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LiftD CE / Product Safety 11 min Changing in the next 12 months

LiftD: Lifts Directive (Directive 2014/33/EU), explained

The Lifts Directive requires lifts permanently serving buildings and the Annex III safety components for lifts to meet essential health and safety requirements, with notified-body assessment and CE marking, binding installers for lifts and manufacturers and importers for components. It has applied since 20 April 2016; the emergency procedures of Directive (EU) 2024/2749 apply from 30 May 2026.

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Reviewed 24 September 2026 by Conphora compliance team · Next review 12 March 2027 · Not legal advice

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Who it applies to

Covered by the act

  • Lifts permanently serving buildings and constructions and intended for the transport of persons, of persons and goods, or of goods alone if the carrier is accessible (a person may enter it without difficulty) and fitted with controls inside the carrier or within reach of a person inside it
  • A lift is a lifting appliance serving specific levels with a carrier moving along rigid guides inclined at more than 15 degrees to the horizontal, or moving along a fixed course even without rigid guides
  • The six safety components for lifts listed in Annex III for use in such lifts: devices for locking landing doors, devices to prevent falls or uncontrolled movements of the car, overspeed limitation devices, energy-accumulating buffers (non-linear or with damping of the return movement) and energy-dissipating buffers, safety devices fitted to jacks of hydraulic power circuits used as devices to prevent falls, and electric safety devices in the form of safety circuits containing electronic components
  • The economic operators: the installer of the lift, the manufacturer of safety components, their authorised representatives, and the importers and distributors of safety components
  • The person responsible for work on the building or construction, who must exchange information with the installer and keep lift shafts free of piping, wiring and fittings other than those needed for the lift

Derived and downstream products

  • Where the risks of a lift or safety component are wholly or partly covered by specific Union law, the directive does not apply or ceases to apply to those risks from the application of that law (Art. 1(3))
  • Where a relevant risk is not dealt with in Annex I, the essential health and safety requirements of Annex I to Directive 2006/42/EC apply, and point 1.1.2 of that annex applies in any event; Directive 2006/42/EC is repealed with effect from 20 January 2027 by the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 and references to it are read as references to that regulation (Annex I, point 1.1; Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, Art. 51(2))
  • Lifts and safety components conforming to harmonised standards whose references are published in the Official Journal are presumed to conform to the Annex I requirements those standards cover (Art. 14)
  • An importer or distributor that places a safety component on the market under its own name or trade mark, or modifies one in a way that may affect compliance, is treated as the manufacturer (Art. 12)
  • Member States may lay down requirements to protect persons when lifts are put into service or used, provided the lifts are not modified in a way not specified in the directive (Art. 3(3))
  • Where a lift or safety component is also subject to other Union acts requiring an EU declaration of conformity, a single declaration covering all of them is drawn up (Art. 17(3))

Roles under the act

Installer of the lift or manufacturer of the safety component

For a lift, the installer: the natural or legal person who takes responsibility for the design, manufacture, installation and placing on the market of the lift, who carries the manufacturer-type duties of Article 7. For a safety component, the manufacturer: any natural or legal person who manufactures a safety component for lifts or has one designed or manufactured, and markets it under his name or trade mark; an importer or distributor that sells under its own brand or modifies a component in a way that may affect compliance is treated as the manufacturer.

Source · Art. 2, points (6) and (7), Art. 7, Art. 8 and Art. 12
Authorised representative, or the person responsible for the building work

An authorised representative is any natural or legal person established within the Union who has received a written mandate from an installer or a manufacturer to act on his behalf in relation to specified tasks; the mandate cannot cover the duty to design and manufacture to Annex I or to draw up the technical documentation. The person responsible for work on the building or construction is not an economic operator but must exchange the necessary information with the installer and take the steps needed for the proper operation and safe use of the lift, and lift shafts may contain no piping, wiring or fittings other than those necessary for the lift.

Source · Art. 2, point (8), Art. 6 and Art. 9(1)
Importer of safety components

Any natural or legal person established within the Union who places a safety component for lifts from a third country on the Union market; the directive defines importers only for safety components, not for lifts.

Source · Art. 2, point (9)
Distributor of safety components (wholesaler or retailer)

Any natural or legal person in the supply chain, other than the manufacturer or the importer, who makes a safety component for lifts available on the market; the directive defines distributors only for safety components, not for lifts.

Source · Art. 2, point (10)

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Does LiftD apply to your product?

Three questions, a first answer from the regulation’s own scope rules. No account needed.

