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GARAN label in Germany: harmonisierte Kennzeichnung in the EGBGB

How Germany transposes the GARAN label and the legal guarantee notice: the law of 3 February 2026, Art. 246 and 246a EGBGB, the German terms and enforcement.

Published September 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Germany transposed the label and notice duties of Directive (EU) 2024/825 in February 2026. The GARAN label is the harmonisierte Kennzeichnung, the notice the harmonisierte Mitteilung. Both are written into the pre-contractual information duties of the EGBGB and apply from 27 September 2026.

Key point: The law of 3 February 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 28) adds the harmonised notice and label to Art. 246(1) and Art. 246a § 1(1) EGBGB with effect from 27 September 2026. There is no dedicated supervisory authority; breaches are pursued under competition law, typically by warning letters.

The transposition law

The relevant act is the Gesetz zur Änderung des Verbrauchervertrags- und des Versicherungsvertragsrechts sowie zur Änderung des Behandlungsvertragsrechts of 3 February 2026. It was published in the Federal Law Gazette on 5 February 2026 as BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 28.

Most of it entered into force on 19 June 2026. Article 1 number 5 and Article 3, which contain the label and notice duties, enter into force on 27 September 2026.

A second act, the Drittes Gesetz zur Änderung des Gesetzes gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 43 of 19 February 2026), transposes the green-claims part of the Directive into the UWG. It also applies from 27 September 2026 but does not concern the label.

What the law says

Article 3 amends the Introductory Act to the Civil Code (EGBGB) in two places with identical wording:

  • Art. 246(1) numbers 5 and 5a EGBGB for contracts concluded in shops;
  • Art. 246a § 1(1) numbers 11 and 11a EGBGB for distance and off-premises contracts, which covers online shops.

Number 5 and number 11 require the trader (Unternehmer) to inform about the existence of the statutory warranty right for goods (gesetzliches Gewährleistungsrecht) and its main elements, including its minimum duration of two years, in a prominent way using the harmonisierte Mitteilung under Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2025/1960.

Number 5a and number 11a apply when the producer (Hersteller) grants the consumer a commercial guarantee of durability (gewerbliche Haltbarkeitsgarantie) for the entire good, without additional cost and for more than two years, and makes this information available to the trader.

The trader must then state that such a guarantee applies to the good, its duration and a reference to the statutory warranty right. This is done in a prominent way using the harmonisierte Kennzeichnung under Annex II of the Regulation.

German terms

  • harmonisierte Kennzeichnung: the GARAN label; trade press also calls it Garantielabel;
  • harmonisierte Mitteilung: the notice on the legal guarantee; trade press also calls it Gewährleistungslabel;
  • gewerbliche Haltbarkeitsgarantie: the commercial guarantee of durability;
  • gesetzliches Gewährleistungsrecht: the statutory warranty right, the German name for the legal guarantee of conformity;
  • Unternehmer, Hersteller: trader, producer.

The label is identical in every Member State. Create it in the generator and download the German notice on the legal guarantee notice page.

Scope and exemptions

The duties apply to business-to-consumer sales of goods, in shops and online, including marketplace listings. Purely business-to-business sales are not covered.

Chambers of commerce and crafts point out that the general exemptions of the pre-contractual information duties still apply, for example for everyday transactions performed immediately at conclusion under § 312(2) BGB. Check whether such an exemption applies to your sales channel before relying on it.

Enforcement

Germany has no authority that supervises these information duties directly. Breaches of Art. 246 and 246a EGBGB are treated as violations of competition law. Competitors and consumer associations can send warning letters (Abmahnung) and seek injunctions under the UWG and the Unterlassungsklagengesetz.

Trade lawyers expect the missing notice and the missing label to be easy targets, because they can be documented with a screenshot of an online shop.

What to do now

  1. Ask producers which models carry a free guarantee of durability of more than two years on the entire good, and record the duration.
  2. Show the label on the product page, before the order and in the order confirmation; see GARAN label online.
  3. Display the German notice in every shop and link it prominently online; see where to display the legal guarantee notice.

FAQ

Do I need the label if I only offer my own dealer guarantee?

No. The German wording, like the Directive, refers to a guarantee granted by the producer (Hersteller). A dealer’s own guarantee does not trigger the label.

Does the German law change the size or colour rules?

No. It refers to Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2025/1960 and adds nothing to the design. The Commission’s guidelines apply; see GARAN label dos and don’ts.

Is the notice required in the order confirmation?

Art. 246a EGBGB governs the information that must be given for distance contracts, and the Commission’s guidelines expect the notice and the label in the confirmation email. Include both.

Sources

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