GPSR language requirements by EU country
10 min readRepresenta GmbH
GPSR language requirements by EU country: who sets the language, what national law demands in seven member states and what your online listing needs.
You make camping furniture in Canada and want to sell to consumers in Germany, the Netherlands and Italy through your own online shop. Your manual, box and product pages are in English. The short answer on GPSR language requirements: the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 lets each member state set the language, and seven of the eight markets we checked have a national rule. Here is the country table with the legal basis for every entry, and where we found no rule.
Who decides the language: each member state, not the GPSR
Article 9(7) GPSR (opens in a new tab) requires manufacturers to ensure that their product comes with clear instructions and safety information in a language which can be easily understood by consumers, as determined by the member state where it is made available. Importers have the same duty (Article 11(4)), and distributors check it before selling (Article 12(1)).
The same formula covers warnings in online offers (Article 19(d)), digital information such as QR codes (Article 21) and marketplace listings (Article 22(9)(d)). Neither “English is enough” nor “all 24 EU languages” follows from it.
Three kinds of text, three language rules
Not every text follows the consumer rule. Separate what travels with the product, what appears online and what goes to authorities:
| Text | Language rule | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Instructions and safety information with the product | Set by each member state where the product is made available | Art. 9(7), 11(4) GPSR |
| Warnings and safety information in the online offer | Same rule, for each target country | Art. 19(d), 22(9)(d) GPSR |
| Digital information, for example via QR code | Same rule; only in addition to the printed information | Art. 21 GPSR |
| Recall notice to consumers | Language(s) of each member state where the product was made available | Art. 36(2) GPSR |
| Documents for market surveillance authorities | A language the requesting authority easily understands | Art. 4(3)(b) Regulation (EU) 2019/1020; Art. 10(2)(a) GPSR |
The file you keep for authorities has no language of its own under the GPSR; see GPSR technical documentation for how to handle requests.
GPSR language requirements by EU country
We checked national law at the official legal portals on 30 September 2026 and list only what we could verify in the text itself. Where we found no specific rule, the table says so.
| Country | Language | Legal basis | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | German | § 6 Product Safety Act (ProdSG) | Instructions, safety information, listing warnings, digital information, marketplace listing warnings |
| Austria | No specific rule found; check before shipping | Product Safety Act 2004 contains none | A new act is announced, not yet in force |
| France | French | Art. 2 Law No. 94-665 (general language law) | Designation, offer, presentation and instructions for use of any product |
| Italy | Italian | Art. 104(3) Consumer Code, amended by Legislative Decree 78/2026 | Warnings and safety information on or with the product, recall notices |
| Spain | Spanish (Castilian) | Art. 18(3) General Law for the Defense of Consumers and Users | Mandatory labeling and presentation information; Art. 18(2)(e) lists instructions and warnings |
| Netherlands | Dutch | Art. 3 Commodities Act decree implementing the GPSR | Art. 9(7), 11(4), 19(d), 21, 22(9)(d) GPSR and recall notices |
| Poland | Polish | Art. 4 Act of 7 November 2025 on general product safety supervision | Art. 9(7), 11(4), 19(d), 21, 22(9)(d) GPSR |
| Belgium | Language of the language region where the product is placed on the market | Art. IX.9 Code of Economic Law | Prescribed labeling and information, instructions for use, warranty documents |
Four of these rules were written for the GPSR: the Dutch rule applies since 13 December 2024, the Polish one since 3 January 2026, the new German § 6 ProdSG (opens in a new tab) since 19 February 2026 and the Italian rule since 16 May 2026. France, Spain and Belgium apply older general laws.
Belgium: the language region decides
Belgium has four language regions: French, Dutch, German and bilingual Brussels (Article 4 of the Belgian Constitution). Article IX.9 of the Code of Economic Law requires the prescribed labeling and information, instructions for use and warranty documents of consumer products in a language the average consumer understands, given the language region where the product is placed on the market.
If you sell nationwide online, we recommend Dutch, French and German. Book IX of the Code still refers to the old Directive 2001/95/EC, so watch for an update.
Austria: no rule found yet
The Austrian Product Safety Act 2004 contains no language rule; its last amendment dates from 2018 (RIS, 30 September 2026). The ministry responsible for consumer protection states that the Act remains in force only where the GPSR has not replaced it and is to be replaced by a new act. Until then, we recommend German and a check before shipping.
Online offers: the warnings in each country's language
Article 19(d) GPSR requires every online offer to show the warnings and safety information that are on the product, its packaging or in the accompanying documents, in the language set by the member state where it is made available. A shop that ships to Italy and Poland needs them in Italian and in Polish.
