REDFree Resource
EU Radio Equipment Directive (RED) Scope, CE Marking and Timeline
Start with the finished product: RED generally covers electrical or electronic products that intentionally emit or receive radio waves for radio communication or radiodetermination, including a product that needs an accessory such as an antenna to do so. Then identify the economic-operator role, applicable requirements, and evidence needed before the product is first supplied on the EU market.
By Sorena AIBased on official EU sourcesUpdated July 2026
Quick scan
REDScope
Confirm if it's (and which exclusions apply).
Cybersecurity
Since 1 August 2025, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30 activates selected (3)(d), (e), and (f) requirements for defined categories. EN 18031-1, EN 18031-2, and EN 18031-3 are cited in the Official Journal with restrictions, so teams must check the applicable standard, every notice attached to its citation, and any uncovered requirement before choosing the Article 17 route.
CE evidence
Before market placement, complete the product-specific technical documentation, conformity assessment, EU declaration of conformity, , instructions, labelling, and test evidence. Keep the technical documentation and declaration for 10 years after placement.
Use the reading path below in order: finished-product scope and exclusions, operator role, requirement selection, standards and conformity route, technical evidence, market dates, then series-production and corrective-action controls.
Key dates
13 Jun 2016
Applies
12 Jun 2017
Transition ends
1 Aug 2025
Cyber applies
CE
Marking
What this RED hub helps you decide
Scope and exclusions
Document the intentional transmit or receive function. Then check amateur- not made available on the market, covered marine equipment, specified airborne aviation equipment, professional custom-built R&D evaluation kits, exclusive State uses, and other product-specific boundaries before treating RED as the route to market.
Your role in the supply chain
Separate manufacturer, authorised representative, importer, and distributor duties. The manufacturer owns design conformity and the technical documentation; importers and distributors perform specified checks. An importer or distributor becomes the manufacturer when it sells under its own name or changes equipment in a way that may affect conformity.
Which essential requirements apply
Map (1) safety and health, Article 3(1) EMC, Article 3(2) spectrum, and any Article 3(3) requirements activated for the product category.
What evidence route to use
Check the current Official Journal citation and every restriction attached to . For (2) and 3(3), incomplete or absent standards coverage changes the available Article 17 route; it does not make a mandatory for every RED requirement.
Scope first
Article 3 map
CE evidence
Publication details
Editorial metadata for this artifact
Author
Sorena AI
Published
Feb 21, 2026
Updated
Jul 25, 2026
Check the complete Annex I and State-use exclusions before choosing the RED route. A radio module's reports do not automatically establish conformity of the host product: intended and reasonably foreseeable use, every operating configuration, antenna and software version, spectrum restrictions, delegated requirements, and the final conformity route must be assessed for the equipment that will actually be sold.
RED Timeline
Key dates for radio equipment teams
Track RED publication, entry into force, application, transition end, cybersecurity activation under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30, common-charger application dates, and standards milestones that affect product releases and test cycles.
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Recommended reading path
Choose the next RED product decision
New to RED? Start with the finished product, exclusions, and economic-operator role. If those decisions are documented, jump to coverage, conformity evidence, launch dates, enforcement, or a comparison guide.
1
Start here: product scope and role
Decide whether the finished product is radio equipment, record exclusions and intended configurations, and identify which organisation is manufacturer, authorised representative, importer, or distributor.
EU RED Applicability Test for Radio Equipment
Decide whether Directive 2014/53/EU applies to a connected product, which RED requirements are triggered, and what evidence belongs in the technical file.
Read guide
EU RED Radio Equipment Scope: products and exclusions
Decide whether a product is radio equipment under Directive 2014/53/EU, with RED scope tests, exclusions, examples, and evidence records.
Read guide
EU RED Scope and Classification
Classify products under the EU Radio Equipment Directive with cited tests for radio equipment scope, exclusions, Article 3 requirement buckets, cybersecurity, common charging, and evidence records.
Read guide
EU RED Scope Classification Workflow
Classify products under the EU Radio Equipment Directive with a cited workflow for RED scope, exclusions, Article 3 requirements, standards, CE evidence, cybersecurity, and common-charger triggers.
