CE marking is not a sticker. It is a signature with consequences.
Plenty of people believe CE is a certificate someone external issues and that you buy for a few hundred euros. It is not. For most products you declare it yourself, under your own responsibility, backed by a file that has to exist and that you can be asked to produce.
Three misunderstandings that get expensive.
Before looking at your product, it is worth clearing away the three wrong ideas we see again and again.
- “A lab gives me the CE.” For most categories, no: the manufacturer — or the importer who places the product on the market under their own name — draws up and signs the EU declaration of conformity. The lab runs tests; you sign the declaration. Only some categories require a notified body.
- “My Chinese supplier already has it.” Sometimes yes, and sometimes it is a document that does not survive a review. What has to be checked is the technical file: which harmonised standards were applied, which tests were run, in which lab, on which sample and on what date.
- “I only import, so it is not my problem.” It is. The importer has obligations of their own: verifying that the manufacturer did their part, keeping the declaration, making sure the marking, instructions and safety information are in the market's language, and appearing identified on the product or its packaging.
This is general information about how CE marking works, not legal advice. Your specific product may follow a different conformity assessment procedure depending on its category.
From the product to a file that survives an inspection.
What applies
We identify the directives and regulations for your category and the conformity assessment procedure that goes with them.
What you already have
We review existing tests, reports and declarations: whether the standards applied are current, whether the sample is traceable, and what the test actually covered.
What is missing
A concrete list of outstanding tests, technical file contents, and corrections to marking, labelling and instructions.
Who signs
We put in writing who is manufacturer, who is importer, and who answers for what. It is the part almost nobody sorts out, and the one that gets asked when something fails.
What we deliver, specifically.
What people ask
How much does CE marking cost?
There is no list price, because you are not buying a badge: you pay for whatever tests are missing and, if your category requires it, the notified body. The first thing we do is tell you what is missing, which is what lets you ask for quotes on an informed basis.
How long does it take?
Almost entirely down to the lab and how many tests are missing. The document review is a matter of days; the testing, of weeks. We are not going to give you a date before seeing the product.
My supplier says their product is “already CE”. Is that enough?
It is enough if the file exists and survives a review. That is exactly what we check, and with imported electronics the answer fairly often is that there is a test report for something else, or an expired one, or one for a sample that is not what you are about to buy.
Does CE marking cover cybersecurity?
Since 1 August 2025, for radio equipment, cybersecurity is part of the essential requirements that CE declares, under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30. It is covered on the EU regulatory compliance page.