The rules behind this check
  1. Lifting appliances whose speed is not greater than 0,15 m/s (platform lifts, stair lifts), Construction site hoists, Lifting appliances connected to machinery and intended exclusively for access to workstations, including maintenance and inspection points on the machinery, Lifting appliances fitted in means of transport, Cableways and funicular railways, lifts for military or police purposes, lifting appliances from which work can be carried out, mine winding gear, lifting appliances for performers during artistic performances, and rack and pinion trains · any · any Not in scope Article 1(2) excludes lifting appliances whose speed is not greater than 0,15 m/s, construction site hoists, cableways including funicular railways, lifts specially designed and constructed for military or police purposes, lifting appliances from which work can be carried out, mine winding gear, lifting appliances intended for lifting performers during artistic performances, lifting appliances fitted in means of transport, lifting appliances connected to machinery and intended exclusively for access to workstations including maintenance and inspection points on the machinery, and rack and pinion trains; the Commission notes that other lifts and lifting devices fall under the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC (the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 from 20 January 2027) or the Cableway Installations Regulation (EU) 2016/424. Source · Art. 1(2), points (a) to (j)Source
  2. Escalators and mechanical walkways · any · any Not in scope Escalators and mechanical walkways are excluded by Article 1(2), point (k); according to the Commission's lifts page, lifts and lifting devices outside the Lifts Directive are covered by the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, to be replaced by the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on 20 January 2027. Source · Art. 1(2), point (k)Source
  3. Lifts and safety components conforming to Directive 95/16/EC and placed on the market before 20 April 2016 · any · any Not in scope Member States may not impede the putting into service of lifts or the making available of safety components covered by Directive 95/16/EC that conform to that directive and were placed on the market before 20 April 2016; certificates and decisions issued by notified bodies under Directive 95/16/EC remain valid under the new directive. Source · Art. 44
  4. Lifts permanently serving buildings or constructions for the transport of persons, or persons and goods, Goods-only lifts whose carrier a person can enter without difficulty and which have controls inside or within reach of the carrier, Model lifts and the lifts derived from them within the permitted variations (Art. 2(3)) · Installer of the lift or manufacturer of the safety component, Authorised representative, or the person responsible for the building work · any In scope Lifts permanently serving buildings and constructions for the transport of persons, persons and goods, or goods alone in an accessible carrier may be placed on the market and put into service only if they comply with the directive; the installer carries the Article 7 duties and may mandate an authorised representative, the person responsible for the building work owes the Article 6 cooperation, and a model lift's technical documentation must specify all permitted variations with maximum and minimum values. The obligations contain no company-size threshold. Source · Art. 1(1), Art. 4(1), Art. 6, Art. 7, Art. 9 and Art. 16(3)
  5. Lifts permanently serving buildings or constructions for the transport of persons, or persons and goods, Goods-only lifts whose carrier a person can enter without difficulty and which have controls inside or within reach of the carrier, Model lifts and the lifts derived from them within the permitted variations (Art. 2(3)) · Importer of safety components, Distributor of safety components (wholesaler or retailer) · any It depends The directive defines importers and distributors only for safety components for lifts; for a complete lift the person who takes responsibility for its design, manufacture, installation and placing on the market is the installer and carries the Article 7 duties, whoever built the components, so check which party takes that responsibility in the contract chain. Source · Art. 2, points (6), (9) and (10), and Art. 7
  6. Safety components for lifts listed in Annex III (landing-door locks, fall-prevention devices, overspeed limiters, buffers, hydraulic jack safety devices, electronic safety circuits) · Installer of the lift or manufacturer of the safety component, Importer of safety components, Distributor of safety components (wholesaler or retailer), Authorised representative, or the person responsible for the building work · any In scope The six safety components listed in Annex III for use in lifts within the directive may be made available on the market and put into service only if they comply with the directive; the manufacturer, importer and distributor carry the Article 8, 10 and 11 duties, an importer or distributor selling under its own brand or modifying the component becomes the manufacturer, and there is no company-size threshold. Source · Art. 1(1), second subparagraph, Art. 4(2), Art. 8, Art. 10, Art. 11, Art. 12 and Annex III
  7. any · any · any It depends Whether the directive applies turns on whether the appliance is a lift permanently serving a building or construction with an accessible carrier, whether the component is one of the six Annex III safety components, whether an Article 1(2) exclusion or the Article 44 transitional rule applies, and which role the operator holds. Source · Art. 1, Art. 2 and Art. 44

Key dates

  1. Directive 2014/33/EU adopted by the European Parliament and the Council as a recast of Directive 95/16/EC Source · title and signature block after Art. 49
  2. Entry into force, the twentieth day after publication in OJ L 96 of 29 March 2014 Source · Art. 48, first paragraph
  3. Deadline for Member States to adopt and publish their transposing laws; Article 1, Article 2 points 1 to 4, Articles 3 to 6, 15 and 16, Article 19(1) to (4), Article 44, Article 45(2), Article 49, Annex I, Annex III and the listed parts of Annexes II and IV to XII apply directly from this date Source · Art. 45(1) and Art. 48, second paragraph
  4. National measures apply; Directive 95/16/EC repealed; lifts and safety components conforming to the old directive and placed on the market before this date may still be put into service or made available, and notified-body certificates and decisions issued under it stay valid Source · Art. 44, Art. 45(1) and Art. 47
  5. Directive (EU) 2024/2749 in force: internal market emergency procedures inserted as Chapter Va (Articles 41a to 41e); transposition by 29 May 2026 Source · Art. 6, Art. 11 and Art. 12
  6. National measures transposing the emergency procedures of Directive (EU) 2024/2749 apply; in Denmark executive order nr. 491 of 28 May 2026 inserts sections 11 a to 11 c in the lifts order, makes Erhvervsstyrelsen the authority that issues the Article 41c authorisations and requires the Article 41c(3) information and marking to be in Danish or English Source · Art. 11(2)Source · § 1, nr. 5, og § 2
  7. Directive 2006/42/EC, which Annex I points 1.1 and 5.1 refer to for the machinery requirements, is repealed by the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230; references are read as references to that regulation Source · Art. 51(2) and Art. 54 as corrected by the corrigendum in OJ L 169 of 4 July 2023Source

