CE marking & ECE marking

To indicate that your items comply with safety, health, and environmental requirements, there is the so-called . For most items brought to market in the European Union (EU), this marking is even mandatory!

Read the whitepaper

Want to know exactly how this works? In this whitepaper on product safety and a valid declaration of conformity, we explain it to you.

CE marking is mandatory for items in the following product categories (note: this does not mean you can sell all these items via bol).

• Explosives for personal use
• Pyrotechnic (all fireworks-related) items
• Construction products
• Toys
• Personal protective equipment
• Electrical, electronic, and energy-related items
• Medical devices (note: additional conditions apply here besides CE markings. You can read more about this in the Medical Devices policy)
• Measuring and weighing equipment
• Machinery, safety components, lifting and hoisting tools, as well as chains and cables
• Means of transport

ECE marking is mandatory for items in the following product categories (note: this does not mean you can sell all these items via bol):

• Car seats
• Car lamps
• Helmets

Your responsibilities depend on your role – whether you are the importer, distributor, or manufacturer. In this RVO overview, you can check if CE marking is mandatory for your item. It is your own responsibility to determine if the items you sell require CE marking.

1. Fill in the 'CE marking' content. This is found under mandatory information in your seller account. Here, using a dropdown menu, you can indicate that the CE marking is 'Visible' (on your item, on its packaging, or in its manual). If your item does not fall under CE regulations, you can select 'Not applicable' here. bol will then check if this is correct. For your existing offer, you are not required to upload a photo.
2. For new items, for which no content is yet available, an additional rule applies. You must provide a PDF file type of the CE marking as it appears on the item.
   Instructions and examples for adding CE marking can be found here.
3. The trade name and contact address of the manufacturer or importer in Europe: As of March 1, 2024, it is mandatory to fill in the attribute 'Trade name and contact address of manufacturer or importer in EU' in your seller account. You can find this attribute under the mandatory information in your seller account. Here you fill in the name and contact address of the manufacturer or importer in the EU. The information entered is not visible on bol, and we do not search for the purchasing channel. This only serves to show that the entered information is also visible/present on the item or its packaging.

1. As of March 1, 2024, it is mandatory to fill in the 'ECE marking' attribute in your seller account. You can find this attribute under the mandatory information in your seller account. Here, using a dropdown menu, you can indicate that the ECE marking is 'Visible' (on your item, on its packaging, or in its manual). If your item does not fall under ECE regulations, you can select 'Not applicable' here. bol will then check if this is correct. For your existing offer, you are not required to upload a photo.
2. For new items, for which no content is yet available, as of March 1, 2024, you must upload a photo (JPEG or PDF file type) of the ECE marking on the item. If this is not technically possible, a photo of the ECE marking on the packaging or in the manual is also sufficient. To add the ECE marking, you can use the instructions for CE markings, which you can find here.
3. The trade name and contact address of the manufacturer or importer in Europe:
   For your existing and new items, we ask you to fill in the field 'Trade name and contact address of manufacturer or importer in EU' under optional information in your seller account as of August 24, 2023. As of March 1, 2024, this is mandatory. Here you fill in the name and contact address of the manufacturer or importer in the EU. The information entered is not visible on bol, and we do not search for the purchasing channel. This only serves to show that the entered information is also visible/present on the item or its packaging.
   

• Do you sell an item from a country outside the EU and sell it under the brand name of that manufacturer? Then you are an importer and bear extra responsibility for this.
• Are you not a manufacturer or importer and do you sell an item within the EU? Then you are a distributor.

If it is still not entirely clear which group you fall into, please consult the Ondernemersplein of the KvK.
We check your content for completeness and accuracy.

• If it concerns toys and the item has safety warnings, add this content as text under 'Safety warnings'.

• Ensure you have the various documents and proof of approval (declaration of conformity) belonging to the item ready. bol and the authorities may request these.

Should you need help with the above, it is advisable to consult the following sources:

• The website of the RVO;
• The website of the European Commission;
• Our service partners who can provide you with advice; and
• Our policy on the Partnerplatform with associated video and infosheet.

You can recognize the CE marking by the familiar CE symbol. This must be applied to the item or an accompanying data plate. An ECE marking is recognizable by the round logo with an E in the middle, often on an orange sticker. You must attach this to the item. It may be technically impossible to do this for a CE marking. In that case, you may also affix the CE marking to the product packaging or an accompanying document (the correct image can be found here).

The (safety) rules are legally determined. This means you must be able to demonstrate that you have the necessary (E)CE marking(s). This is important because otherwise, you violate the law. If you do not comply with bol's policy, we will take your item offline. We do this to prevent customers from being endangered by potentially unsafe items.

Our service partners are happy to help you with all requirements regarding product safety. They also offer advice and guidance on testing, certification, markings, quality, labeling, writing manuals, and designing packaging. Read more about our service partners and how they can help you on our Partnerplatform.