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FAQEU

LVD FAQ Chargers and Adapters

Chargers and power adapters usually need an LVD assessment when their input or output rating is inside 50-1000 V AC or 75-1500 V DC, unless another product law takes the safety file out of the LVD.

This FAQ helps separate standalone chargers, supplied power supplies, integrated plug products, and travel adapters, then keep the safety, standards, CE marking, and declaration evidence for the exact configuration placed on the EU market.

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Author
Sorena AI
Published
May 9, 2026
Updated
Oct 15, 2026
4 sections6 primary sources
Overview

Chargers, AC adapters, USB power supplies, and integrated plug-in charging products should be checked against the LVD voltage bands using their rated input and output. A low-voltage battery product can sit outside the LVD while its accompanying mains charger or external power supply remains inside the LVD.

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4 of 4 questions
Question 1

Are chargers and power adapters covered by the LVD?

Yes, when the charger or adapter is designed for use with a rating between 50 and 1000 V AC or between 75 and 1500 V DC and is not excluded by the directive. Member States have applied the recast Directive's substantive provisions since 20 April 2016. The LVD guide treats either rated input voltage or rated output voltage as relevant for scope, so a mains-input adapter with a low-voltage DC output is still normally assessed because its input is in the LVD range.

The same logic applies to supplied accessories. A battery-operated product may be outside the LVD because the product itself is below the voltage threshold, while the accompanying battery charger, external power supply, or integrated power supply unit is inside the LVD when its rating is in range.

  • Keep a scope note for each charger, detachable adapter, dock, wall plug, USB power supply, and integrated plug product.
  • Record rated input and output, plug type, cable set, interchangeable heads, switches, protection devices, LED indicators, USB ports, and any radio function.
  • Do not treat a CE mark on the finished product as proof that the charger variant, supplied adapter, or replacement power supply has its own LVD evidence.

Is a charger supplied with a low-voltage product covered by the LVD?

Often yes. The product being charged may be outside the LVD when all its rated inputs and outputs are below 50 V AC and 75 V DC. Assess the accompanying mains battery charger or external power supply separately when its own rated input or output falls inside the LVD voltage range.

Is a standalone replacement power adapter covered by the LVD?

A standalone replacement adapter is treated as its own when it is placed on the EU market. Keep the LVD scope note, safety assessment, applicable standards, technical documentation, EU declaration of conformity, CE marking evidence, and instructions for that adapter model rather than relying only on the host product file.

Are simple travel adapters covered by the LVD?

The Commission LVD guide distinguishes simple plug-to-socket travel adapters from adapters with switches, sliding contacts, power supplies, overvoltage protection, LED indicators, or similar electronics. Its simple plug-only example is outside the LVD because it contains only domestic plug and socket elements that Annex II excludes. Multiple or electronic travel adapters can be in scope because the switch, power supply, or protection element is LVD-covered equipment. That conclusion covers the LVD only; other product-safety rules can still apply.

Question 2

What evidence should the charger file contain?

The technical documentation should let a reviewer assess conformity of the charger or adapter against the relevant LVD requirements. For charger families, keep the evidence at configuration level when plugs, interchangeable heads, ratings, cables, firmware, components, suppliers, or enclosure materials differ.

The LVD conformity file should show the general product description, design and manufacturing drawings, circuit explanations, applied harmonised standards or other technical specifications, calculations or examinations, and test reports. It should also keep the EU declaration of conformity and the CE marking and label artwork for the product model.

  • Scope: rated input and output, AC/DC classification, intended use, supplied-with-product or standalone sale, and exclusions considered.
  • Safety: electric shock, heating, fire, mechanical, chemical, radiation, insulation, creepage/clearance, abnormal operation, overload, and foreseeable-use hazards relevant to the design.
  • Standards: exact standard references and editions applied in full or in part, including charger or power-supply standards where relevant.
  • Market file: EU declaration of conformity, CE mark placement, manufacturer and importer contact details, model identifiers, batch or serial traceability, packaging labels, and user instructions.
  • Production control: supplier component approvals, incoming inspection, end-of-line electrical safety checks, change-control records, complaints, corrective actions, and recall records where risks make those records relevant.
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Check the charger file before EU placement

Review the voltage-scope note, standards list, test reports, declaration, labels, instructions, and adjacent EMC, RED, and RoHS mapping for each charger or adapter configuration.

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Question 3

How do CE marking, instructions, and labels apply?

For LVD-covered chargers and adapters, the manufacturer completes the conformity assessment, draws up the EU declaration of conformity, and affixes the CE marking before the is placed on the EU market. The CE marking belongs on the charger or its data plate unless the product nature makes that impossible or unwarranted, in which case the directive allows the packaging and accompanying documents route.

Instructions, safety information, and labelling need to be clear, understandable, and in a language easily understood by consumers and other end users as determined by the Member State where the equipment is made available. For chargers, that normally means matching the warnings and ratings to the exact plug, adapter head, output profile, cable, indoor/outdoor use assumptions, and host-device compatibility claims.