What you must do

Obligations by role

Installer of the lift or manufacturer of the safety component14
  • Installers: ensure the lift is designed, manufactured, installed and tested to the Annex I essential health and safety requirements. Manufacturers: ensure the safety component is designed and manufactured to Annex I and enables the lift it is incorporated in to meet Annex I. Art. 5, Art. 7(1), Art. 8(1) and Annex I
  • Carry out a risk assessment of the lift or safety component to determine all the requirements that apply to it, and design and construct it taking that assessment into account. Annex I, preliminary remark 3
  • Draw up the technical documentation for the lift or safety component that the chosen conformity assessment procedure requires. Art. 7(2) and Art. 8(2)
  • Carry out, or have carried out, a notified-body conformity assessment: for lifts an Article 16 route (EU-type examination or design examination, followed by final inspection or quality assurance, or unit verification); for safety components an Article 15 route (EU-type examination with random checking or product quality assurance, or full quality assurance). Art. 15 and Art. 16
  • Where the procedure has demonstrated compliance, draw up the EU declaration of conformity with the Annex II structure, translated into the languages the Member State requires and kept up to date, and ensure it accompanies the lift or safety component. Art. 7(2), Art. 8(2) and Art. 17
  • Affix the CE marking before placing on the market, followed by the notified body's identification number where Article 19 requires it. Art. 7(2), Art. 8(2) and Art. 19
  • Keep the technical documentation, the EU declaration of conformity and, where applicable, the approval decisions for 10 years after the lift or safety component was placed on the market. Art. 7(3) and Art. 8(3)
  • Mark the lift, or the safety component or its label, with a type, batch or serial number or other identifier and with your name, registered trade name or trade mark and a single postal contact address, in a language easily understood by end-users and market surveillance authorities. Art. 7(5), Art. 7(6), Art. 8(5) and Art. 8(6)
  • Supply the instructions: for a lift the Annex I point 6.2 instructions with the plans and diagrams for normal use, maintenance, inspection, repair, periodic checks and rescue operations plus a logbook for repairs and periodic checks; for a safety component the Annex I point 6.1 instructions for assembly, connection, adjustment and maintenance; in a language easily understood by end-users as determined by the Member State, clear and intelligible. In Denmark the EU declaration of conformity must be translated into Danish and the instructions written in Danish before a lift is placed on the market or put into service (section 9) and before a safety component is placed on the market, made available or put into service (section 10); for a safety component the instructions for assembly and connection may be drawn up in another EU language where the undertaking uses that language as its working language and the person installing or assembling the component masters it (section 10, second sentence). Art. 7(7), Art. 8(7) and Annex I, point 6§ 9 and § 10
  • Manufacturers of safety components: keep series production in conformity, taking account of changes in design or characteristics and in the harmonised standards or technical specifications referenced. Art. 8(4)
  • Where the risks warrant it, manufacturers sample-test safety components on the market and keep a register of complaints, non-conforming components and recalls, informing distributors and installers; installers investigate and keep a register of complaints and non-conforming lifts. Art. 7(4) and Art. 8(4)
  • If a lift or safety component you placed on the market does not conform, immediately take the corrective measures to bring it into conformity, withdraw or recall a safety component if appropriate, and where it presents a risk inform the competent authorities of the Member States concerned. Art. 7(8) and Art. 8(8)
  • On a reasoned request, provide the authority with all information and documentation demonstrating conformity in a language it understands, and cooperate on measures to eliminate the risks. Art. 7(9) and Art. 8(9)
  • Be able to identify, for 10 years after each supply, the economic operators that supplied you with safety components and the economic operators you supplied. Art. 13
Authorised representative, or the person responsible for the building work6
  • Act only under a written mandate from the installer or manufacturer that sets out the tasks you perform on its behalf. Art. 9
  • Keep the EU declaration of conformity, any quality-system approval decisions and the technical documentation at the disposal of the market surveillance authorities for 10 years after placing on the market. Art. 9(2)(a)
  • On a reasoned request, provide the authority with the information and documentation demonstrating conformity, and cooperate with it on measures to eliminate the risks of the products covered by your mandate. Art. 9(2)(b) and Art. 9(2)(c)
  • Authorised representatives cannot take over the duty to design, manufacture, install and test to Annex I or the duty to draw up the technical documentation; those obligations stay with the installer or manufacturer and cannot form part of the mandate, although the mandate may cover lodging the application for EU-type examination with the notified body. Art. 9(1) and Annex IV, Part A, point 2, and Part B, point 2
  • As the installer, keep the person responsible for work on the building or construction informed of the facts needed for the proper operation and safe use of the lift, and agree with them the steps that ensure it, including a shaft free of piping, wiring or fittings the lift does not need. Art. 6§ 6 and § 8
  • Where the person responsible for the design and manufacture of a lift and the person responsible for its installation and testing are not the same, the former must supply the latter with all the documents and information needed for correct and safe installation and testing. Art. 16(2)
Importer of safety components10
  • Place only compliant safety components on the market, and before doing so ensure that the manufacturer carried out the appropriate Article 15 conformity assessment procedure, drew up the technical documentation, affixed the CE marking, supplied the EU declaration of conformity and the required documents, and applied the identification and address markings; hold a non-conforming component back until it conforms and, where it presents a risk, inform the manufacturer and the market surveillance authorities. Art. 10(1) and Art. 10(2)
  • Indicate your name, registered trade name or trade mark and a postal contact address on the safety component or, where not possible, on its packaging or in an accompanying document, in a language end-users and authorities easily understand. Art. 10(3)
  • Ensure the safety component is accompanied by the Annex I point 6.1 instructions in the language the Member State determines. Art. 10(4)
  • While a safety component is under your responsibility, keep storage and transport conditions from jeopardising its compliance with the essential health and safety requirements. Art. 10(5)
  • Where the risks warrant it, sample-test safety components on the market, investigate complaints, keep a register of complaints, non-conforming components and recalls, and keep distributors and installers informed of that monitoring. Art. 10(6)
  • If a safety component you placed on the market does not conform, immediately take corrective measures, withdraw or recall it if appropriate, and where it presents a risk immediately inform the competent authorities of the Member States where you made it available. Art. 10(7)
  • Keep a copy of the EU declaration of conformity and any approval decisions at the disposal of the market surveillance authorities for 10 years, and ensure the technical documentation can be made available on request. Art. 10(8)
  • On a reasoned request, provide the authority with the information and documentation demonstrating conformity in a language it understands, and cooperate on measures to eliminate the risks. Art. 10(9)
  • Be able to identify, for 10 years after each supply, the economic operators that supplied you with safety components and the economic operators you supplied. Art. 13
  • If you place a safety component on the market under your own name or trade mark, or modify a component already on the market in a way that may affect compliance, you carry the manufacturer's obligations under Article 8. Art. 12
Distributor of safety components (wholesaler or retailer)6
  • Act with due care and, before making a safety component available, verify that it bears the CE marking, is accompanied by the EU declaration of conformity, the required documents and the Annex I point 6.1 instructions in the language the Member State determines, and that the manufacturer and importer have applied their identification and address markings; hold a non-conforming component back and, where it presents a risk, inform the manufacturer or importer and the market surveillance authorities. Art. 11(1) and Art. 11(2)
  • Keep storage and transport conditions from jeopardising the component's compliance with the essential health and safety requirements while it is under your responsibility. Art. 11(3)
  • If a safety component you made available does not conform, make sure the corrective measures to bring it into conformity, withdraw or recall it are taken, and where it presents a risk immediately inform the competent authorities of the Member States concerned. Art. 11(4)
  • On a reasoned request, provide the authority with the information and documentation demonstrating conformity, and cooperate on measures to eliminate the risks of safety components you made available. Art. 11(5)
  • Be able to identify, for 10 years after each supply, the economic operators that supplied you with safety components and the economic operators you supplied. Art. 13
  • If you sell a safety component under your own name or trade mark or modify it in a way that may affect compliance, you take on the manufacturer's obligations. Art. 12

