EU Declaration of Conformity: Template, Example and Checklist

An EU declaration of conformity is the manufacturer’s signed statement that an identified product meets the applicable EU legislation. You prepare it after the relevant conformity assessment and technical documentation are complete. A template helps organise that statement; the evidence behind each line determines whether you can sign it.

Imagine a buyer asks for the declaration for model B200. Your supplier sends a PDF for B100, with a different power supply and a list of undated standards. The document looks convincing, but it does not yet answer the buyer’s question: does the evidence cover the product being supplied?

This guide gives you a free working template, a fictional product example and a checklist for connecting the declaration to its supporting records. It is written for manufacturers, importers and product-compliance teams. Sources checked: 7 October 2026.

Free EU declaration of conformity template

Copy this working draft into your document editor. Replace every bracketed instruction and check the current declaration annex in each applicable law. The numbering below is an editorial aid; the legal model for your product takes priority.

Download the editable text template (.txt). No registration is required.

The EMC Directive, Article 15 and Annex IV, sets out the apparatus declaration model and requires a single declaration covering all applicable Union acts that require one. The Low Voltage Directive has a similar structure, but its own annex must also be satisfied. This working draft does not establish which legislation applies to your product.

What to include, and what evidence to check

Review the declaration alongside the technical file. The following evidence map is a practical document-control method, rather than a new statutory form.

A declaration can be short because the supporting file contains the detailed reasoning. Keep that distinction clear. A laboratory report records the tests performed on the stated sample. A notified-body certificate records a particular intervention. The manufacturer’s declaration states conformity under the relevant legislation; those documents serve different purposes.

Worked example: a new model with a different power supply

Consider a fictional bench-top electrical measuring instrument, model B200, powered directly from 230 V AC. Assume an applicability assessment has established that the Low Voltage, EMC and RoHS directives apply, and that the product is neither radio equipment nor a medical device. Those assumptions are for this example only.

The B200 enclosure resembles the older B100, but the manufacturer has changed its internal power supply. Simply changing the model number on the B100 declaration would leave an unanswered evidence question. The team should record the modification, identify the requirements it could affect and decide whether existing assessments still cover the new configuration.

1. Identify the configuration. Record the B200 hardware revision and the installed power-supply part in the controlled product records.
2. Review the affected evidence. Check the safety and electromagnetic-compatibility assessments against the change. Determine what additional assessment or testing is needed; this guide does not prescribe the tests.
3. Review materials evidence. Check whether the replacement changes the evidence supporting the applicable RoHS restrictions and any exemptions relied upon.
4. Resolve the release decision. Complete the required work before signing. An unresolved evidence gap should remain visible in the assessment record.
5. Issue the correct document. Once conformity is demonstrated, identify B200 unambiguously, list the applicable acts and actual technical references, then authorise, sign and control the declaration.

The useful lesson is the connection between the product change and its evidence. Similar appearance does not establish that an earlier assessment covers a new configuration. Equally, a component change does not automatically prescribe an entirely new test programme: its implications need to be assessed.

How that example maps into the draft

The following is a fictional, incomplete extract showing where the information goes. It is not a signed or valid declaration.

Who issues and signs the declaration?

The manufacturer is responsible for issuing the declaration, whether based inside or outside the EU. The signatory must have authority to represent the manufacturer or its authorised representative. A job title alone does not establish that authority. A representative’s tasks must be covered by the appropriate mandate. See the Commission’s guidance on issuing and signing declarations.

For ordinary importing, check the manufacturer’s conformity work and the documents required under the applicable legislation. The importer does not simply become the declaration’s manufacturer by receiving the shipment. Under the Low Voltage Directive, Articles 8 and 10, however, supplying under your own name or trademark, or making changes that may affect conformity, can place manufacturer obligations on an importer or distributor. Other acts contain their own role rules.

If you buy a product for sale under your own brand, establish responsibility before copying the supplier’s declaration. Obtain the evidence and arrangements needed to fulfil the obligations that actually apply to your role.

