EU Declaration of Conformity for Machinery: Mandatory Content (Annex V) and a Model Layout

The Regulation applies from 20 January 2027 and replaces Directive 2006/42/EC, which applies until 19 January 2027 through national law, so the declaration moves from Annex II of the Directive to Annex V of the EU Machinery Regulation.

The sections below cover the 10 points, a model layout, the signatory, the single declaration, language and retention, digital access, the issuing steps and the 2027 change.

What Is the EU Declaration of Conformity for Machinery?

The EU declaration of conformity closes the conformity assessment of machinery and related products: once the Article 25 procedure has demonstrated compliance, the manufacturer draws up the declaration and affixes the CE marking (Article 10(2) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230). By drawing it up, the manufacturer assumes responsibility for compliance (Article 21(4)).

Partly completed machinery receives an EU declaration of incorporation and no CE marking instead. The declaration sits next to the technical documentation and the instructions, compared under machinery documentation: technical file, instructions and declarations.

The 10 Points of Annex V, Part A

Annex V, Part A of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 sets 10 points for the EU declaration of conformity, the same number of items as Annex II, point 1, section A of Directive 2006/42/EC, but not the same items.

The wording of the points is in the consolidated Regulation on EUR-Lex. Numbering the declaration is optional (footnote to Annex V, Part A). The Directive item "name and address of the person authorised to compile the technical file" has no counterpart in the Regulation.

Which entry applies in points 8 and 9 depends on the route set out under conformity assessment under the Machinery Regulation.

Sole Responsibility and the Signature Block (Points 4 and 10)

Point 4 is a fixed sentence: "This declaration of conformity is issued under the sole responsibility of the manufacturer." Article 21(4) adds that by drawing up the declaration the manufacturer assumes responsibility for compliance.

Point 10 is the block "Signed for and on behalf of", with place and date of issue, name, function and signature, and the Commission's Guide to application of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, Edition 2.3 (April 2024), accepts a handwritten signature or a printed digital one reproduced on copies.

Standards with Their Publication Date (Point 7)

Point 7 requires the references of the harmonised standards applied, including the date of publication of the reference in the Official Journal of the European Union, or of the common specification.

A standard number and year alone do not meet point 7. The declaration of incorporation instead gives the date of the standard (Annex V, Part B, point 6). The presumption of conformity under Article 20(1) is explained under harmonised standards for machinery.

Notified Body or Module A Entry (Points 8 and 9)

Point 8 names, where applicable, the notified body (name and number) that performed the EU type-examination (module B) and issued the certificate, with its reference, followed by module C, or module G or module H; point 9 states, where applicable, that the product is subject to module A. Which entry applies follows the Article 25 route.

Annex I, Part A products follow module B + C, H or G (Article 25(2)). Part B products use module A only with harmonised standards or common specifications specific to the category that cover all relevant requirements, otherwise B + C, H or G (Article 25(3)). All other products use module A (Article 25(4)).

Model Layout of an EU Declaration of Conformity

A model layout of an EU declaration of conformity follows the 10 points of Annex V, Part A of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 in their order, from the identification of the product to the signature block. The full wording is in Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery: full text.

1. Machinery or related product: product, type, model, batch or serial number.
2. Manufacturer: name, address and, where applicable, authorised representative.
3. Place of use: only for lifting machinery that can only be assembled at the place of use in a building or structure.
4. Responsibility: "This declaration of conformity is issued under the sole responsibility of the manufacturer."
5. Object of the declaration: identification that allows traceability.
6. Legislation: the Union harmonisation legislation with which the object conforms.
7. Standards: each with its Official Journal publication date, or the common specification.
8. Notified body: name, number, module B certificate reference, then module C, G or H, where applicable.
9. Module A: the statement, where applicable.
10. Signature block: "Signed for and on behalf of", place and date of issue, name, function, signature.

One declaration is drawn up per model (Annex VI, point 4.2), and the number is optional.

Who Draws Up and Signs the Declaration

The manufacturer draws up and signs the EU declaration of conformity, and that includes whoever manufactures machinery under its own name, incorporates partly completed machinery into a final machine, or substantially modifies machinery (Article 3(18) and Article 18 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230).

A person who substantially modifies machinery is considered a manufacturer with the Article 10 duties.

An authorised representative's mandate must allow it to keep the declaration and the technical documentation for at least 10 years (Article 12(2)(a)), while design, construction and drawing up the technical documentation stay outside the mandate (Article 12(1), second subparagraph). The mandate is described under authorised representative for machinery.

One Declaration for Several Union Acts (Article 21(3))

Where machinery or a related product is subject to more than one Union legal act that requires an EU declaration of conformity, Article 21(3) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 requires a single EU declaration of conformity for all such acts, identifying each act with its publication reference.

Point 6 of Annex V, Part A carries the sentence "The object of the declaration referred to in point 5 is in conformity with the following Union harmonisation legislation."

The technical documentation keeps, where appropriate, copies of the declarations of products under other Union harmonisation legislation that are incorporated into the machinery (Annex IV, Part A, point (k)).