LiftD in plain terms

The Lifts Directive (LiftD), formally Directive 2014/33/EU, is the EU’s safety law for lifts that permanently serve buildings and constructions and for the safety components built into them. It applies to lifts intended for the transport of persons, of persons and goods, or of goods alone if the carrier is accessible and has controls inside or within reach of a person inside it, and to the safety components for lifts listed in Annex III (Art. 1(1)). Member States may allow such lifts to be placed on the market and put into service, and such safety components to be made available and put into service, only if they comply with the directive when properly installed or incorporated, maintained and used as intended (Art. 4).

The directive covers two products with two responsible parties. The lift is an installation that becomes part of a building, and the person who takes responsibility for its design, manufacture, installation and placing on the market is the installer (Art. 2, point (6)). A safety component is a product in its own right, and whoever manufactures it or has it made and markets it under his name or trade mark is the manufacturer (Art. 2, point (7)). The 2014 text is a recast of Directive 95/16/EC aligned with the New Legislative Framework, adding the economic operator duties, traceability and market surveillance procedures shared with the other CE-marking directives. As a directive it works through national law: Member States had to transpose it by 19 April 2016 and apply it from 20 April 2016 (Art. 45).

Official text Read the directive on EUR-Lex: Directive 2014/33/EU (CELEX 32014L0033), or the consolidated text of 30 May 2026 that includes the internal market emergency procedures.

Scope

A lift is a lifting appliance serving specific levels, having a carrier moving along guides which are rigid and inclined at an angle of more than 15 degrees to the horizontal, or a lifting appliance moving along a fixed course even where it does not move along rigid guides (Art. 2, point (1)); the carrier is the part by which persons or goods are supported (Art. 2, point (2)). Article 1(2) removes eleven kinds of appliance: lifting appliances whose speed is not greater than 0,15 m/s; construction site hoists; cableways, including funicular railways; lifts specially designed and constructed for military or police purposes; lifting appliances from which work can be carried out; mine winding gear; lifting appliances intended for lifting performers during artistic performances; lifting appliances fitted in means of transport; lifting appliances connected to machinery and intended exclusively for access to workstations including maintenance and inspection points on the machinery; rack and pinion trains; and escalators and mechanical walkways. The Commission’s lifts page adds that lifts and lifting devices outside the directive fall under the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, to be replaced by the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on 20 January 2027, or the Cableway Installations Regulation (EU) 2016/424. Where the risks of a lift or safety component are wholly or partly covered by specific Union law, the directive does not apply or ceases to apply to those risks (Art. 1(3)).

Annex III lists six safety components: devices for locking landing doors; devices to prevent the car from falling or uncontrolled movements (the Annex I point 3.2 devices); overspeed limitation devices; energy-accumulating buffers that are non-linear or damp the return movement, and energy-dissipating buffers; safety devices fitted to jacks of hydraulic power circuits where used as devices to prevent falls; and electric safety devices in the form of safety circuits containing electronic components.

The economic operators are the installer, the manufacturer, the authorised representative, the importer and the distributor (Art. 2, point (11)). Importers and distributors are defined for safety components only: an importer places a safety component from a third country on the Union market, and a distributor makes one available further down the chain (Art. 2, points (9) and (10)). An importer or distributor that sells a safety component under its own name or trade mark, or modifies one in a way that may affect compliance, takes on the manufacturer’s obligations (Art. 12). The person responsible for work on the building or construction is not an economic operator but must exchange the necessary information with the installer and take the steps needed for proper operation and safe use, and lift shafts may contain no piping, wiring or fittings other than those necessary for the lift (Art. 6). Member States may still lay down requirements to protect persons when lifts are put into service or used, as long as the lifts are not modified in a way not specified in the directive (Art. 3(3)).