Read guide
2
Select the applicable requirements
Map the baseline safety, electromagnetic compatibility, and spectrum requirements, then test product-specific Article 3(3), cybersecurity, common-charger, labelling, and restriction branches.
RED Article 3 Requirements: Safety, EMC, Spectrum and Cyber
Map Radio Equipment Directive Article 3(1), 3(2), and 3(3) requirements to safety, EMC, spectrum, interoperability, emergency, software, and cyber evidence.
Read guide
RED Article 3 requirement selection workflow
Select the right RED Article 3 branches for radio equipment: safety, EMC, spectrum, delegated Article 3(3) duties, cybersecurity, common charging, evidence, and conformity assessment.
Read guide
EU RED Common Charger Obligations: USB-C scope, dates, labels
Check RED common-charger device categories, application dates, USB-C and USB Power Delivery specifications, charger unbundling, consumer pictograms, labels, and release evidence.
Read guide
EU RED Cybersecurity Product Categories: 2022/30 scope
Classify products under RED Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30, including exclusions, EN 18031 evidence, and the 1 August 2025 to 10 December 2027 transition.
Read guide
RED Cybersecurity Requirements for Radio Equipment
EU RED cybersecurity requirements under Article 3(3)(d), (e), and (f): scope, affected radio equipment, application date, standards, notified bodies, and evidence.
Read guide
RED Cybersecurity Delegated Act Guide | Article 3(3)(d/e/f)
Guide to RED Article 3(3)(d), (e), and (f) scope, EN 18031 evidence, the 1 August 2025 application date, and repeal of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30 from 11 December 2027.
Read guide
RED Article 10 labelling, instructions, and restrictions
Apply RED Article 10 to product identifiers, manufacturer contacts, instructions, declaration statements, radio-frequency information, charging labels, and use restrictions.
Read guide
RED EMC and LVD Safety Interplay for Radio Equipment
Explain how EU RED Article 3 applies LVD safety objectives and EMC requirements to radio equipment, with evidence, test-plan, and technical-file guidance.
Read guide
3
Conformity route and evidence
Turn the requirement map into an OJEU standards matrix, test plan, Article 17 route decision, technical documentation, declaration, CE marking, release gate, and controlled change record.
EU RED Requirements Map: CE and Article 3
Map Radio Equipment Directive requirements for radio products: Article 3 safety, EMC, spectrum, selected Article 3(3) duties, common charger rules, conformity assessment, CE marking, EU declaration, and technical documentation.
Read guide
RED Compliance Checklist for Radio Equipment
Use this RED release checklist for product scope, Article 3 requirements, technical documentation, EU declarations, CE marking, cybersecurity, common charging, and notified-body decisions.
Read guide
EU RED compliance evidence guide
Build a Radio Equipment Directive compliance file with Article 3 requirement mapping, harmonised-standard checks, conformity assessment evidence, EU declarations, CE marking, and RED source links.
Read guide
RED conformity assessment and CE marking
EU Radio Equipment Directive guide to Article 17 conformity modules, notified-body triggers, technical documentation, EU declarations, and CE marking.
Read guide
RED notified body route selection under Article 17
Decide when RED radio equipment can use internal production control and when Article 17 requires Annex III EU-type examination or Annex IV full quality assurance.
Read guide
RED Notified Body Trigger Workflow: Article 17 evidence guide
Decide when the EU Radio Equipment Directive needs a notified body by mapping Article 3 requirements, OJEU-cited harmonised standards, Annex III EU-type examination, and Annex IV full quality assurance evidence.
Read guide
RED Harmonised Standards and Test Plans: OJEU evidence guide
Build a Radio Equipment Directive standards matrix and test plan around OJEU-cited harmonised standards, Article 3 requirements, Article 17 route triggers, and Annex V technical-file evidence.
Read guide
RED Conformity Assessment Template
Template fields for documenting RED Article 3 requirements, Article 17 route selection, harmonised standards, notified-body evidence, technical documentation, EU declaration, CE marking, cybersecurity, and common-charger checks.
Read guide
RED software update impact for radio equipment
Assess when firmware, app, and software updates can affect EU Radio Equipment Directive conformity, technical documentation, DoC, standards, and notified-body evidence.
