EU and UK market entry checklist for makers outside Europe
EU and UK market entry checklist: CE or UKCA marking, local roles, labels, documents and listings for the EU, Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Your market entry plan for the EU and UK
We plan with you which markets come first, how you sell there and who your contact in the EU is. You also know in advance what distributors and marketplaces will ask for.
You want to sell in Europe from abroad
You make products outside the EU and UK and want to sell there, through your own shop, a marketplace or local distributors. Each route brings its own roles and documents, and your first partner will ask for them before the first order.
What your entry plan has to cover
An EU economic operator
Consumer products and most CE-marked products need an economic operator established in the EU, such as an importer or Authorized Representative.
EU Authorized RepresentationSafety details in every online offer
Each online offer to EU consumers names the manufacturer, the responsible person in the EU if you are outside it, a picture and warnings.
Labels, Manuals & Product InformationPartners check before they sell
Distributors check your product identifier, contact details and instructions in the language the country requires. Importers also check your technical documentation.
Product Compliance & DocumentationGreat Britain has its own rules
Great Britain applies UK product law and still accepts CE marking for most products. Northern Ireland follows EU product rules.
UK Representation
What we do within the agreed scope
We plan and prepare your entry within the agreed scope and mandate, while decisions on markets and partners, and responsibility for your products, stay with you.
Talk to our teamMarkets and channels in order
We compare target countries and sales routes, from your own shop to marketplaces and distributors, and agree which come first.
Roles for each sales route
We show who is manufacturer, importer and EU economic operator on each route, and where our Representation services fit.
Ready for distributors and marketplaces
With you, we put together the documents and product details that distributors, importers and marketplaces ask for.
The UK planned alongside
If Great Britain or Northern Ireland are on your list, we plan the UK steps too, including a UK Responsible Person where you need one.
Your entry plan in writing
You get a written plan with markets in order, roles, documents and open tasks that your team can work through.
What we need from you
- Product list with product categories
- Target countries and planned launch dates
- Planned sales channels and existing partners
- Declarations of Conformity, technical files and test reports
- Labels, packaging artwork and manuals
How we plan your market entry
01
Talk about your plans
In a first call, we go through your products, target markets and sales routes.
02
Check roles and rules
We work out what each market and channel requires for your products.
03
Agree the entry plan
You get a written plan with markets in order, roles, documents and open tasks.
04
Prepare for first partners
Before launch, we help you put together what distributors and marketplaces will ask for.
Questions about EU and UK market entry
Can a UK company be our EU Responsible Person?
Not if it is established only in Great Britain. The economic operator must be established in the EU (Article 16(1) GPSR, Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020). Under the Windsor Framework, one operator established in the EU or Northern Ireland can cover both the EU and Northern Ireland.
What will an EU distributor check before selling our product?
A type or serial number, your name with postal and electronic address, the importer's details where there is one, and instructions and safety information in the language the country requires (Article 12(1) GPSR). For CE-marked products, their own act sets similar checks, plus the CE marking and the required documents.
What must a marketplace listing show?
The manufacturer with postal and electronic address, the responsible person in the EU if the manufacturer is outside the EU, a picture and other product identification, and warnings in the language the country requires (Article 19 GPSR). Marketplaces must let sellers provide these details for each product (Article 22(9) GPSR).
Can we still sell CE-marked products in Great Britain?
For most product types, yes. Since 1 October 2024, UK law sets no end date for accepting CE marking on them in Great Britain; medical devices still have deadlines. If a UK conformity assessment body certifies your product, it carries the UKCA marking. Northern Ireland follows EU rules.
Insights on this topic
GPSR sweep 2026: what marketplace listings still get wrong
Only 58% of listings in the 2026 EU product safety sweep showed the manufacturer, the EU Responsible Person and product ID. What Article 19 GPSR requires.
EU Authorized Representative or importer: which one you need
EU Authorized Representative vs importer: who places your goods on the market, whose name goes on the label and who is liable from December 2026.
Plan your first market with us
Tell us what you sell and where, and we map out your route into the EU and UK.
Get in touch with our team of experts
Tell us what you manufacture and where you want to sell. We identify the requirements for EU and UK market access and come back to you with the next steps.