The same clause appears in Directives 2014/35/EU, 2014/30/EU, 2014/34/EU and 2014/68/EU. Which acts apply together is set out under Machinery Regulation and other EU product laws.

Language, Updates and the 10-Year Retention

The EU declaration of conformity is continuously updated, translated into the language or languages required by the Member State where the product is placed or made available on the market, and kept for at least 10 years after the product is placed on the market or put into service (Articles 21(2) and 10(3) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230).

The Blue Guide 2022, section 4.4, adds that a new version of the declaration is needed when any element changes.

The 10 years run from placing on the market or putting into service, never from the last unit manufactured, and Annex VI, point 4.2 (module A) and Annex VIII (module C) repeat the duty. The Directive counted from the last date of manufacture (Annex II, point 2 of Directive 2006/42/EC).

Digital Declarations under Article 10(8)

Article 10(8) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 lets the EU declaration of conformity either accompany the product or be reached through an internet address or machine-readable code given in the instructions.

A digital declaration stays accessible online for the expected lifetime of the product and in any case at least 10 years after placing on the market or putting into service.

The instructions contain the declaration or that address or code (Annex III, section 1.7.4.2(1)(c)), where Directive 2006/42/EC accepted a document setting out its contents. See machinery instructions and the new digital format rules.

How to Issue an EU Declaration of Conformity in Compliance

Issuing an EU declaration of conformity under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 takes six steps, from completing the Article 25 procedure to keeping the signed declaration for 10 years.

1. Complete the Article 25 procedure for the product's route, which the machinery conformity route finder shows with its legal basis.
2. List the Union acts that require a declaration and identify each with its publication reference.
3. Fill in the 10 points, with the Official Journal publication date for each harmonised standard in point 7 and the module entry in point 8 or 9.
4. Sign for and on behalf of the manufacturer.
5. Make the declaration accompany the product or give its internet address or machine-readable code in the instructions, and affix the CE marking of machinery.
6. Keep and update the declaration for at least 10 years after placing on the market or putting into service.

What Changes from Annex II, Point 1, Section A on 20 January 2027

From 20 January 2027, the declaration for machinery placed on the market follows Article 21 and Annex V, Part A of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230; until 19 January 2027, Article 5(1)(e) and Annex II, point 1, section A of Directive 2006/42/EC apply through national law, and there is no parallel period in which the manufacturer may choose.

Annex XII maps Annex II, A of the Directive to Annex V, A of the Regulation.

The dates are on the Machinery Regulation timeline.

Products placed on the market under the Directive before 20 January 2027 may still be made available afterwards (Article 52(1)). The full correspondence between the two acts is in Machinery Regulation vs Machinery Directive.

Importers, Distributors and Authorities Checking the Declaration

Importers, distributors and market surveillance authorities each check the EU declaration of conformity, and a missing or incorrect declaration is formal non-compliance under Article 46(1)(d) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230.

• Importers confirm before placing the product on the market that the Article 25 procedure was carried out and that Article 10(8) is complied with (Article 13(2)), and keep a copy of the declaration for at least 10 years (Article 13(8)); see importer obligations for machinery.
• Distributors verify that the EU declaration of conformity is there (Article 15(2)); see distributor obligations for machinery.
• Germany requires the declaration in German from 20 January 2027 under § 2 MaschinenDG; see machinery rules in Germany.
• From 20 January 2027, Great Britain accepts machinery meeting Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 with an EU declaration of conformity in English (regulation 12A of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, as substituted by S.I. 2026/867); see machinery rules in the United Kingdom.

The Commission proposed in COM(2025) 504 of 21 May 2025 that EU declarations of conformity be drawn up in digital format, with the product accompanied by the internet address or machine-readable code through which the declaration can be accessed (proposed Article 10(2) and 10(8)).

The proposal is pending as of 12 November 2026: Coreper confirmed the text agreed with Parliament negotiators on 26 June 2026, Parliament's IMCO committee approved it on 14 July 2026, and Parliament's first-reading vote is still to come (procedure 2025/0134(COD); see amendments to the Machinery Regulation).

EU Declaration of Conformity Questions

Three questions recur when manufacturers draw up the declaration: numbering, references to the Regulation before 20 January 2027 and the difference from a declaration of incorporation.

Does an EU declaration of conformity need a number?

No, Annex V, Part A of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 makes it optional for the manufacturer to assign a number to the declaration of conformity.

Can machinery placed on the market before 20 January 2027 refer to the Regulation?

Machinery placed on the EU market before 20 January 2027 must comply with Directive 2006/42/EC, and the Commission states that manufacturers may state on the declaration that it also conforms with Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 if applicable. From 20 January 2027 only the Regulation applies, as the Commission machinery page records.

Is the EU declaration of conformity the same as a declaration of incorporation?

No: the EU declaration of conformity (Article 21) covers complete machinery and related products and comes with the CE marking, while the EU declaration of incorporation (Article 22, Annex V, Part B, 9 points) covers partly completed machinery, which carries no CE marking. The incorporation declaration states which relevant requirements are fulfilled and dates its standards differently; see declaration of incorporation for partly completed machinery.