What information about the Responsible Person must appear on the product itself?

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Jason van de Zande

Under the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR), responsible person identification must be provided so that authorities and consumers can reach an EU-based economic operator regarding product safety. In practice, this means showing the responsible person’s name and an EU postal address and, where required, an electronic contact point. The details must appear on the product or, if that is not feasible, on the packaging or in an accompanying document.

What Responsible Person information must be shown on the product under the GPSR?

The GPSR requires the responsible person to be identifiable and reachable in the EU. At a minimum, you should provide the responsible person’s name (or registered trade name) and a postal address in the EU. Where appropriate, include an electronic contact detail, such as an email address, to enable efficient communication. If it is not feasible to place this on the product itself, the same information must be provided on the packaging or in an accompanying document.

  • Name: legal entity name or registered trade name of the responsible person
  • Postal address: an EU address where the responsible person can be contacted
  • Electronic contact: typically an email address, when used as a contact channel

A website alone is usually not a reliable “contact detail” for authorities, so use an email address when you provide electronic contact information.

Where exactly should the Responsible Person details be placed (product, packaging, or documents)?

Place the responsible person details on the product itself first. If that is not feasible due to size, nature, or surface constraints, put the details on the packaging. If neither the product nor the packaging can reasonably carry the information, include it in an accompanying document (for example, instructions or a leaflet). Wherever it appears, the information must be easy to find, legible, and durable for the expected life of the product and its packaging.

  1. Product: preferred location, most robust for traceability
  2. Packaging: acceptable when product marking is not feasible
  3. Accompanying document: last resort when neither product nor packaging works

Also align your online listing information with the physical label. Marketplaces and authorities often compare the responsible person block shown in product images, manuals, and listings for consistency.

What are common mistakes that make Responsible Person labeling non-compliant?

Most responsible person labeling failures stem from incomplete contact details, non-EU addresses, or inconsistencies across the label, listing, and technical documentation. Fixing these issues usually means making the contact block more specific, more traceable, and consistent everywhere it appears. If you sell through online marketplaces, mismatches are a frequent reason for compliance rejection during listing checks.

  • Using only a PO box instead of a full postal address where the responsible person can be contacted in the EU
  • Missing the country in the address, making the EU establishment unclear
  • Listing a non-EU address for the responsible person
  • Website-only contact with no email address provided
  • Illegible or non-durable marking, for example, low-contrast print or easily rubbed-off ink
  • Inconsistency between the label, packaging, instructions, and online listing (name, address formatting, model identifiers)
  • Role confusion, mixing up manufacturer, importer, authorised representative, and responsible person blocks, or labeling a customs “Importer of Record” as the product-law importer

If you also use an authorised representative, do not rely on a symbol alone. Provide the full contact block wherever the role is shown.

How does EARP help with Responsible Person information on product labeling?

We help you get the responsible person information right on the product, packaging, and supporting materials, so it matches GPSR expectations and is ready for checks under the Market Surveillance Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 (MSR). Our support is practical and documentation-focused, so you can implement changes quickly and keep your listings consistent.

  • We review your label, packaging, and instructions to confirm the required responsible person fields are present and correctly formatted.
  • We provide our EU responsible person identification details for use on your product labeling where applicable.
  • We check consistency across labels, manuals, and marketplace images to reduce avoidable rejections.
  • We verify that your technical documentation is complete and can be made available to authorities upon request.
  • We support your internal process for notifying the manufacturer when we have reason to believe a product presents a risk, as required by the MSR.

To discuss your products and labeling setup, visit our services page or contact us to get started.

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