CE marking

A number of organisations enforce CE marking legislation. Enforcement is important to prevent misuse of the CE marking and ensure product safety standards.

CE marking enforcement

Nominated public authorities (Market Surveillance Authorities) are responsible for enforcement - or market surveillance - in each European Economic Area member state. The authorities and processes vary depending on the directives applicable to your product.

The following bodies, amongst others, are responsible for CE marking enforcement in the UK:

• Trading Standards Services
• the Health and Safety Executive
• the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
• the National Measurement Office

If an enforcement body finds that your product does not meet CE marking requirements, they may give you an opportunity to ensure it is correctly CE marked. If you fail to comply with this, you will have to take your product off the market. You may also be liable for a fine and imprisonment.

CE marking documentation requirement

You must keep certain documentation once you place the CE marking on your product. The Market Surveillance Authorities can ask for this information at any time to check that you have legitimately affixed CE marking to a product.

See how to place CE marking on a product.

The information you must keep will vary depending on the specific directives relevant to your product. However, you must keep general records of:

• how the product is manufactured
• how the product conforms to the relevant national standards
• addresses of manufacture and storage places
• design and manufacture of the product
• which directives apply to the product and how you have met their requirements
• European Community type-examination certificates - if applicable

You should keep the information in a technical file, which you can give to the enforcement authority if they request it.

You can find comprehensive guidance on the implementation of EU product rules in the so-called Blue Guide.

The manufacturer's Declaration of Conformity (DoC)

The DoC is a document which may be required to accompany a product and in which the manufacturer, or his authorised representative within the European Economic Area, indicates that the product meets all the necessary requirements of the directives applicable to the specific product.

The DoC also contains:

• the name and address of the manufacturer
• the information about the product, such as brand and serial number

The DoC must be signed by an individual working for the manufacturer or an authorised representative, and the employee's function must also be indicated. Download a sample EU Declaration of Conformity (DOC, 27K).