Germany, the Netherlands and Poland name Article 19(d) in their rules. In Germany, offering a product without the required German listing information is an administrative offense (§ 28(2) no. 26 ProdSG; see GPSR penalties). Which addresses belong in the listing is covered in GPSR label requirements.
Documents for authorities: the authority's language
Authorities ask for evidence, not manuals. On a reasoned request, your EU economic operator provides all information and documentation in a language which can be easily understood by that authority (Article 4(3)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 (opens in a new tab), applied through Article 16(1) GPSR). An Authorized Representative's mandate must cover providing it in an official language that authority understands (Article 10(2)(a) GPSR).
National law can be stricter. In Poland, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) may demand a Polish translation of a foreign-language document used as evidence in proceedings (Article 45(2) of the 2025 Act). The Commission's GPSR guidelines add that a representative should ideally have sufficient knowledge of the languages needed to deal with the authorities (point 3.1.2).
CE-marked products: sector law sets its own language rules
For products under EU harmonization legislation, Articles 9 to 18 GPSR do not apply; the sector act governs instructions (Article 2(1)(b) GPSR). Three examples:
- Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU: instructions and safety information in a language set by the member state (Article 6(7)); the EU Declaration of Conformity translated into the languages it requires (Article 15(2)). Germany requires German (§ 8(3) 1. ProdSV).
- Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC: instructions and safety information in the language or languages set by the member state (Article 4(7)); technical documentation in an official EU language, with a translation of relevant parts into the member state's language on an authority's reasoned request (Article 21(2) and (3)). The Toy Safety Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 replaces the Directive on 1 August 2030.
- Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, from 20 January 2027: instructions, safety information and written warnings on the machine in a language set by the member state (Article 10(7), Annex III, point 1.7.1).
Articles 19 and 36 GPSR still apply, so listing warnings and recall notices follow the country rules above.
Practical example: one manual for five markets
A Canadian maker of camping furniture sells folding chairs through its own online shop to consumers in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Poland. No harmonization act applies, so Article 9(7) GPSR applies in full.
| Market | Manual and box | Online offer |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | German | German pages |
| Netherlands | Dutch | Dutch pages |
| Belgium | Dutch, French, German | Pages in all three languages |
| Italy | Italian, at least as visible and legible as other languages (Art. 9(2) Consumer Code) | Italian pages |
| Poland | Polish | Polish pages |
One manual in five languages covers all markets, the box carries the key warnings in the same languages, and a recall notice template is ready in each of them (Article 36(2)).
Common mistakes with GPSR language requirements
- English only, because the manual was written for the home market.
- Planning for all 24 languages instead of the markets you actually target.
- Translated box, English listing: Article 19(d) requires the warnings in the offer as well.
- Safety texts only behind a QR code; digital information is allowed only in addition (Article 21).
- Belgium in French only, ignoring the Dutch and German language regions.
- No recall notice in the local languages, although Article 36(2) requires it.
Conclusion: plan languages by market
GPSR language requirements come from national law. Start from the markets your offer targets, check each country's rule and use the same languages on the product, in the manual and in every listing.
Texts and translations remain your responsibility as manufacturer. As your GPSR Responsible Person, Representa regularly checks, within the agreed scope and mandate, whether instructions and safety information meet Article 9(7) (Article 16(2)(b) GPSR) and reviews labeling, packaging and manuals. Our compliance verification checks labels and packaging and confirms the result in a report; labels and user manuals belong to our Compliance pillar. How to word warnings is covered in GPSR safety warnings.
Frequently asked questions
Is English enough for GPSR safety information in the EU?
Not in the markets we checked. The GPSR leaves the language to each member state (Articles 9(7) and 19(d)). Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland require their own language by national law, and Belgium the language of the region where the product is placed on the market.
Do I need all 24 EU languages on my packaging?
No. You need the languages set by the member states where you make the product available. One multilingual manual can cover several target markets, and you add languages when you enter new ones.
Does the online listing have to be in the local language?
Yes, for warnings and safety information. Article 19(d) GPSR requires the offer to show them in the language set by the member state where the product is made available. Germany, the Netherlands and Poland name this provision in their national rules.
In which language do I send documents to a market surveillance authority?
In a language the requesting authority easily understands (Article 4(3)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020); for an Authorized Representative, an official language that authority understands (Article 10(2)(a) GPSR). In Poland, the authority may demand a Polish translation of documents used as evidence.
Which language do I need in Belgium?
The language of the language region where the product is placed on the market (Article IX.9 of the Belgian Code of Economic Law). Belgium has French, Dutch and German language regions plus bilingual Brussels, so for nationwide sales we recommend all three languages.
