EU Authorised Representative for GPSR: What You Need, What It Costs, and How to Find One

If you sell physical products in EU markets and you are not based in the EU, you need an EU Authorised Representative. This is not optional guidance — it is a legal requirement under the General Product Safety Regulation (EU 2023/988), which has been in force since December 13, 2024.

Amazon requires an EU Responsible Person for most EU marketplace listings. Market surveillance authorities in Germany, France, and the Netherlands are actively enforcing. This post explains exactly what an AR does, whether you need one, what it costs, and how to choose a legitimate provider without getting ripped off.

What exactly is an EU Authorised Representative?

An EU Authorised Representative is a company or individual legally established in one of the 27 EU member states who acts as the official point of contact for your product in the EU market. Under GPSR, non-EU manufacturers must appoint an AR to take on legal responsibility for product safety compliance on their behalf.

The terms "Authorised Representative" and "Responsible Person" are often used interchangeably in marketplace and compliance contexts. Technically, "Responsible Person" is the broader GPSR term — it refers to whoever is legally responsible for product safety in the EU. An AR is one way to fulfil that role. Other routes include using an EU-based importer who takes legal ownership of goods before sale, or an EU subsidiary of your own company.

UK note: Post-Brexit, a UK-registered company does not qualify as an EU Authorised Representative. Your AR must be incorporated in an EU member state. England, Scotland, and Wales no longer count, regardless of how close to the EU they are geographically.

Critically, an AR is not required to manufacture, inspect, test, or certify your product. They are a legal contact point — a qualified entity willing to hold your technical documentation and respond to regulatory enquiries on your behalf.

Do you actually need an EU Authorised Representative?

Use this decision tree:

Are you established (incorporated) in an EU member state? If yes, you can act as your own Responsible Person. No separate AR required.

Are you UK-based? Yes, you need an EU AR. UK sellers are treated the same as sellers from the US, China, or Australia — you are outside the EU, and a separate EU-established entity must serve as your Responsible Person.

Are you based anywhere else outside the EU (US, Australia, China, Canada)? Yes, you need an EU AR.

Are you selling via Amazon FBA into EU marketplaces? Amazon has made AR appointment a hard requirement for most product listings on Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.it, Amazon.es, and Amazon.nl. Your AR's name and contact details must appear in your listing.

One alternative worth checking: if you use an EU-based importer who takes legal title and ownership of your goods before they are sold, that importer may be able to serve as your Responsible Person instead of a separate AR service. This arrangement must be explicitly agreed with your importer — it is not automatic.

What responsibilities does your EU AR take on?

When you appoint an EU AR, they take on specific, defined legal obligations under GPSR:

• **Document storage:** They must hold a copy of your Declaration of Conformity and your product's technical file, and make these available to market surveillance authorities on request.
• **Regulatory contact:** They act as the official point of contact for EU market surveillance authorities — if regulators investigate your product, communications go through your AR.
• **Safety notifications:** They can receive and respond to safety information requests from authorities on your behalf.
• **Product labelling:** Their name, EU address, and electronic contact details must appear on your product or its packaging. This is a mandatory product-labelling requirement under GPSR Article 16.

What your AR does NOT do:

• They do not test your products or audit your factory
• They do not issue CE certificates or declarations of conformity
• They do not advise you on which standards or tests your product needs

This last point catches many sellers off guard. An AR is a legal address — not a compliance consultant. If your product has not been tested and you do not have a technical file, an AR cannot fix that. You need to get compliant first, then appoint an AR to represent you.

Our [GPSR Compliance Checklist for Amazon Sellers](/resources/blog/gpsr-compliance-checklist-amazon-sellers) covers documentation requirements step by step.

If your product carries a CE mark, note that CE marking alone does not cover all GPSR obligations — see [CE Marking vs GPSR: Are They the Same?](/resources/blog/ce-marking-vs-gpsr) for what CE-marked sellers still need to do.

How much does an EU Authorised Representative cost?

For a standard consumer product with a straightforward compliance profile, expect to pay between EUR 100 and EUR 600 per year for a legitimate AR service. Most small-to-medium catalogue sellers with a single product category will fall at the lower end of this range.

What affects the price:

• **Number of products:** Some providers charge per product, others per category. If you have many SKUs across a single category, a category-based pricing model is usually more economical.
• **Product category complexity:** CE-marked products (electronics, toys, machinery) require more active technical file management than non-CE products. Providers typically charge more for these.
• **Additional services included:** Some AR packages include registration in the EU Safety Gate notification system, annual compliance reviews, or translation of your documentation. These add cost but can be worth it.

Warning signs of overcharging: Any quote above EUR 1,500 per year for a single standard consumer product category — without substantial additional compliance services clearly itemised — should prompt questions.

Warning signs of underqualified providers: No visible EU business registration number, no published EU street address, vague or non-existent statements about which EU regulations they cover, no clear description of what they will actually hold on file.

SellSafe's Hunter agent surfaces verified EU AR services matched to your product category. [Start the free audit](https://sellsafe.eu/audit?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=eu_ar_guide) to see which providers are matched to your specific product type — no registration required to view the results.

What to look for when choosing an EU Authorised Representative

Before appointing an AR service, verify these points:

• [ ] **Registered in an EU member state** — not UK, Switzerland, or Norway. Ask for their EU company registration number and verify it against the relevant national register.
• [ ] **Published EU street address** — a verifiable physical address, not a PO box or virtual office with no physical presence.
• [ ] **Experience with your product category** — toys, electronics, cosmetics, and food-contact materials each sit under different underlying EU directives. AR providers who understand this will handle your documentation more reliably.
• [ ] **Clear scope statement** — a legitimate provider will state exactly which documents they will hold, how requests from authorities will be handled, and what falls outside their scope.
• [ ] **Transparent pricing** — full pricing visible upfront, with no hidden annual administration fees or surprise charges at renewal.
• [ ] **References or verifiable client list** — useful but not always available. More important is whether the provider can clearly articulate their responsibilities.

The cheapest option is not automatically the worst. Some low-cost AR services provide perfectly adequate basic representation for simple, non-CE product categories. The risk is with providers who offer only an address but provide no real compliance infrastructure behind it.

Getting your AR in place

An EU Authorised Representative is a straightforward requirement with a clear, established market of providers. For most sellers, it costs under EUR 300 per year and can be arranged within days.

The process: identify a qualified provider for your product category, sign a formal appointment agreement (sometimes called an "AR Agreement" or "Mandate Agreement"), and update your product packaging and Amazon listing with the AR's contact details.

SellSafe's Hunter agent finds and surfaces verified EU AR services matched to your product category. [Start the free audit](https://sellsafe.eu/audit?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=eu_ar_guide) to see your options — takes about 15 minutes and requires no registration to view the results.