EU Declaration of Conformity Template: What to Include

What is an EU declaration of conformity?

The EU Declaration of Conformity (DoC) is the document in which the manufacturer declares that the product meets all the requirements of the EU laws that apply to it. By drawing it up, the manufacturer takes responsibility for that conformity. It is the last step before the CE marking is affixed.

The declaration is short, often one or two pages. It is signed by a person with the authority to commit the company. It is not a test report and it is not a certificate issued by a third party. It is your own legal statement, so treat the signature with the same care as a contract.

The declaration and the CE marking belong together. The declaration is the signed statement; the CE marking is its visible sign on the product. Construction products are an exception: under the Construction Products Regulation, the manufacturer issues a Declaration of Performance instead.

What must an EU declaration of conformity contain?

Most EU product laws follow the model declaration in Annex III of Decision No 768/2008/EC. The table below lists its items in order.

If you applied a harmonised standard only in part, the declaration should make clear which parts were applied. Listing a standard you applied only partly can mislead authorities and customers. Our guide to harmonised standards explains why the edition and the extent of application matter.

A simple template layout

A clean layout helps customs officers and inspectors, who usually read the declaration quickly. A practical structure, from top to bottom:

1. Title, "EU Declaration of Conformity", with a reference number.
2. Manufacturer's name and full address, followed by the sole responsibility statement.
3. A box identifying the product: model, type and serial number range, with space for a photo.
4. The list of EU laws, each with its full reference.
5. The list of standards, each with its edition.
6. The notified body section. It may simply say "not involved" when the procedure did not require one.
7. Additional information, then the signature block.

The CE Marking Fundamentals course provides a declaration template built on Annex III, with placeholder fields, and a worked exercise. In that exercise, a fictitious Turkish manufacturer drafts the declaration for a bottle-labelling machine with a Wi-Fi module. The machine is placed on the market after 20 January 2027 and before 11 December 2027, with no notified body needed. The declaration lists Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery, Directive 2014/53/EU on radio equipment together with Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30, and Directive 2011/65/EU on RoHS. It does not list the Low Voltage Directive or the EMC Directive, because the machinery and radio laws already cover those aspects.

One declaration, languages and record keeping

A few rules apply to every declaration:

• Single declaration. When several EU laws apply and each requires a declaration, you draw up a single declaration covering all of them.
• Language. The declaration must be translated into the language or languages required by the Member State where the product is made available.
• Retention. You keep it, like the technical documentation, for 10 years, unless the specific law sets a different period.
• Updates. You update it whenever something changes: a new standard edition, a new law, a change of address or a new product version. Old declarations stay in the archive for the units they covered.

Some laws require the declaration to travel with the product. Under the Radio Equipment Directive (RED), each unit comes with a copy of the declaration or a simplified declaration with an internet address. Your EU importer or authorised representative should also hold a copy of the current version. The declaration sits at the end of the technical file, and its content must match the file, the instructions and the nameplate.

Machinery declarations and the declaration of incorporation

Machinery has its own rules. Under the Machinery Directive, Directive 2006/42/EC, the declaration must accompany the machine, and its content is set out in Annex II. It includes one item not found in the general model: the name and address of the person authorised to compile the technical file, who must be established in the EU.

Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, which applies to machinery placed on the market from 20 January 2027, has its own content for the declaration. It allows more flexibility in how the declaration is provided: either a copy with the machine or, under conditions, an internet address where it can be found. Check the exact rules on content and format in the Regulation. Our guide to the Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 covers the wider changes.

Partly completed machinery is a special case. It is an assembly that cannot perform a specific application on its own, such as a robot arm sold for integration into a production line. It does not carry the CE marking under the machinery law. Instead, the manufacturer provides a declaration of incorporation and assembly instructions. The declaration of incorporation states which essential requirements have been applied and met, and that the assembly must not be put into service until the final machine has been declared in conformity. The Machinery Regulation keeps this approach.

Common mistakes in EU declarations of conformity

These errors come up repeatedly in market surveillance checks and customs controls:

• Citing a law that has been repealed, such as the old Low Voltage Directive from 2006.
• Listing laws that do not apply, which suggests the assessment was not done carefully.
• Citing standards without their edition, or editions that are no longer valid.
• A product description so generic that it could cover any machine.
• A missing signature, name or date.
• A notified body mentioned when none was involved, or a certificate number that does not match.
• A model name that differs between the declaration, the nameplate, the instructions and the technical file.

Each of these can turn a routine check into a long discussion. A short internal check before release, comparing the declaration with the plate and the file, avoids most of them.

Key points

• The declaration content follows Annex III of Decision No 768/2008/EC in most EU product laws.
• One single declaration covers all applicable EU laws, with full references and standard editions.
• Translate it as each Member State requires, keep it for 10 years and update it when things change.
• Machinery has specific content rules, and partly completed machinery receives a declaration of incorporation instead.
• Check that the model, laws, standards and notified body details match the technical file and the product.