How to check a CE mark, certificate or Declaration of Conformity
There is no website where you can type in a product and see whether it is CE marked. CE marking is a declaration by the manufacturer, not a licence issued by the EU, so checking it means testing the manufacturer's claim: the mark, the EU Declaration of Conformity, any Notified Body certificate, and who stands behind the product. This page sets out those checks for buyers, importers and consumers.
Why there is no central CE database
For most goods, the manufacturer assesses conformity, signs the declaration and affixes the mark, without any EU approval. Nothing is registered, so nothing can be searched. Four public tools are often mistaken for a CE register:
- NANDO lists Notified Bodies, not products or certificates. See the NANDO guide.
- Safety Gate lists products on which authorities have acted. Absence from it does not mean that a product complies.
- EUDAMED is the exception for one sector. It covers medical devices, and its first four modules, including device registration and certificates, have been mandatory since 28 May 2026 (Commission Decision (EU) 2025/2371). Upload deadlines for older data run on, so a gap does not by itself show a problem.
- Lookup sites and "CE verification" services are private. None of them is an official record.
First, what should exist?
The right evidence depends on the conformity route.
| Product situation | What should exist | Number after the CE mark? |
|---|---|---|
| Self-declared (Module A), for example most low-voltage and EMC products | EU Declaration of Conformity and technical file. No Notified Body certificate. | No |
| Design examined by a Notified Body, with no body in production (Module B + C) | Declaration plus EU type-examination certificate | Usually no |
| Notified Body involved in production control, for example Category III PPE | Declaration plus certificate(s) | Yes, four digits |
So a seller who says "there is no certificate, we self-declare" may be entirely correct, while a seller of FFP2 masks saying the same is not. If you are unsure, start with does my product need CE marking?
Step-by-step check
- Look at the mark. It should be on the product, or on the packaging and accompanying documents if that is not possible. It should be legible, indelible and at least 5 mm high unless sector rules say otherwise, with the proportions set by Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008. See affixing the CE mark.
- Find the company. The product, packaging or an accompanying document should give the manufacturer's name and postal address and, for imports, the importer's. Many products also need a responsible economic operator in the EU under Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020. Online listings must identify the manufacturer or responsible person (General Product Safety Regulation, Article 19).
- Get the EU Declaration of Conformity. Use the section below. Do not accept a test report or brochure in its place.
- Read the declaration. It should identify this model, name the manufacturer, state the manufacturer's sole responsibility, list the applicable acts and standards, and be dated and signed. Check that the acts make sense for the product and that they are the current ones. See what a declaration must contain.
- If a Notified Body is named, check it. Search the number in NANDO and confirm that the legal entity, the act, the procedure and the product range match. Our CE number lookup gives a quick first answer.
- Check the certificate with the issuer. Use the body's own certificate search, or email it using contact details from its official website, not those on the document. Ask whether the certificate number exists, for that manufacturer and model, and whether it is still valid.
- Match paper to product. Model, variant, ratings, and the name on the label should agree with the documents. A certificate for a different model or a different manufacturer does not cover your product.
- Search Safety Gate for the brand and model.
How to get the Declaration of Conformity
Where the declaration is depends on the product law. EU law gives market surveillance authorities the right to demand it. Except where a law says it must come with the product, it does not give a consumer a general right to a copy. Many manufacturers will still send it or publish it.
| Product | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Machinery | With the machine, or via an internet address or machine-readable code given in the instructions under the Machinery Regulation (Article 10(8)). The Directive required a copy with the machine. |
| Radio equipment (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and similar) | With the product, as a full or simplified declaration. The simplified form gives the web address of the full text (Directive 2014/53/EU, Article 10(9)). |
| PPE | With the product, or via an internet address in the instructions (Regulation (EU) 2016/425). |
| Toys, and low-voltage or EMC products such as a lamp or toaster | Usually not supplied. The manufacturer keeps it for authorities. Ask the manufacturer or importer, or check the brand's compliance or support pages. For toys, the Digital Product Passport replaces the declaration once Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 applies. |
| Medical devices | Ask the manufacturer. Certificates and device data are moving into EUDAMED. |
A short request is enough:
If you buy for a business, make the request a condition of the order. Your supplier owes you the documents by contract, not by CE law, so write in the declaration, the certificates and the instructions in the right languages. A distributor must verify the CE marking and that the required documents and instructions accompany the product before supplying it. An importer must go further.
If you import, you are the one placing the product on the EU market. You must make sure that the manufacturer carried out the conformity assessment, that the technical documentation exists, and that the mark and documents are in place. You must keep a copy of the declaration, normally for ten years. A supplier who will not show them is a reason not to import. See importer obligations and importing from outside the EU.
Checking a certificate
NANDO will not show a certificate, so ask the body that supposedly issued it. Several publish searches, including TÜV Rheinland's Certipedia, TÜV SÜD's certificate finder, BSI's directory and SGS's client directory. These cover different certificate types, and some cover only management-system certificates. TEAM-NB has also published a list of validity checks for medical device bodies, dated 2020, so some links may have moved. If there is no search, email the body.