What you must do

Essential health and safety requirements

Lifts must satisfy the essential health and safety requirements of Annex I, and safety components must satisfy them and enable the lifts they are incorporated in to satisfy them (Art. 5). The requirements apply only where the corresponding risk exists, and the manufacturer and the installer must carry out a risk assessment to identify all the risks that apply to their products and design to it (Annex I, preliminary remarks). Where a relevant risk is not dealt with in Annex I, the essential health and safety requirements of Annex I to Directive 2006/42/EC apply, and point 1.1.2 of that annex applies in any event (Annex I, point 1.1). Directive 2006/42/EC is repealed with effect from 20 January 2027 by the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, and references to it are then read as references to that regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, Art. 51(2)); the Commission has published guidance on the transition for lifts and safety components.

Annex I then runs through the general requirements on the carrier, the means of suspension and support, control of loading including overspeed, the lift machinery and the controls (point 1); risks for persons outside the car, including the inaccessibility of the travel space, crushing at the extreme positions and interlocked landing doors (point 2); risks for persons in the car, including the enclosed car, the devices preventing free fall or uncontrolled movement and the buffers (point 3); other risks such as door crushing, fire-resistant landing doors, counterweights, release and evacuation of trapped persons, two-way communication with a rescue service, ventilation, lighting and fire-service control (point 4); the marking of rated load and maximum number of passengers (point 5); and the instructions (point 6). Lifts and safety components conforming to harmonised standards whose references are published in the Official Journal are presumed to conform to the requirements those standards cover (Art. 14).

Conformity assessment with a notified body

Every route involves a notified body. For safety components, Article 15 offers three: EU-type examination under Annex IV Part A (module B) followed by conformity to type with random checking under Annex IX (module C2); EU-type examination followed by conformity to type based on product quality assurance under Annex VI (module E); or conformity based on full quality assurance under Annex VII (module H). For lifts, Article 16 offers four: a lift designed and manufactured in accordance with a model lift that has undergone EU-type examination under Annex IV Part B, followed by final inspection under Annex V, product quality assurance under Annex X (module E) or production quality assurance under Annex XII (module D); a lift designed and manufactured under a quality system approved under Annex XI, followed by the same three options; unit verification under Annex VIII (module G); or full quality assurance plus design examination under Annex XI (module H1). Where the person responsible for design and manufacture and the person responsible for installation and testing are not the same, the former must supply the latter with everything needed for correct and safe installation and testing, and all permitted variations between a model lift and the lifts derived from it must be specified with maximum and minimum values in the technical documentation (Art. 16(2) and (3)). Notified bodies are designated by the Member States under Chapter IV (Art. 20 to 36) and listed in NANDO.

EU declaration of conformity and CE marking

The EU declaration of conformity states that the fulfilment of the Annex I requirements has been demonstrated, follows the Annex II model structure with the elements of the relevant annex, is continuously updated and is translated into the languages the Member State requires; where several Union acts require a declaration, a single declaration covers them all. By drawing it up, the manufacturer assumes responsibility for the safety component and the installer for the lift (Art. 17). The CE marking is subject to the general principles of Article 30 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 (Art. 18) and is affixed visibly, legibly and indelibly to each lift car and to each safety component, or to a label inseparably attached to the component, before placing on the market. On lifts it is followed by the identification number of the notified body involved in final inspection, unit verification or quality assurance; on safety components by the number of the body involved in product quality assurance, full quality assurance or random checking (Art. 19).

Obligations by role

Installers ensure the lift has been designed, manufactured, installed and tested to Annex I, draw up the technical documentation and run the Article 16 procedure, draw up the declaration and affix the CE marking, keep the documentation, declaration and approval decisions for 10 years, investigate and register complaints where the risks warrant it, mark the lift with an identifier and their name and address, supply the Annex I point 6.2 instructions and logbook in the language the Member State determines, take corrective action and inform the authorities of risks, and cooperate on request (Art. 7). Manufacturers of safety components carry the same duties for their components under the Article 15 procedures, plus keeping series production in conformity and sample-testing and registering recalls where the risks warrant it (Art. 8). Authorised representatives act under a mandate that must at least cover keeping the documents and cooperating with authorities and cannot take over the design, manufacturing or documentation duties (Art. 9). Importers place only compliant safety components on the market, verify the manufacturer’s work, add their own name and address, ensure the instructions, protect the component in storage and transport, sample-test where the risks warrant it, take corrective action and keep the declaration for 10 years (Art. 10). Distributors verify the CE marking, declaration, documents, instructions and markings before making a component available, protect it in storage and transport and see that corrective action is taken (Art. 11). Every operator identifies who supplied it with and to whom it supplied safety components for 10 years (Art. 13).

Emergency procedures from 30 May 2026

Directive (EU) 2024/2749 inserted Chapter Va. Articles 41b to 41e apply only to lifts and safety components designated as crisis-relevant goods, only while an internal market emergency mode under Regulation (EU) 2024/2747 is active and only after the Commission has adopted the corresponding implementing act (Art. 41a). During such a period notified bodies process the listed products’ conformity assessments as a matter of priority (Art. 41b), a Member State may authorise the placing on the market of a specific listed lift or safety component without the notified-body procedures, in which case it bears no CE marking and the authorisation may be extended to the whole Union by implementing act (Art. 41c), the Commission may list standards or establish common specifications giving a presumption of conformity (Art. 41d), and Member States prioritise market surveillance of the listed products and assist one another (Art. 41e).

In Denmark the chapter is transposed by sections 11 a to 11 c of the lifts order, inserted by executive order nr. 491 of 28 May 2026 with effect from 30 May 2026: the emergency procedures of Chapter Va must be applied once the Commission has adopted the implementing act under Regulation (EU) 2024/2747 for lifts and safety components, Erhvervsstyrelsen issues the Article 41c authorisations and informs the Commission and the other Member States, the information and marking required by Article 41c(3) must be given in Danish or English — a breach of which is fined under section 14(1)(1) — Erhvervsstyrelsen notifies the Commission where it considers that a standard or common specification under Article 41d does not fully meet the essential health and safety requirements, and it prioritises market surveillance and mutual assistance under Article 41e.

