Verify product conformity before making available on the market

Before you put a product on your shelves or make it available to customers, you need to do some basic checks. Confirm the CE mark is on the product, that the required documentation (declaration of conformity, user instructions) is included, and that the manufacturer's and importer's contact details are properly labelled. You are not responsible for verifying the manufacturer's full technical work, but you are responsible for these visible conformity signals.

Legal text

Article 20(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 provides that when making a product with digital elements available on the market, distributors shall act with due care in relation to the requirements of this Regulation.

Before making a product with digital elements available on the market, distributors shall verify that:

the product bears the CE marking;
the product is accompanied by the EU declaration of conformity or declaration of performance and by the instructions and information referred to in Annex II, in a language that can be easily understood by end users; and
the manufacturer and the importer (if applicable) have complied with the requirements set out in Article 13(15) and (16) and Article 19(3) respectively, regarding product identification and contact details.

Key requirements

CE marking — visually confirm CE marking is present on the product or packaging
Accompanying documentation — EU declaration of conformity or declaration of performance is present and accessible
User instructions — Annex II information available in a language understood by end users
Manufacturer contact labelling — manufacturer details in place per Art. 13(15)–(16)
Importer contact labelling — importer details in place per Art. 19(3) where an importer is involved

Evidence you may need

Pre-distribution check procedure or checklist
Sample records of checks performed before making products available
Records of documentation reviewed (DoC/DoP, user instructions)