LVD FAQ Instructions and labelling

The manufacturer must ensure the electrical equipment bears a type, batch, serial number, or another identifying element. If the equipment's size or nature prevents that marking on the product, the information can be placed on the packaging or in a document accompanying the equipment.

The manufacturer must also show its name, registered trade name or trade mark, and a single postal contact address on the equipment, or where that is not possible, on the packaging or accompanying document. The importer has a parallel obligation to show its own name, registered trade name or trade mark, and postal contact address when placing equipment from a third country on the EU market.

The equipment must be accompanied by instructions and safety information in a language that consumers and other end-users can easily understand, as determined by the Member State where the equipment is made available. The LVD does not limit this obligation to consumer products; the Commission LVD Guidelines state that it applies whether the equipment is intended for consumers or other end-users.

The instructions, safety information, and any labelling must be clear, understandable, and intelligible. A translation that hides warnings, operating limits, installation conditions, maintenance precautions, or residual electrical risks can make the instruction set non-compliant even when a label exists.

The CE marking is not a substitute for instructions, warnings, traceability, or contact details. It is the manufacturer's visible declaration that the electrical equipment satisfies the applicable EU harmonisation requirements after the conformity assessment has been completed.

Under the LVD, the CE marking must be affixed visibly, legibly, and indelibly to the equipment or its data plate. If that is not possible or not warranted because of the equipment's nature, it must be affixed to the packaging and accompanying documents. It must be affixed before the equipment is placed on the market.

Keep the evidence that proves the product label and instruction pack match the equipment placed on the market. The manufacturer must retain the technical documentation and EU declaration of conformity for 10 years after the equipment has been placed on the market; importers must keep a copy of the EU declaration and ensure the technical documentation can be made available to authorities on request.

The evidence file should show both legal coverage and product-control coverage: what product model was assessed, which label and instruction version shipped, which languages were approved, and how warnings connect to the risk assessment.