An ordinary importer is not generally required to hold the manufacturer’s complete technical file. Fulfil the verification and declaration-retention duties in the applicable act, and ensure the technical documentation can be supplied to authorities. Agree that access with the manufacturer. The Commission’s Blue Guide, section 3.3, distinguishes making the file available from keeping a copy yourself. The evidence-review workflow above is primarily for manufacturers and those assuming manufacturer obligations.

Which declaration does your product need?

Start with the product’s intended use and applicable legislation. The same template cannot cover every CE-marked product without adaptation.

These rows identify models to check, not a list of acts to copy onto every declaration. For example, do not automatically list LVD separately for radio equipment: RED Article 1(4) excludes equipment in its scope from LVD, while RED applies the relevant safety objectives without LVD’s voltage limit.

For radio equipment, a simplified declaration must follow the prescribed model and provide the internet address of the full declaration. The manufacturer must ensure each item is accompanied by a full or simplified declaration. A generic website link without the required statement is insufficient. Check RED Articles 10(9) and 18, and Annexes VI and VII.

Machinery: EC declaration now, EU declaration under the 2027 regime

For machinery placed on the market before 20 January 2027, the Commission identifies Directive 2006/42/EC as the applicable machinery regime. Its model is an EC declaration of conformity. Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 generally applies from that date and uses an EU declaration of conformity. Plan around the legally relevant placing-on-the-market event, rather than the date a template was downloaded. See the Commission’s machinery guidance and our machinery regulation dates and checklist.

Partly completed machinery follows the relevant declaration of incorporation requirements. Construction products need the applicable declaration of performance or declaration of performance and conformity under their product regime and transition rules. Medical devices use their own declaration particulars, including identification and risk-class requirements. Use the Machinery Directive, Construction Products Regulation or Medical Devices Regulation as appropriate, rather than assuming the working template above is sufficient.

How to list EN and harmonised standards correctly

Use the references that genuinely supported the assessment. Check four separate facts:

1. The standard’s scope covers the product and issue being assessed.
2. The recorded edition and amendments match those actually used.
3. If relying on a presumption of conformity, the relevant reference is cited in the Official Journal under the applicable legislation.
4. Any restrictions, partial coverage or withdrawal and transition dates have been considered.

Harmonised standards provide a route to a presumption of conformity for the requirements they cover. Their use is generally voluntary; alternative technical solutions need adequate evidence that the legal requirements are met. A newer catalogue edition and a currently cited harmonised edition can differ. An EN, EN ISO or EN IEC prefix alone does not establish the required legal citation. The Commission’s harmonised-standards pages link to the relevant legislation and citations.

An ISO 9001 management-system certificate does not demonstrate that a particular electrical product meets its safety or EMC requirements. Keep management-system certification separate from the product evidence recorded in the declaration. For the broader terminology, read our EN and ISO standards guide.

Languages, copies and retention periods

Check the countries where the product will be placed or made available on the market. Under LVD and EMC Article 15, the declaration must be translated into the language or languages required by the relevant Member State. Keep translations aligned with the controlled source document.

Do not apply one rule for supplying copies to every sector. Radio equipment requires the full or prescribed simplified declaration to accompany each item. The machinery regimes have their own accompanying-document provisions. LVD and EMC declarations must be available to the authorities, but their requirements do not establish a universal rule that a printed declaration accompanies every product.

For LVD, EMC, RED and RoHS, the manufacturer must retain the declaration for 10 years after the product is placed on the market, under the respective manufacturer obligations. The Machinery Directive differs: Annex II, section 2, requires retention of the original EC declaration for at least 10 years from the last date of manufacture. Verify the trigger as well as the number of years.

Under the Machinery Regulation, Article 10(8) permits an accompanying declaration or an internet address or machine-readable code in the instructions linking to it. A digital declaration must remain accessible for the expected lifetime of the machinery or related product and at least 10 years after placing it on the market or putting it into service. Check the current regulation before using that route.

