Declaration of Conformity

Regulatory

Manufacturer's declaration that a product meets requirements of relevant EU directives and regulations.

Sources

1. UK Department for Business and Trade — Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain (updated 21 August 2026) gov.uk accessed 23 September 2026

A Declaration of Conformity is, in the UK guidance’s words, “a formal statement that the product complies with the applicable legislation”, drawn up by the manufacturer or an authorised representative once they are satisfied the product is compliant. It sits alongside a technical file of test reports, design documents and risk assessments. Its contents vary by regulation but typically run to the manufacturer’s name and full business address, the product’s serial number, model or type identification, a statement taking full responsibility for compliance, the approved body’s details where one was involved, the legislation complied with, references to the designated or harmonised standards used, and a dated signature. Two neighbours are easy to confuse with it: some regulations call for a Declaration of Performance instead, and partly completed machinery takes a Declaration of Incorporation. Records are typically kept ten years from when each individual unit was placed on the market — per unit, not per production run.

Conformity marking is a self-declaration backed by evidence. In both the UK and EU regimes the manufacturer carries the responsibility: the mark records the manufacturer’s own claim, supported by a technical file and, where the legislation demands a third party, by a conformity assessment body’s involvement. Which route applies is set by the product-specific legislation, not by the marking rules in general — so the sector regulation, not this entry, is the last word for any particular product.

Related terms

• BIS Standards
• CBAM
• CDSCO
• CE Marking
• Certificate of Suitability
• CSRD

From the AJG lexicon archive (July 2026).