Red flags
- A "CE certificate" from a body that is not notified. The Commission warns, on its Radio Equipment Directive page, that only Notified Bodies may issue certificates of compliance for harmonised products, and only for their notified areas. It says that voluntary or additional certificates are not a recognised means of proving compliance, and have no value in market surveillance or customs checks.
- A certificate bearing the CE logo. The same Commission page says that it is not acceptable for certificates to bear a CE marking.
- A certificate for a self-declared product, offered in place of the declaration. Test reports can support a declaration but do not replace it. A laboratory's "Certificate of Compliance" is not a CE certificate. See common mistakes.
- The certificate is addressed to someone else, such as a factory or trading company, while the label names another manufacturer.
- A real number on a false document. Numbers are copied. A 2023 Spanish product alert concerned a false CE certificate for gloves that named TÜV SÜD (0123). The notified body ECM (1282) has reported misuse of its name and number. This is why the number alone proves little.
- A number from a former UK body on a recent EU certificate. See former UK numbers.
- A Notified Body outside its scope, for example a body notified only for EMC on a certificate for PPE, or an act that has been repealed on a newly made product.
- The body number is beside the CE mark, but the declaration names no body, or names another one.
- A mark that looks wrong: distorted proportions, joined letters, or a tiny or removable sticker. A look-alike mark may be misleading in its own right, because Article 30 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 bars marks likely to mislead as to the meaning or form of the CE marking. Do not rely on the "China Export" story: there is one CE mark, and letter spacing is not a reliable test. See the "China Export" myth.
- A claim such as "CE approved by the EU" or "EU certified". The EU does not approve products in this way.
- No EU address, no reply, or a refusal to name the manufacturer.
One flag does not prove a breach, and a good-looking document does not prove compliance. Only testing and the technical file can settle that, and only authorities can demand the file.
How to report a suspect product
- Stop using it if it may be dangerous, and keep the product, packaging, receipt, listing and photographs.
- Tell the seller. For a marketplace listing, use the platform's notice route. Online platforms must offer a way of reporting illegal content (Digital Services Act, Article 16).
- Report to your national market surveillance authority. Enforcement is national, and the competent authority depends on the product and country. See market surveillance. If you cannot identify it, start with your national consumer or product safety authority.
- Check Safety Gate for existing alerts. The Commission's reports say that consumers can raise safety concerns through its Consumer Safety Gateway. Authorities, not the public, issue alerts. Safety Gate covers non-food consumer and professional products, not medicines, medical devices or food.
- For a medical device, report to the national medicines or medical device authority.
- For a fake certificate, also tell the Notified Body named on it. It has an interest in acting.
Businesses have duties too. A distributor or importer who has reason to believe that a product is non-compliant must not supply it, and must inform the manufacturer or importer. If the product presents a risk, the authorities must also be told. Under the General Product Safety Regulation, the Safety Business Gateway is the route for accident reports and safety notifications. See distributor obligations.
Frequently asked questions
How can I check a CE certificate?
Read the certificate number and issuing body. Check the body in NANDO, confirm that it is notified for that act and product, then confirm the certificate in the body's own search or by email to the address on its official website. No EU database lists CE certificates, except for medical devices in EUDAMED.
How do I check if a product is CE marked?
Look for the mark on the product or packaging, then ask the manufacturer, importer or seller for the EU Declaration of Conformity. There is no EU-wide register of CE-marked products to search.
Is there a database of CE-marked products?
No. CE marking involves no central registration. NANDO lists Notified Bodies, Safety Gate lists products on which authorities have acted, and EUDAMED covers medical devices only.
Where can I find the Declaration of Conformity for a product?
Look in the box and the instructions, then on the manufacturer's support or compliance pages. Radio equipment comes with a declaration or a web address for it. For many other products, such as toys or small appliances, ask the manufacturer or importer.
Does every CE-marked product have a certificate?
No. Most are self-declared by the manufacturer, with a Declaration of Conformity but no third-party certificate. A Notified Body certificate exists only where the law requires third-party assessment or the manufacturer chose that route.
Can I rely on a CE certificate from a testing laboratory?
Not as proof of conformity. Only Notified Bodies may issue certificates of compliance for harmonised products, within their notified scope. A laboratory's test report can support the manufacturer's file, but a voluntary "CE certificate" has no legal value.
What should I do if a product has a fake CE mark?
Keep the evidence, tell the seller or marketplace, and report it to your national market surveillance authority. If a Notified Body number or name is misused, tell that body as well.
Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 765/2008, Article 30 and Annex II: EUR-Lex.
- Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 on market surveillance: EUR-Lex.
- Decision No 768/2008/EC, Annex I (obligations of economic operators): EUR-Lex.
- Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (General Product Safety Regulation): EUR-Lex. Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act): EUR-Lex.
- European Commission: Radio Equipment Directive page (warning on unregulated certificates).
- European Commission: Safety Gate and 2025 Safety Gate report news.
- European Commission: NANDO.
- Commission Decision (EU) 2025/2371 on EUDAMED, as summarised by TÜV NORD and DNV.
- TEAM-NB: List of online checks for validity of certificates (2020).
- Spanish product alert 610/2023 on a false CE certificate for gloves, published by regional health authorities. Vertikal: Notified body warning.