Know exactly what compliance will cost before you commit

Common outcomes include customs holds, marketplace suspension, authority requests with short deadlines, and potential withdrawals/recalls and fines under national enforcement law.

Sometimes—only if they are legally the importer (or otherwise assume obligations) and are willing to be identified as such and cooperate with authorities.

No. EU establishment is about where the company is legally incorporated/registered, not where inventory is stored or staff are located.

If you are a non-EU manufacturer selling regulated products and you are the seller of record using EU fulfilment, you often need an EU AR unless a legal importer is clearly assuming importer obligations.

No. The AR cannot certify, redesign, or “fix” compliance. The manufacturer remains responsible; the AR supports documentation availability, cooperation with authorities, and correct execution of regulatory processes.

Typically: EU Declaration of Conformity, technical documentation/technical file, test reports, risk assessment, labeling/IFU, change history, and complaint/incident records—so they can be provided to authorities on request.

No. An importer places products from a non-EU country on the EU market and carries importer obligations. An AR is appointed by mandate to perform specific tasks; it does not take ownership of goods or replace the manufacturer’s responsibility.

You may need an EU AR when you are a non-EU manufacturer placing regulated products on the EU market and there is no EU-established economic operator (often an importer) assuming the required compliance responsibilities under the applicable legislation.

A legal entity established in the EU appointed by a non-EU manufacturer via a written mandate to perform specific compliance tasks—mainly holding technical documentation and cooperating with market surveillance authorities.

Yes, if they have legal establishment and operational capability on both sides. Bundling can reduce admin overhead, but only if mandate scope, document control, and authority-response procedures are clearly defined.

For many goods, Northern Ireland follows EU rules, including CE marking where applicable. UKNI marking is used in specific conformity assessment routes involving UK bodies for NI.

If you sell into both the EU and Great Britain, you typically need EU-side economic operator coverage and UK-side economic operator coverage. Whether those are service providers depends on your supply chain (importer model vs direct seller / marketplace model).

Not universally. “Responsible Person” is used mainly in sector-specific UK frameworks (e.g., cosmetics, medical devices). For many product regimes, the key requirement is having a UK-based economic operator (often the importer), and sometimes a UK authorised representative model.

For many goods, the UK continues to accept CE marking in Great Britain. However, acceptance of CE marking does notremove the need to have the correct UK-based economic operator structure and UK obligations for the product regime.

Pricing depends on number of SKUs/categories and whether the AR provides only a mandate + storage or also supports authority requests, incident coordination, translations, and document control.

At minimum: scope of products, exact tasks, documentation access/retention, response process for authority requests, change update rules, incident support, and termination/handover terms.

Not necessarily. “Responsible economic operator” terminology appears in EU frameworks like GPSR; an AR can be one route, but roles and duties depend on the applicable legislation.

An importer places products from a non-EU manufacturer on the EU market and carries legal obligations. An AR is appointed by mandate to perform specific tasks, typically documentation availability and authority cooperation.

You need an EU-established economic operator who can cooperate with authorities and provide documentation when required. Depending on product legislation and your supply chain, that operator can be an AR, importer, manufacturer in EU, or fulfilment provider.

If you’re based outside the EU or UK, yes, it’s mandatory.

‍EcoComply is certified to act as your EU & UK Authorised Representative, handling authority requests and document retention for you.

You don’t need to. We assess your product and tell you exactly which directives, standards, and tests apply, with a clear timeline and next steps.

Most SME electronics reach compliance in 7–10 weeks. We confirm timing upfront so there are no surprises or delays.

No. We work with a network of accredited testing labs and handle lab selection, booking, and communication for you.Thanks to our partnerships, clients benefit from preferred pricing and priority testing slots, reducing both cost and lead time.

Often, yes. We run a gap analysis to reuse what’s valid and only test what’s missing, saving time and cost.

Yes. We review or draft product manuals, compile the Technical File (usually in 48–72h once inputs are ready), and prepare the Declaration of Conformity.