Enforcement and penalties

Article 37 makes Article 15(3) and Articles 16 to 29 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 apply to lifts and safety components, and Article 38(1) applies Article 21 of that regulation to the corrective measures; both references are read as references to Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, which lists Directive 2014/33/EU in its Annex I and whose Article 39(1), point (4), deleted Chapter III, Articles 15 to 29, of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 with effect from 16 July 2021, while Article 30 on the CE marking, which Article 18 of the directive cites, is untouched. Where an authority has sufficient reason to believe that a lift or safety component presents a risk to the health or safety of persons or the safety of property, it evaluates it and requires the installer to bring the lift into compliance, or the relevant operator to bring the component into compliance, withdraw or recall it, within a period commensurate with the risk, informing the notified body; if the operator does not act, the authority restricts or prohibits the placing on the market or use of the lift or recalls it, or prohibits or restricts the making available of the component, withdraws or recalls it, and informs the Commission and the other Member States (Art. 38). Compliant lifts and components that still present a risk can be treated the same way (Art. 40), and the Commission decides disputed national measures through the Union safeguard procedure (Art. 39). Formal non-compliance, such as CE marking affixed wrongly or not at all, a missing or wrongly affixed notified-body number, a missing or incorrect declaration, unavailable or incomplete technical documentation, missing name and address or identification markings or missing instructions, must be ended and otherwise leads to restriction or prohibition of use or recall of the lift, or restriction, prohibition, withdrawal or recall of the component (Art. 41).

Penalties are set nationally: Member States lay down effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties for infringements of their transposing laws, which may include criminal penalties for serious infringements (Art. 43). In Denmark, the directive is implemented by executive order nr. 1540 of 10 December 2015 on the design of lifts and safety components for lifts, as amended by executive order nr. 491 of 28 May 2026, which reproduces the directive as its annex 1, requires the EU declaration of conformity to be translated into Danish and the instructions to be written in Danish (§ 9 and § 10) and fines breaches (§ 14), and by the Danish product act (LBK nr. 22 of 8 January 2026), which lists the directive in § 2 and names Erhvervsstyrelsen as control authority in § 9, and whose § 37(1) fines economic operators that breach their duties under §§ 5, 7, 10 to 17, 19 or 21, evade the control authority’s control or misuse the CE marking, and whose § 37(2) raises the penalty to imprisonment of up to 2 years under aggravating circumstances — lifts are product area no. 4 in § 2(1), inside the range § 2(1) nos 1 to 11 and 13 to 43 that § 37(2) covers. Aggravating circumstances are that the infringement created a danger to safety or health, caused an accident with serious injury or death, is a repeat offence or was part of a systematic infringement for financial gain. Sikkerhedsstyrelsen, since January 2026 a department of Erhvervsstyrelsen (the Danish Business Authority) named Markedsovervågning, has been responsible for market surveillance of lifts and safety components as products since 1 December 2018. Since 30 May 2026 the order itself names only Erhvervsstyrelsen: it grants the pre-approval of a reduced refuge space under section 7, designates and withdraws notified bodies under section 11 and hears appeals against their decisions under section 13. The control authority notes that Arbejdstilsynet still supervises lifts and cableway installations that are made to order or imported from third countries for offshore oil and gas activities under the Danish offshore safety act, which follows from section 9(2) of the product act rather than from the lifts order. EU law does not cover the maintenance and modernisation of installed lifts, which remain national matters.

How Conphora helps

Conphora monitors the Lifts Directive, its harmonised standards and the Machinery Regulation transition and maps your lifts and safety components against the Annex I requirements, flagging gaps in the risk assessment, the notified-body route, the technical documentation, the EU declaration of conformity and the markings before they become enforcement problems. The platform helps you build and keep the documentation and the 10-year records, combines the declaration with the other declarations the same product needs, and alerts you when a standard or the directive changes.

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Sources

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

Penalties

Enforced by National market surveillance authorities enforce the national laws transposing the directive with the powers of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, which lists Directive 2014/33/EU in its Annex I (Article 37 of the directive still cites Article 15(3) and Articles 16 to 29 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 and Article 38(1) applies Article 21 of that regulation to the corrective measures; both references are read as references to Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, whose Article 39(1), point (4), deleted Chapter III, Articles 15 to 29, of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 with effect from 16 July 2021, while Article 30 on the CE marking, which Article 18 of the directive cites, is untouched); in Denmark, Sikkerhedsstyrelsen (since January 2026 the Markedsovervågning department of Erhvervsstyrelsen) has controlled lifts and safety components for lifts as products since 1 December 2018 under the Danish product act (lov om produkter og markedsovervågning, LBK nr. 22 of 8 January 2026, § 2 no. 4 and § 9) and executive order nr. 1540 of 10 December 2015 on the design of lifts and safety components for lifts, as amended by executive order nr. 491 of 28 May 2026. Since 30 May 2026 the order itself names only Erhvervsstyrelsen: it grants the pre-approval of a reduced refuge space under section 7, designates and withdraws notified bodies under section 11 and hears appeals against their decisions under section 13. The control authority notes that Arbejdstilsynet still supervises lifts and cableway installations that are made to order or imported from third countries for offshore oil and gas activities under the Danish offshore safety act, which follows from section 9(2) of the product act rather than from the lifts order. The toolkit is corrective action within a period commensurate with the risk, restriction or prohibition of the placing on the market or use of a lift or its recall, prohibition or restriction of the making available, withdrawal or recall of a safety component, orders to end formal non-compliance such as missing CE marking, notified-body number or declaration, and national penalties that must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive and may include criminal penalties for serious infringements.

