Certification Experts is your full-service compliance partner and guides you through the complete CE marking process by obtaining the Declaration of Conformity. With over 25 years of experience, our team will help you to obtain the Declaration of Conformity.
Before a product can be legally allowed to enter the European market, it has to carry the CE mark. A Declaration of Conformity (also known as DoC) is an official document in which the manufacturer declares that the product concerned complies with the essential requirements of the applicable European directives and/or regulations. The manufacturer must have adequate knowledge of the CE directives and regulation and know how to draw up and to include in a DoC. To do this as quickly and efficiently as possible, it is highly recommended to involve an expert like Certification Experts to guide this process for you.
A Declaration of Conformity (DoC) is an official certificate in which the manufacturer declares that their product is in compliance with the essential requirements of the applicable European CE Directives and/or Regulations. This document is mandatory as it is necessary to be able to declare compliance with the CE marking. This is also why some people refer to it as the CE Declaration of Conformity, but the EC Declaration of Conformity, EU Declaration of Conformity and Declaration of Performance (DoP) are the official titles for the document. The EC Declaration of Conformity is still used for some older Directives, in the updated/new Directives and Regulations the official name is EU Declaration of Conformity and for construction products it is a Declaration of Performance (DoP). This declaration of conformity acts as signed proof that a product is safe to use. For products that do not fall within the scope of the CE marking, it is not required to compile a declaration, but a voluntary declaration of conformance is recommended.
A Declaration of Incorporation is used when a product is partly complete or designed to be incorporated into another product. It does not and can not replace the Declaration of Conformity. The manufacturer of the final product is responsible for drafting a Declaration of Conformity and applying the CE mark before making the product available to a consumer.
When a manufacturer signs a Declaration of Conformity, they declare that the product has been designed and constructed with the appropriate conformity assessment requirements and take full responsibility for its compliance with EU health and safety standards. This includes (but is not limited to) the following product groups:
The manufacturer or Authorised Representative must keep the Declaration of Conformity on file for ten years from the date that the product is placed on the market (unless otherwise mentioned in the applicable Directives).
Obtaining a Declaration of Conformity is part of the CE marking process, so once you start the process of obtaining the CE mark, assembling the DoC and drawing it up will be a natural part of this process. You can obtain the CE mark and thus the Declaration of Conformity by following these steps:
Once the CE mark is affixed to the product, it must be supported by the Declaration of Conformity. This must be done for every product that is intended for use within the EEA (European Economic Area) and falls under one or more of the New Approach Directives.
Drawing up the DoC itself might be difficult if you do not know what to include and what should be left out. The Declaration of Conformity requirements state that all relevant product information must be listed in the document, such as:
All other information depends on what product it is that you want to trade on the EU market. Certification Experts has created DoC templates for all products, so that we can use this to help get your DoC drawn up efficiently and quickly.
Sometimes a Declaration of Conformity is referred to as a CE Statement or CE certificate. This is because the DoC is the official document that states that a product meets all EU health and safety requirements and can therefore legally bear the CE mark. However, the formal name for the document is the Declaration of Conformity.
It is the responsibility of the manufacturer or Authorised Representative (AR) to ensure that the information provided in a Declaration of Conformity is relevant and up to date. The contact information of the manufacturer/AR is indicated on the DoC. You can use this information to take up contact with the responsible party directly to ensure that the product meets all relevant European health and safety standards.
In many cases, products must meet multiple EU harmonised standards. This is especially the case for products which consist of many parts (such as machinery) and for medical devices. If you need help identifying whether a Declaration of Conformity is valid you can contact us. We can help you verify that the DoC meets and mentions all relevant standards and necessary testing procedures to ensure that it meets the legal requirements of the applicable Directive(s) and/or Regulation(s).
If the Declaration of Conformity is not properly drawn up, contains ambiguous statements, lacks necessary information, or any issue of such matter, it would mean your product would be traded under false safety warranty. This would make it illegal to trade your product in the European Union, meaning that a faulty DoC could have serious consequences for you as a manufacturer. To avoid this, it is best to appoint an expert who can take care of this for you.
Certification Experts has both the knowledge and international experience to help you draw up a suitable EU Declaration of Conformity for your product. We will help you:
We can even manage the entire CE marking process for you, including these DoC services.
