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: