FAQEU

RoHS FAQ Imported EEE

Under Article 9 of Directive 2011/65/EU, importers must place only compliant electrical and electronic equipment on the Union market and must check the manufacturer's conformity work before market placement.

Use this page to turn the RoHS importer duties into a practical evidence checklist for CE marking, EU declaration of conformity, technical documentation access, importer identity, and nonconformity response.

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Author
Sorena AI
Published
May 9, 2026
Updated
May 27, 2026
Questions
4

Structured answer sets in this page tree.

Primary sources
3

Cited legal and guidance references.

Publication metadata
Sorena AI
Published May 9, 2026
Updated May 27, 2026
Overview

Before placing imported EEE on the EU market, a RoHS importer should confirm that the manufacturer has completed the appropriate conformity assessment, drawn up technical documentation, affixed the CE marking, supplied the required documents, and met the RoHS manufacturer traceability duties. The importer must also show its own name or trade mark and contact address, keep a copy of the EU declaration of conformity for 10 years after placing the EEE on the market, ensure the technical documentation can be made available to authorities on request, and stop placement if it has reason to believe the EEE is not RoHS-compliant.

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4 of 4 questions
Question 1

What must importers check before placing EEE on the EU market under RoHS?

Article 9 of Directive 2011/65/EU makes the importer a gatekeeper for imported EEE. The importer must place only EEE that complies with RoHS on the Union market, and must check the manufacturer's conformity work before the first EU market placement.

The practical pre-placement check is not just a supplier questionnaire. It should verify the manufacturer's conformity assessment, technical documentation, CE marking, required documents, manufacturer identification and address details, importer identification and contact address, and any facts that could show the EEE is not in conformity with Article 4 substance restrictions.

  • Confirm the product is EEE in scope and is being placed on the EU market by the importer.
  • Check that the manufacturer carried out the appropriate conformity assessment and drew up RoHS technical documentation.
  • Check that the finished EEE bears the CE marking and is accompanied by the required documents.
  • Check that manufacturer identification and address information are present, and add the importer name, registered trade name or trade mark, and contact address on the EEE or, where that is not possible, on the packaging or accompanying document.
  • If there is reason to believe the EEE is not RoHS-compliant, do not place it on the market until it has been brought into conformity; inform the manufacturer and the market surveillance authorities.
Citations
European Commission RoHS 2 FAQ

Commission guidance used for RoHS CE marking, declaration of conformity, technical-documentation, component, and placing-on-the-market context; the guidance states it is not legally binding.

Question 2

Which evidence should an importer keep for imported EEE?

The importer must keep a copy of the EU declaration of conformity for 10 years after placing the EEE on the market and must ensure the technical documentation can be made available to market surveillance authorities on request. That makes the import file an evidence index as much as a purchasing record.

A useful importer file links the exact product identity to the EU declaration, technical documentation access route, CE marking check, manufacturer and importer traceability markings, supplier material evidence, and any exemption or change-control assumptions used to support the RoHS conclusion.

  • Store the EU declaration of conformity for the model or product family actually imported, and verify it references Directive 2011/65/EU where RoHS applies.
  • Record where the RoHS technical documentation can be obtained quickly if an authority asks for it; EN IEC 63000:2018 is the harmonised technical-documentation standard referenced in Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/659.
  • Keep evidence that the CE mark was present before market placement and that required accompanying documents were present in the needed language context.
  • Keep a register of non-compliant EEE and recalls, and document corrective action, withdrawal, recall, and authority notifications where relevant.
  • Tie supplier declarations, material declarations, test reports, and exemption claims to the exact EEE, component, material, model, batch, or revision they support.
Citations
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Question 3

What should stop the importer from placing the EEE on the market?

Article 9 is explicit: if an importer considers or has reason to believe that EEE is not in conformity with Article 4, the importer must not place it on the market until it has been brought into conformity. The importer must also inform the manufacturer and market surveillance authorities.

Use that rule as an escalation trigger. A missing or mismatched EU declaration, missing CE marking, inaccessible technical documentation, unexplained supplier evidence gap, unsupported exemption claim, product change, or credible restricted-substance concern should pause placement until the evidence is corrected.

  • Escalate mismatches between the DoC, product label, model number, batch, shipment documents, or supplier evidence.
  • Escalate missing importer or manufacturer traceability information before goods are released to the EU market.
  • Escalate any indication that a homogeneous material may exceed a RoHS restriction or that an exemption claim no longer fits the application.
  • Document the final outcome as placed, corrected before placement, withdrawn, recalled, or blocked from market placement.
Citations
European Commission RoHS 2 FAQ

Commission guidance explaining that CE marking and DoC are RoHS procedural requirements and that compliance is assessed at placing on the market.

Question 4

How should the importer turn the check into a repeatable workflow?

Treat imported EEE review as a release gate tied to the exact product being placed on the EU market. The decision should be readable by procurement, logistics, quality, legal, and product teams without relying on undocumented supplier conversations.

The strongest record is short but specific: what product was imported, who the manufacturer and importer are, what DoC and technical-file evidence was checked, what supplier evidence supports substance compliance, what issues were found, and who approved release or blocked placement.

  • Create one importer review record per product family, model, or shipment scope where the evidence is the same.
  • Map each imported EEE record to the DoC, technical-documentation access path, CE marking check, traceability marking check, supplier evidence, and exemption assumptions.
  • Assign owners for supplier follow-up, technical-file retrieval, nonconformity investigation, authority response, and recall-register updates.
  • Reopen the record after design changes, supplier changes, material changes, new test results, exemption changes, or authority requests.
Citations
Primary sources

References and citations

European Commission RoHS 2 FAQ
ec.europa.eu
Referenced sections
  • Commission guidance explaining that CE marking and DoC are RoHS procedural requirements and that compliance is assessed at placing on the market.
"procedural requirements under RoHS 2"
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