  • Show rated input, output, model, manufacturer identity, importer identity where applicable, and any use restrictions consistently across product label, packaging, instructions, and declaration.
  • Keep artwork or photos proving that CE marking and required identity information were placed on the product, data plate, packaging, or accompanying documents as applicable.
  • Update instructions and label evidence after changes to enclosure, insulation system, protection devices, charging profile, plug head, cable, component supplier, or harmonised standard.
Question 4

Which adjacent EU product laws should be checked?

The LVD is the electrical safety file for covered chargers and adapters, but it does not absorb every adjacent obligation. Radio-electrical interference is handled under the EMC Directive, and the LVD guide notes that may also be subject to other EU acts such as EMC and RoHS.

A charger or adapter with radio equipment is different. The LVD guide states that radio equipment in RED scope is not subject to the LVD, while RED Article 3(1) uses health and safety aspects identical to the LVD and refers to EMC essential requirements. In practice, keep the declaration and technical file clear about whether the product is assessed under LVD plus EMC and RoHS, or under RED plus applicable environmental and material laws.

  • Use LVD for covered electrical safety of non-radio chargers and adapters in the voltage range.
  • Check EMC for electromagnetic disturbance and immunity issues, while keeping electromagnetic aspects that relate to safety in the LVD safety assessment.
  • Check RED instead of LVD when the charger or adapter is radio equipment, such as a charging dock or adapter with a radio function.
  • Check RoHS and other material or environmental regimes separately when the charger or adapter is electrical and electronic equipment in their scope.
  • Where more than one Union act requires an EU declaration of conformity, identify all applicable acts and publication references in the declaration or declaration dossier.
Primary sources

References and citations

Directive 2014/35/EU on electrical equipment within certain voltage limits
eur-lex.europa.eu5 citations
Referenced sections
  • Primary legal source for LVD voltage thresholds, safety objectives, manufacturer/importer/distributor obligations, technical documentation, EU declaration, CE marking, instructions, and labelling.
  • Supports the LVD voltage bands, safety objectives, manufacturer obligations, technical documentation, EU declaration, and CE marking rules for covered electrical equipment.
  • Annex III lists the technical documentation elements and requires manufacturing controls, CE marking, and an EU declaration for the product model.
Show 2 more
  • Supports CE marking timing and placement, manufacturer/importer identity requirements, and instructions and safety information requirements.
  • Article 15 supports identifying all applicable Union acts where more than one act requires an EU declaration of conformity.
"between 75 and 1 500 V for direct current"
More quoted passages
"between 50 and 1 000 V for alternating current"
"technical documentation shall specify the applicable requirements"
"affixed visibly, legibly and indelibly"
"subject to more than one Union act"
European Commission - Low Voltage Directive policy page
single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu3 citations
Referenced sections
  • Commission LVD policy source used with cited source material for charger, adapter, supplied power-supply, travel-adapter, and adjacent-directive context.
  • Commission LVD page used with the LVD guide source support for charger, adapter, and external power-supply scope context.
  • Commission LVD guidance cited sources support the relationship between LVD, EMC, RoHS, and RED for electrical equipment and radio equipment.
"Low Voltage Directive"
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/2723 on LVD harmonised standards
data.europa.eu2 citations
Referenced sections
  • Official Journal source for harmonised LVD standards relevant to battery chargers, power supplies, and adapter-related electrical equipment.
  • Lists LVD harmonised standards including EN 60335-2-29 for battery chargers and EN IEC 61204-7 for low-voltage switch mode power supplies.
"Low-voltage switch mode power supplies"
More quoted passages
"Particular requirements for battery chargers"
Commission Notice - Blue Guide on EU product rules (2022)
eur-lex.europa.eu2 citations
Referenced sections
  • Horizontal EU product-law guidance for CE marking, declarations, economic-operator roles, and market-surveillance concepts used alongside the LVD.
  • Explains CE marking as the manufacturer's declaration that applicable EU product-law requirements and conformity assessment procedures have been fulfilled.
"The manufacturer is responsible for the conformity assessment of the product"
More quoted passages
"manufacturer declares on his sole responsibility"
European Commission - harmonised standards overview
single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu2 citations
Referenced sections
  • Commission overview for how harmonised standards support EU product-law conformity when references are published in the Official Journal.
  • Explains that harmonised standards are voluntary technical specifications and can support presumption of conformity when cited in the Official Journal.
"Harmonised standards are European standards"
More quoted passages
"references of harmonised standards"
European Commission - LVD Guide, August 2018
ec.europa.eu2 citations
Referenced sections
  • Commission guidance for charger, external power-supply, rated input-output, internal-voltage, travel-adapter, RED, and EMC distinctions.
  • Commission guidance supporting the rated input-output test, the separate treatment of accompanying chargers and power supplies, and the travel-adapter examples.
"any accompanying battery-charger"

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