Member States lay down the rules on penalties for infringements of their national transposing laws by economic operators and enforce them; the penalties must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive and may include criminal penalties for serious infringements. Market surveillance authorities evaluate a lift or safety component that presents a risk to the health or safety of persons or the safety of property, require the installer to bring the lift into compliance, or the relevant operator to bring the component into compliance, withdraw or recall it, within a period commensurate with the risk, inform the notified body, and if the operator fails to act restrict or prohibit the placing on the market or use of the lift or recall it, or prohibit or restrict the making available of the component, withdraw or recall it, and notify the Commission and the other Member States; compliant lifts and components that still present a risk can be treated the same way. Formal non-compliance, such as CE marking affixed wrongly or not at all, a missing or wrongly affixed notified-body number, a missing or incorrect EU declaration of conformity, unavailable or incomplete technical documentation, missing name and address or identification markings or missing instructions, must be ended and otherwise leads to restriction or prohibition of use or recall of the lift, or restriction, prohibition, withdrawal or recall of the component. In Denmark, the directive is implemented by executive order nr. 1540 of 10 December 2015 on the design of lifts and safety components for lifts, as amended by executive order nr. 491 of 28 May 2026, whose § 14 makes breaches of §§ 4 to 6 and 8 to 10 or of the directive's provisions punishable by a fine, and by the Danish product act, whose § 37(1) fines economic operators that breach their duties under §§ 5, 7, 10 to 17, 19 or 21, evade the control authority's control or misuse the CE marking, and whose § 37(2) raises the penalty to imprisonment of up to 2 years under aggravating circumstances — lifts are product area no. 4 in § 2(1), inside the range § 2(1) nos 1 to 11 and 13 to 43 that § 37(2) covers. Aggravating circumstances are that the infringement created a danger to safety or health, caused an accident with serious injury or death, is a repeat offence or was part of a systematic infringement for financial gain. Sikkerhedsstyrelsen, since January 2026 a department of Erhvervsstyrelsen named Markedsovervågning, has been the control authority for lifts and safety components as products since 1 December 2018.

Source · Art. 43, Art. 38, Art. 40 and Art. 41Source · § 14Source · § 1Source · § 2, § 9 and § 37SourceSource

What changed

Entry into force, amendments and Compliance Radar entries for LiftD, newest first.

  1. Guidance

    Guide rewritten from the consolidated text of 30 May 2026

    The body was rewritten from the consolidated directive: the eleven Article 1(2) exclusions and the six Annex III safety components are listed exactly, the Article 15 and 16 conformity routes are mapped to their annexes and modules, the Article 48 direct-application date of 19 April 2016 is added, importers and distributors are described as safety-component roles only (the earlier text said they import lifts), the market surveillance basis is read as Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, the Machinery Regulation transition of 20 January 2027 is added, and the Danish implementation names executive order 1540/2015, the product act and Sikkerhedsstyrelsen's responsibility since 1 December 2018.

    Source · Art. 1, Art. 15, Art. 16, Art. 37 and Annex III
  2. Amendment

    Denmark: the lifts order moves to the product act, Erhvervsstyrelsen replaces Arbejdstilsynet and the emergency procedures are transposed

    Executive order nr. 491 of 28 May 2026 amends executive order nr. 1540 of 10 December 2015 with effect from 30 May 2026. It re-bases the order on the Danish product act (sections 8, 26(2), 31(1) and (2) and 37(3) of LBK nr. 22 of 8 January 2026) instead of the repealed act on the design of certain products, replaces 'Arbejdstilsynet' by 'Erhvervsstyrelsen' throughout, so that the pre-approval of a reduced refuge space (section 7), the designation and withdrawal of notified bodies (section 11) and appeals against notified-body decisions (section 13) now lie with Erhvervsstyrelsen, deletes 'the director of' in section 11(1) and (8), inserts sections 11 a to 11 c transposing Chapter Va, adds section 11 a(3) to the offences fined under section 14(1)(1), and replaces annex 1 with the directive as amended by Directive (EU) 2024/2749.

    Source · § 1, nr. 1–7, og § 2Source
  3. Applies

    Emergency procedures for crisis-relevant lifts and safety components apply

    The national measures transposing Directive (EU) 2024/2749 apply: Articles 41a to 41e let notified bodies prioritise conformity assessments, allow Member States to authorise the placing on the market of listed lifts and safety components without the notified-body procedures, let the Commission list standards or set common specifications giving a presumption of conformity, and require prioritised market surveillance and mutual assistance, for lifts and safety components designated as crisis-relevant goods while an internal market emergency mode under Regulation (EU) 2024/2747 is active.

    Source · Art. 6 and Art. 11Source · Art. 41a to Art. 41e
  4. Amendment

    Directive (EU) 2024/2749 in force: internal market emergency procedures

    The amending directive of 9 October 2024, published on 8 November 2024, adds the definitions of crisis-relevant goods and internal market emergency mode as points (22) and (23) of Article 2 and inserts Chapter Va (Articles 41a to 41e); Member States had to transpose by 29 May 2026 and apply the measures from 30 May 2026.

    Source · Art. 6, Art. 11 and Art. 12
  5. Applies

    Directive 2014/33/EU applies; Directive 95/16/EC repealed

    Member States apply their transposing measures from 20 April 2016 and Directive 95/16/EC is repealed; the directly applicable articles and annexes had applied since 19 April 2016. Lifts and safety components conforming to the old directive and placed on the market before 20 April 2016 may still be put into service or made available, and notified-body certificates issued under it stay valid. In Denmark, executive order nr. 1540 of 10 December 2015 entered into force on the same day.

