The GARAN label is not a general guarantee badge. It is mandatory only for one precisely defined type of guarantee. Answer the five questions below in order. The EU application date was 27 September 2026. If all five conditions are met, check the applicable national duty and scope in the 27-country overview.
Key point: The label is required only when a producer offers a free commercial guarantee of durability, covering the entire good, for more than two years, and has told you about it. Every other guarantee stays outside the label.
Question 1: Is the guarantee given by the producer?
The label refers to a producer’s guarantee. Article 2(4) of Directive (EU) 2019/771 includes the manufacturer, the importer into the EU, and a person presenting itself as producer by its name or trade mark. Article 17 governs the commercial guarantee. A retailer may also qualify in one of those producer roles.
If you are both producer and seller, for example a brand selling through its own e-shop, the answer is yes. If you only act as a reseller, an independent store guarantee does not qualify.
Question 2: Is it free of charge?
The guarantee must be offered at no additional cost to the consumer. Paid extensions, protection plans and insurance do not qualify. A free producer extension can qualify if all five conditions are met; the marketing name “extended warranty” is not decisive.
Question 3: Does it cover the entire good?
The guarantee must cover the whole product, not a single component. A ten-year guarantee on the compressor of a fridge, the motor of a vacuum cleaner or the frame of a bicycle does not qualify. Such partial guarantees can still be offered and described in the guarantee statement, just without the label.
Question 4: Is it longer than two years?
The threshold in Directive 2011/83/EU is a duration of more than two years. A guarantee of exactly two years does not qualify. The shortest value the label can carry is 2,5 years. Durations are expressed in whole years or half years; see how to enter the guarantee duration.
Question 5: Has the producer informed you?
Traders are not expected to search for durability guarantees themselves. The obligation to display the label is triggered when the producer makes the information available to the trader. If a producer has communicated such a guarantee, you must show the label for that product before the consumer is bound by the contract.
In practice, ask your suppliers which models carry a qualifying guarantee and for how long. Producers may also place the label on the product or its packaging, but the display obligation at the point of sale is yours.
If every answer is yes
For sales covered by the applicable national duty, display the label prominently for that product:
- online in colour, on the product page, again before the order is placed, and supply the required information on a durable medium, normally the confirmation email, unless already supplied durably before contracting; see GARAN label online;
- in physical shops at a minimum of 95 × 100 mm, in colour or black and white; see GARAN label in print and in store;
- one label per model, with the producer’s brand name, the model identifier and the duration as the only editable fields.
You can create the label in the generator or generate a whole catalogue from a spreadsheet in batch mode.
If any answer is no
Do not use the label. The Commission’s guidelines list what the label must not be used for:
- guarantees covering only part of a product or a single component;
- paid guarantees, nonqualifying extensions or insurance sold with the good;
- guarantees of two years or less;
- any other commercial guarantee offered by the seller or the producer.
You may still offer and advertise those guarantees. Describe them in the guarantee statement and in your product information, without the GARAN label.
The separate legal guarantee notice
Independently of qualifying producer guarantees, the national rules implementing the Consumer Rights Directive require covered traders selling goods to consumers to display the harmonised notice on the legal guarantee of conformity. Scope and exceptions matter. It is displayed prominently at shop level, not per product; large or complex shops may need several placements. Nothing in the official notice can be edited. Download the official files on the legal guarantee notice page and read where to display the legal guarantee notice.
The label does not replace the guarantee statement
Article 17 of Directive (EU) 2019/771 requires a guarantee statement on a durable medium by delivery, including the guarantor, covered goods, terms, procedure and preservation of statutory rights. The label’s QR code leads to general EU information, not the product’s guarantee terms. Durability concerns normal-use functions and performance, with the producer responsible for repair or replacement under the guarantee.
FAQ
The producer offers three years, but only on registration. Does the label apply?
The guidelines require the guarantee to be free of charge and to cover the entire good for more than two years. Whether a registration condition changes that is not addressed in the sources on this site. Ask the producer for the guarantee statement and, if in doubt, your national consumer authority.
I sell used goods. Does the label apply?
Only if the producer offers a qualifying guarantee on the specific good you sell and has informed you. Check the actual guarantee and applicable national rules. National law may permit a shorter agreed liability period for certain second-hand goods; do not edit the official notice to reflect it.
The producer already prints the label on the packaging. Do I still have to display it?
The trader remains responsible for prominent display before purchase. A clearly visible packaging label may already satisfy physical display; a hidden label does not. Online placement must be assessed separately.