GAR - Regulation (EU) 2016/426

What GAR is and why it matters

The Gas Appliances Regulation (GAR) — formally Regulation (EU) 2016/426 on appliances burning gaseous fuels — is the EU’s harmonised safety law for appliances that burn gas and for the fittings used in them. If you make, import or sell gas cookers, hobs, water heaters, boilers, space heaters, gas barbecues, patio heaters or the burners, valves, thermostats and gas-control assemblies that go into them, GAR sets the rules you have to meet before a product can carry the CE marking and be placed on the EU market.

GAR matters because gas appliances combine two hazards that the law treats seriously: the combustion of a flammable fuel and the production of combustion gases, including carbon monoxide. The Regulation therefore demands that appliances be designed and built so they operate safely and present no danger when used normally, and it ties that obligation to a formal conformity-assessment route involving an independent notified body. Choosing GAR was a deliberate shift from the old directive: as a directly applicable regulation it removed the national variation that came with transposing a directive, giving manufacturers a single set of rules across all Member States.

📄 Official text: Regulation (EU) 2016/426 on appliances burning gaseous fuels — on EUR-Lex →

Who GAR applies to

GAR applies across the supply chain, with duties scaling by role. Every link that puts a gas appliance or fitting on the EU market is covered:

Manufacturers — anyone who makes an appliance or fitting, or has it made and markets it under their own name or trademark. They carry the heaviest obligations: ensuring the product meets the essential requirements, running the conformity assessment with a notified body, drawing up technical documentation and the EU declaration of conformity, and affixing the CE marking.
Importers — businesses bringing appliances or fittings from outside the EU into the Union market. They must verify the manufacturer has carried out the right conformity assessment, that the documentation exists and that the CE marking and instructions are in place before they place a product on the market.
Distributors — wholesalers and retailers further down the chain who must act with due care, check that the CE marking, declaration and instructions are present, and not supply products they know or should presume to be non-compliant.
Authorised representatives — operators appointed in writing by a manufacturer to carry out defined tasks on their behalf within the EU.

The Regulation covers both appliances — products burning gaseous fuel used for cooking, heating, hot-water production, refrigeration, lighting, washing and similar purposes — and fittings, the safety, controlling or regulating devices intended to be incorporated into an appliance or assembled to constitute one. Certain products are excluded, such as appliances specifically designed for use in industrial processes carried out on industrial premises.

Key dates and timeline

2016 — Regulation (EU) 2016/426 was adopted and entered into force, beginning the transition from the previous directive.
21 April 2018 — GAR applies from this date. From this point its obligations are enforceable and products placed on the market must comply with the Regulation.
On that same date, GAR repealed the Gas Appliances Directive 2009/142/EC. Because GAR is a regulation rather than a directive, it is directly applicable in all Member States without national transposition, reducing the divergence that existed under the old framework.

Core requirements

Essential requirements for safety and energy

At the heart of GAR are the essential requirements set out in its annex. Appliances and fittings must be so designed and constructed that they function safely and present no danger to persons, domestic animals or property when normally used. The requirements address materials, design and construction, combustion, rational use of energy, instructions and warnings. Appliances must burn the fuel cleanly and stably, limit the release of unburnt gas and dangerous concentrations of combustion products such as carbon monoxide, and be safe against overheating and gas leaks. Each appliance must be accompanied by technical instructions for the installer and instructions for use and servicing for the user, in a language easily understood by users in the Member State concerned.

Conformity assessment via a notified body

Unlike legislation that allows pure self-declaration, GAR requires the involvement of an independent notified body for appliances. Manufacturers choose from the conformity-assessment procedures the Regulation allows, which typically combine an EU-type examination (Module B) — where a notified body examines the design and issues a type-examination certificate — with a production-phase module such as conformity to type based on internal production control plus supervised checks, or quality assurance of the production process. Fittings follow conformity assessment but are not themselves CE-marked; instead they are accompanied by a certificate and instructions describing how they are to be incorporated. Selecting the right module and an appropriate notified body is a defining step of GAR compliance.

Technical documentation and EU declaration of conformity

The manufacturer must compile technical documentation that allows conformity with the essential requirements to be assessed — covering the design, manufacture and operation of the product, the hazards it can present and how they are addressed. On the basis of the assessment, the manufacturer draws up and signs the EU declaration of conformity, stating that the applicable essential requirements have been met and identifying the appliance or fitting, the manufacturer and, where relevant, the notified body involved. The documentation and declaration must be kept available for market surveillance authorities for a defined retention period after the product is placed on the market.

CE marking and traceability

Once conformity is established, the manufacturer affixes the CE marking to the appliance — or to its data plate — together with the identification number of the notified body involved in the production-control phase. Appliances must also carry markings allowing identification, including type, batch or serial number, and the manufacturer’s name, registered trade name or trademark and contact address; importers must add their own details. Appliances must be accompanied by the instructions and the relevant warnings, and where the product’s nature does not allow markings on the item itself, the information goes on the packaging or accompanying documents.

Obligations by role

Manufacturers — ensure the essential requirements are met, carry out conformity assessment with a notified body, hold technical documentation, draw up the EU declaration of conformity, affix the CE marking and ensure traceability and instructions.
Importers — verify the manufacturer’s assessment and documentation, check the CE marking and instructions, add their own identification, refuse non-compliant products and cooperate with authorities.
Distributors — check that the CE marking, declaration and instructions are present, handle and store products with due care, and stop supply of products they believe to be non-compliant.
Authorised representatives — carry out the tasks specified in their mandate, typically keeping documentation available and cooperating with authorities.

Enforcement

Each Member State designates market surveillance authorities to enforce GAR. In Denmark, the Danish Safety Technology Authority (Sikkerhedsstyrelsen) is the competent authority for gas appliances and for gas safety more broadly. Authorities can require corrective action, restrict or prohibit the making available of non-compliant appliances, and order withdrawals and recalls.

Dangerous products are shared EU-wide through the Safety Gate rapid alert system, so a problem identified in one country can trigger action across the Union. Consequences for non-compliance are set at national level and can include orders to stop sales, mandatory recalls, fines and reputational damage from public alerts. For gas appliances the stakes are especially high: a defect that causes leaks or carbon-monoxide exposure can lead not only to enforcement but to serious harm.

Getting compliant

Confirm whether your product is an appliance or a fitting under GAR, and check it is not in an excluded category.
Identify the essential requirements that apply and assess your design against them and against relevant harmonised standards.
Select the appropriate conformity-assessment procedure and engage a notified body for EU-type examination and the production phase.
Compile and retain the technical documentation.
Draw up and sign the EU declaration of conformity.
Affix the CE marking and the notified body’s identification number, and apply traceability markings.
Provide installation, use and servicing instructions and warnings in the right languages.
Set up an internal process to monitor compliance and to act on any non-conformities after the product is on the market.

How Conphora helps

Conphora monitors GAR and maps your products against its requirements, flagging gaps in conformity assessment, technical documentation, the EU declaration of conformity, CE marking and instructions before they become enforcement problems. The platform helps you generate and keep the right documentation, and alerts you when obligations change so your compliance stays current.

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Sources and further reading

This guide is for general information and is not legal advice.

Last updated: 12 June 2026