [Colour photo of the lamp]

5. The object of the declaration described above is in conformity with the relevant Union harmonisation legislation: Directive 2014/35/EU (OJ L 96, 29.3.2014, p. 357); Directive 2014/30/EU (OJ L 96, 29.3.2014, p. 79); Directive 2011/65/EU (OJ L 174, 1.7.2011, p. 88) [plus amending acts from the consolidated text].

6. Standards: [standard number and year from the safety test report]; [standard numbers and years from the EMC test report]; [standard used for RoHS, if any].

7. Additional information: [optional, e.g. test report numbers]. Signed for and on behalf of: Northlight Trading Ltd. [Place, date of issue]. [Name, function, signature]

DoC, technical file and listing: how they differ

Document	What it is	Who sees it
Declaration of Conformity	The signed statement in the Annex IV format, kept for 10 years	Authorities on request
Technical documentation	The evidence behind the DoC: design, risk assessment, test reports (LVD Annex III), kept for 10 years	Authorities on request
Listing information	Manufacturer’s name, postal and electronic address; the EU responsible person if the manufacturer is outside the EU; product identifiers including a picture; and warnings in the local language (GPSR Article 19)	Shoppers, on the product page

Selling in Great Britain too

Great Britain continues to recognise CE marking for many product types, with no end date stated, though some sectors have separate rules (gov.uk UKCA/CE guidance). For UKCA or CE goods in GB, importers and authorised representatives must be established in the UK, and the importer’s name and address normally appear on the product or packaging (same guidance). An EU representative doesn’t cover GB.

Get the template

Our Consumer Electronics compliance template pack includes an EU and a UK Declaration of Conformity with the applicable legislation already filled in, a risk assessment template and a technical file checklist, as fillable PDFs. Household appliances have a separate Home Appliances template pack.

A template is a starting point, not compliance: your product still has to meet the rules, which usually means test reports. If you need an EU or UK address for your labels and listings, our EU and UK responsible person service reviews your Declaration of Conformity, risk assessment and test reports before taking you on. More answers are in the FAQ.

Questions people ask

Who signs an EU Declaration of Conformity?

Someone signing for and on behalf of the manufacturer, giving their name and function, with the place and date of issue. The declaration is issued under the manufacturer’s sole responsibility.

Does a DoC need a reference number?

The LVD model makes it optional, but the RoHS model starts with a unique identification number for the product, so a DoC that lists RoHS should include one. A number also makes it easier to track each version as you keep the declaration up to date.

Can one DoC cover several directives?

It must. Where a product falls under more than one EU law requiring a DoC, you draw up a single declaration that names each law with its publication reference.

Do I need a DoC before selling electronics in the EU?

If the product falls under CE laws such as the LVD, EMC or RoHS directives, yes: the manufacturer draws up the DoC before affixing the CE mark and placing the product on the market.

Does the DoC have to be translated?

Yes. It must be translated into the language or languages required by the Member State where the product is placed or made available.

Is CE marking still accepted in Great Britain?

For many product types, yes, with no end date stated. Some sectors, such as medical devices and construction products, have separate rules.

Sources

• Directive 2014/35/EU (Low Voltage Directive), EUR-Lex
• Directive 2014/30/EU (EMC Directive), EUR-Lex
• Directive 2011/65/EU (RoHS), EUR-Lex
• Directive 2014/53/EU (Radio Equipment Directive), EUR-Lex
• Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR), EUR-Lex
• gov.uk: placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain