EU Importers

The EU Directives place legal responsibilities on importers to ensure that products conform to the applicable legislation before they are placed on the market in the EU. Importers of goods in the EU must ensure that the “appropriate conformity assessment procedure has been carried out” by the manufacturer, and it is not sufficient to solely review the manufacturer’s Declaration of Conformity (DoC).

UK Importers

The rules for importers have changed after Brexit.

Importers who bring in goods from the EU or Switzerland

are no longer classified as “distributors”; their role has

changed to that of the “importer.” This is because the UK is

no longer part of the EU single market. So, whether you

import goods from the EU or the rest of the world, it is now considered the same. As an importer, you must ensure that goods conform to the applicable legislation before they are placed on the market in the UK, and this entails more than just reviewing the overseas manufacturer’s DoC.