As a practical control, store the issued declaration with the product revision it covers. Review it when changes affect its accuracy, including product modifications, manufacturer details, relevant legislation, technical references or the assessment route. A declaration does not have a universal annual renewal date; the applicable law and continuing accuracy of the document determine what needs updating.

Final checklist before signing or accepting a supplier’s declaration

Apply this checklist to your role. Manufacturers review the underlying assessment and issue the declaration; ordinary importers perform the applicable verification duties and arrange access to technical documentation for authorities, as explained above.

1. Match the product name, model and traceability details to the supplied item.
2. Confirm the manufacturer’s identity and your own role in the supply chain.
3. Check the applicable acts and the correct declaration model for each.
4. Verify that conformity assessment and supporting technical documentation are complete.
5. Match the listed standards, editions and amendments to the actual assessment records.
6. Check any claimed harmonised status against the relevant Official Journal citations.
7. Verify notified-body particulars where that body is involved in the required route.
8. Include all sector-specific particulars and obtain an authorised signature.
9. Prepare the required translations and supply the appropriate copy or permitted digital access.
10. Record the retention trigger and arrange access to the issued document and change history.

If something is missing, ask a precise question. “Please provide the declaration and evidence identifying model B200 and its installed power supply” is more useful than asking for a “CE certificate”. For help with the wider process, use our CE marking assessment and evidence guide. If testing is needed, check the test method and relevant accredited scope when selecting a laboratory.

Frequently asked questions

Is an EU declaration of conformity the same as a CE certificate?

No. The declaration is issued under the manufacturer’s responsibility. A certificate may relate to a notified-body assessment where the applicable route requires one. Check the issuing party, product identification and legal purpose of the document; the words “CE certificate” alone establish very little.

Can a non-EU manufacturer issue the declaration?

Yes. Being outside the EU does not remove the manufacturer’s obligation. Separately check the importer, authorised-representative and other economic-operator requirements that apply to the particular product.

Can one declaration cover several directives?

Yes. LVD and EMC Article 15 require a single declaration covering the applicable Union acts that require an EU declaration. Include the identification and publication references of the acts concerned, and satisfy all their declaration particulars.

Do I need a new declaration every year?

There is no general annual renewal rule for the regimes discussed here. Keep the declaration accurate and updated as required, and review changes that could affect conformity. Do not invent a validity period simply because a template has a date field.

Can I use this template for machinery or medical devices?

Use the sector-specific model. The draft here provides an EMC-based starting structure, but it omits specialist particulars unless you add them. For machinery, also check which regime applies to the placing-on-the-market event.

Official sources and scope

This independent editorial guide explains declaration preparation and document checks. It does not assess a product, issue a certificate or replace the applicable legislation. The worked example is fictional. Research checked on 7 October 2026; verify subsequent amendments and the requirements for your product and destination markets.

• European Commission Blue Guide 2022 — economic-operator responsibilities and declarations.
• Your Europe: signing a declaration of conformity — general responsibilities and signing guidance.
• Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU, consolidated 30 May 2026 — Articles 6, 8, 10 and 15; Annex IV.
• EMC Directive 2014/30/EU, consolidated 30 May 2026 — Articles 7, 9, 11 and 15; Annex IV.
• RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU, consolidated 1 July 2026 — manufacturer obligations, Article 13 and Annex VI.
• Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU, consolidated 30 May 2026 — Articles 10 and 18; Annexes VI and VII.
• Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, consolidated 30 May 2026 — Article 5 and Annex II.
• Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, consolidated 27 July 2026 — Articles 10, 21 and 54; Annex V.
• European Commission: machinery legislation and transition.
• European Commission: harmonised standards.
• Medical Devices Regulation (EU) 2017/745, as amended — Article 19 and Annex IV.
• Construction Products Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 — declaration and transition provisions.