Three EU acts and one set of guidelines define the GARAN label and the legal guarantee notice. National laws add the enforcement layer. This guide lists what each document does and the dates that matter.
Key point: Directive (EU) 2024/825 created the obligation, Regulation (EU) 2025/1960 fixed the design, with an EU application date of 27 September 2026. National enactment and scope determine the trader’s information duty; the EU date alone does not prove that every national act is in force. The Regulation is directly applicable, so the label looks the same in every Member State.
Directive (EU) 2024/825
Directive (EU) 2024/825 of 28 February 2024 on empowering consumers for the green transition amended two directives: the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 2005/29/EC and the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU.
For the label and the notice the relevant changes are in Directive 2011/83/EU:
- Article 5(1)(ea) and Article 6(1)(la): the trader must inform the consumer, using the harmonised label, when the producer offers a free commercial guarantee of durability covering the entire good for more than two years and has made this available to the trader;
- Articles 5(1)(e) and 6(1)(l): the harmonised notice for goods; separate provisions address information for digital content and digital services.
- Article 8(2): qualifying guarantee information directly before a paid electronic order; Article 8(7) governs confirmation on a durable medium.
- Article 22a: the Commission adopts implementing acts on the design and content of the harmonised notice and the harmonised label.
The Directive also defines the guarantee itself by reference to Article 17 of Directive (EU) 2019/771 on the sale of goods, which governs commercial guarantees.
Regulation (EU) 2025/1960
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960 of 25 September 2025 lays down the design and content of both elements:
- Annex I: the harmonised notice on the legal guarantee of conformity;
- Annex II: the harmonised label for the commercial guarantee of durability, the GARAN label, including its colours, fixed elements and the three editable fields.
The Regulation is directly applicable in every Member State. National transposition cannot change the design, the colours or the size rules.
Commission practical guidelines
In April 2026 the Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers published practical guidelines for sellers and producers, together with high-resolution vector files of the notice and the label in all 24 languages. The guidelines are practical explanations, not binding legislation or an authoritative judicial interpretation. They cover placement online and offline, the nested display, minimum sizes, the QR code and a list of dos and don’ts. See GARAN label dos and don’ts.
National transposition
Member States had to transpose Directive (EU) 2024/825 by 27 March 2026 and apply the rules from 27 September 2026. National laws establish the information duties, their scope and enforcement. Some enactments remained pending or unverified on 6 October 2026; absence of a verified act is not evidence of exemption. Timing and wording differ, but the label and the notice do not.
See the status of all 27 Member States. Detailed country guides: Czechia, Slovakia, Germany.
Timeline
- 28 February 2024: Directive (EU) 2024/825 adopted.
- 25 September 2025: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960 adopted; published in the Official Journal on 2 October 2025.
- 27 March 2026: transposition deadline for Member States.
- April 2026: Commission practical guidelines.
- 27 September 2026: EU application date and start of directly applicable design rules; check national enactment for information duties.
What this means for you
- Producers: decide which models carry a free guarantee of durability of more than two years covering the entire good, and communicate the duration and terms to your traders. Supply the required guarantee statement in addition to the label.
- Traders: check the national rules relevant to your sales, display the GARAN label for qualifying models within scope, and place the legal guarantee notice prominently at shop level. Create the labels in the generator and download the notice on the legal guarantee notice page.
FAQ
My country has not passed its transposition law yet. Does the label still apply?
Regulation (EU) 2025/1960 is directly applicable from 27 September 2026 regardless of national law. The obligation to display the label comes from Directive 2011/83/EU as amended, which needs national transposition. Check the status in your country; the Czech guide shows an example of a late transposition.
Does the legal guarantee period change?
No. The notice describes the existing legal guarantee of at least two years under EU law. National law may provide a longer period, and the notice says so. Special national rules can apply to second-hand goods; keep the official artwork unchanged.
Where is the official text?
On EUR-Lex, linked below. The Commission’s guidelines and files are on the Commission’s page on the notice and label.
Sources
- Directive (EU) 2024/825 on empowering consumers for the green transition
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960
- Practical guidelines and vector files for the notice and label, European Commission
- EU legal guarantee notice and GARAN label: guidance for businesses, Your Europe
- Commercial guarantee of durability, Your Europe