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. Private competition-law enforcement coexists with public enforcement for qualifying coordinated cross-border infringements.
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, entered 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.
Application of the duties
The notice and label duties apply from 27 September 2026. A special GARAN enforcement grace period has not been confirmed. For other markets, see the 27-country overview.
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 Art. 246(2) EGBGB. This belongs to the general in-store information regime and must not be treated as an online-shopping exemption. Check all conditions before relying on it.
Enforcement
Breaches of Art. 246 and 246a EGBGB can be pursued through private competition-law and injunction proceedings. Competitors and consumer associations can send warning letters (Abmahnung) and seek injunctions under the UWG and the Unterlassungsklagengesetz.
Articles 246e §§ 1–2 EGBGB additionally cover qualifying widespread or Union-dimension infringements under coordinated CPC enforcement. The Bundesamt für Justiz is the competent administrative authority for those fines. Section 2 provides an ordinary EUR 50,000 maximum, a turnover-based maximum of 4% above the relevant EUR 1.25 million threshold, and EUR 2 million where the turnover estimation basis is unavailable. These are specific coordinated-enforcement rules, not an automatic penalty for every missing label.
What to do now
- Ask producers which models carry a free guarantee of durability of more than two years on the entire good, and record the duration.
- Show the label on the product page and directly before the paid order. Supply the required information on a durable medium, normally by confirmation email, unless already supplied durably before contracting; see GARAN label online.
- 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?
An ordinary reseller’s guarantee is not enough. But a retailer can also act as manufacturer, EU importer or own-brand producer; then assess all five qualifying conditions. The producer definition is in Article 2(4) of Directive (EU) 2019/771.
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?
Distance-contract information must be confirmed on a durable medium, subject to the exception for information already supplied durably before contracting. The Commission recommends confirmation email as a practical method. Preserve the colour rule for online sales and distinguish this from pre-order display.
Sources
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Drittes Gesetz zur Änderung des UWG, legislative procedure, Federal Ministry of Justice
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Labels for warranty and guarantee mandatory from September 2026, IHK München
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FAQ on the warranty and guarantee labels from 27 September 2026, IT-Recht Kanzlei
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New labelling duty for guarantee and warranty, HWK Flensburg