Retain documentation for 10 years

You must keep a copy of the conformity declaration for every product you import for at least 10 years after it first goes on sale. You also need to be able to produce the manufacturer's technical documentation if a regulator asks. A well-organised record-keeping system — physical or digital — is essential to meet this obligation across your product portfolio.

Legal text

Article 19(6) of Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 requires that importers shall, for a period of 10 years after the product with digital elements has been placed on the market, keep a copy of the EU declaration of conformity or declaration of performance at the disposal of the market surveillance authorities and ensure that the technical documentation can be made available to those authorities upon request.

Key requirements

10-year retention — period starts when the product is first placed on the market (not when your import relationship begins)
EU declaration of conformity / declaration of performance — maintain a copy for each product variant you import
Technical documentation access — ability to retrieve and provide the manufacturer's Annex VII technical documentation on request
Accessible format — paper or electronic; must be readily retrievable for authorities

Evidence you may need

Document retention policy specifying the 10-year rule for CRA products
Indexed archive of declarations of conformity by product and batch
Documented process for requesting technical documentation from manufacturers