Read guide
RED Cyber Compliance Workflow for Article 3(3)(d/e/f)
A cited RED cybersecurity workflow for internet-connected radio equipment, privacy and data safeguards, payment-fraud features, evidence packs, and CE release gates.
Read guide
4
Dates, surveillance, and enforcement
Separate historical RED dates from current product gates, track category-specific cybersecurity and common-charger dates, and prepare corrective-action and authority-response evidence.
EU Radio Equipment Directive Timeline: RED, Cyber and USB-C Dates
Understand which RED dates changed market-access rules, including 2016 application, the 2017 transition cutoff, common-charger dates, and cybersecurity requirements from 1 August 2025.
Read guide
RED compliance deadlines calendar: 2016 to 2027
Calendar EU Radio Equipment Directive launch dates through 2027: RED applicability, common charger, cybersecurity, standards, CE marking, declarations and retention.
Read guide
RED penalties, fines, and enforcement actions
EU Radio Equipment Directive penalties guide covering Article 46, Member State penalty rules, recalls, withdrawals, formal non-compliance, and enforcement evidence.
Read guide
5
Compare regimes or answer a specific question
Understand where RED replaces or incorporates safety and EMC objectives, where other market-access or cybersecurity regimes remain separate, and use the FAQ for a focused product question.
RED vs EMC Directive: which law applies to radio equipment?
Decide when EU radio equipment uses RED instead of the EMC Directive and how to place EMC tests, declarations, fixed installations, and technical evidence.
Read guide
RED vs LVD: electrical safety for radio equipment
Decide when EU radio equipment uses RED safety requirements instead of the Low Voltage Directive, including voltage limits, chargers, evidence, and declarations.
Read guide
RED vs Market Surveillance Regulation for radio equipment
Compare RED product-conformity duties with Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 for responsible operators, online offers, customs controls, authority requests, and corrective action.
Read guide
RED vs Cyber Resilience Act for radio equipment
Compare EU RED cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Act duties for connected radio equipment, including scope, dates, evidence, reporting, and conformity routes.
Read guide
RED vs ETSI EN 303 645: what the IoT standard proves
Compare binding EU RED cybersecurity duties with ETSI EN 303 645 consumer IoT standard, current editions, EN 18031, evidence reuse, and CE conformity.
Read guide
RED vs UK PSTI for connected radio products
Compare EU RED with the UK PSTI consumer connectable product regime, including scope, exclusions, passwords, updates, vulnerability reporting, evidence, and dates.
Read guide
EU RED FAQ: Scope, CE and USB-C
Answers to common EU RED questions on radio equipment scope, Article 3 requirements, cybersecurity, USB-C common charger rules, CE marking, and technical-file evidence.
Read guide
Next step
Turn RED scope, CE marking, and cybersecurity work into an assessment workflow
This hub is the shared entry point for RED product classification, requirement mapping, harmonised-standard selection, notified-body route decisions, cybersecurity applicability, common-charger checks, and CE evidence planning.
What this unlocks
- Create a scope record for each product, radio technology, intended use, frequency band, restriction or authorisation condition, and economic-operator role.
- Translate into test plans, harmonised-standard coverage, notified-body trigger checks, instructions, labelling, EU DoC, and technical documentation tasks.
- Track Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30 cybersecurity applicability separately from core RED safety, EMC, and spectrum evidence.
- Keep legal interpretation, product facts, test evidence, supplier records, standards versions, and approval history connected to the same cited record.
Recommended route
Open Assessment Autopilot
Convert RED scope, Article 3 requirements, conformity route decisions, and evidence gaps into owned tasks, evidence requests, and review checkpoints.
Supporting route
Open SSOT
Keep product facts, legal reference notes, harmonised-standard mapping, test evidence, EU DoC records, instructions, labels, and approvals in one governed system.
Talk to Sorena
Talk through RED readiness
Review product scope, Article 3 coverage, cybersecurity applicability, standards strategy, notified-body triggers, and evidence gaps.
Discuss your setup
Share it internally
Download the timeline export to align legal, product, engineering, and commercial teams on milestones and deadlines.