    Source · Art. 44, Art. 45, Art. 47 and Art. 48Source · § 15
  6. In force

    Directive 2014/33/EU enters into force

    Adopted on 26 February 2014 as a recast of Directive 95/16/EC aligned with the New Legislative Framework and published in OJ L 96 on 29 March 2014, the directive entered into force on the twentieth day after publication; Member States had until 19 April 2016 to transpose it.

    Source · Art. 45(1) and Art. 48

Questions people ask about LiftD

When did the Lifts Directive 2014/33/EU start to apply?

The recast directive was adopted on 26 February 2014, published in the Official Journal on 29 March 2014 and entered into force on 18 April 2014. Member States had to adopt their transposing laws by 19 April 2016 and apply them from 20 April 2016, when Directive 95/16/EC was repealed; Article 48 makes the scope, definitions, essential requirements and conformity assessment articles apply directly from 19 April 2016. Lifts and safety components conforming to the old directive and placed on the market before 20 April 2016 may still be put into service or made available.

Source · Art. 44, Art. 45, Art. 47 and Art. 48
Which lifts does the directive cover and which are excluded?

It covers lifts permanently serving buildings and constructions and intended for the transport of persons, persons and goods, or goods alone if the carrier is accessible and has controls inside or within reach, plus the safety components listed in Annex III. Article 1(2) excludes lifting appliances whose speed is not greater than 0,15 m/s, construction site hoists, cableways including funicular railways, lifts for military or police purposes, lifting appliances from which work can be carried out, mine winding gear, lifting appliances for performers during artistic performances, lifting appliances fitted in means of transport, lifting appliances connected to machinery for access to workstations, rack and pinion trains, and escalators and mechanical walkways.

Source · Art. 1(1) and Art. 1(2)
What counts as a safety component for lifts?

Annex III lists six: devices for locking landing doors; devices to prevent the car from falling or uncontrolled movements (the Annex I point 3.2 devices); overspeed limitation devices; energy-accumulating buffers that are non-linear or damp the return movement, and energy-dissipating buffers; safety devices fitted to jacks of hydraulic power circuits used as devices to prevent falls; and electric safety devices in the form of safety circuits containing electronic components. Each is placed on the market with its own EU-type examination or quality assurance route, EU declaration of conformity and CE marking.

Source · Art. 1(1), Art. 15 and Annex III
Who is the installer, and is it the same as the manufacturer?

The installer is the natural or legal person who takes responsibility for the design, manufacture, installation and placing on the market of the lift; the directive uses the word manufacturer only for whoever manufactures a safety component or has it made and markets it under his name or trade mark. The installer carries the lift-side duties of Article 7 (Annex I compliance, conformity assessment, declaration, CE marking, 10-year records, markings, instructions and corrective action), assumes responsibility for the lift's compliance by drawing up the declaration, and must exchange information with the person responsible for the building work.

Source · Art. 2, points (6) and (7), Art. 6, Art. 7 and Art. 17(4)
Do I need a notified body under the Lifts Directive?

Yes, on every route. For lifts, Article 16 offers EU-type examination of a model lift or an approved quality system followed by final inspection, product quality assurance or production quality assurance, unit verification, or full quality assurance plus design examination; for safety components, Article 15 offers EU-type examination plus random checking or product quality assurance, or full quality assurance. The CE marking is followed by the identification number of the notified body involved in final inspection, unit verification or quality assurance for lifts, and in product quality assurance, full quality assurance or random checking for safety components.

Source · Art. 15, Art. 16, Art. 19(3) and Art. 19(4)
How does the Machinery Directive relate to the Lifts Directive?

Annex I point 1.1 makes the essential health and safety requirements of Annex I to Directive 2006/42/EC apply to any relevant risk the Lifts Directive's own annex does not deal with, and point 1.1.2 of that annex applies in any event; point 5.1 also refers to its marking requirements. Directive 2006/42/EC is repealed with effect from 20 January 2027 by the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, and references to it are then read as references to that regulation; the Commission's lifts page says the Machinery Regulation's essential health and safety requirements will apply to lifts and safety components from that date and has published transition guidance.

Source · Annex I, points 1.1 and 5.1Source · Art. 51(2) and Art. 54Source
Who enforces the Lifts Directive in Denmark, and what do the Danish rules add?

Sikkerhedsstyrelsen, since January 2026 the Markedsovervågning department of Erhvervsstyrelsen, has been responsible for market surveillance of lifts and safety components as products since 1 December 2018. Since 30 May 2026 the order itself names only Erhvervsstyrelsen: it grants the pre-approval of a reduced refuge space under section 7, designates and withdraws notified bodies under section 11 and hears appeals against their decisions under section 13. The control authority notes that Arbejdstilsynet still supervises lifts and cableway installations that are made to order or imported from third countries for offshore oil and gas activities under the Danish offshore safety act, which follows from section 9(2) of the product act rather than from the lifts order. The directive is implemented through the Danish product act, which lists it in § 2 and names Erhvervsstyrelsen as control authority in § 9, and executive order nr. 1540 of 10 December 2015 on the design of lifts and safety components for lifts, as amended by executive order nr. 491 of 28 May 2026, which reproduces the directive as its annex 1 and requires the EU declaration of conformity to be translated into Danish and the instructions to be written in Danish before a lift or safety component is placed on the market or put into service.

SourceSourceSource · § 2 and § 9Source · § 1, § 9 and § 10Source · § 1, nr. 3 og 4

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Sources

  1. Directive 2014/33/EU on lifts and safety components for lifts, consolidated text of 30 May 2026 (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02014L0033-20260530
  2. Directive 2014/33/EU as published in OJ L 96, 29 March 2014 (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32014L0033
  3. Document information, dates and relationships for CELEX 32014L0033 (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32014L0033
  4. Directive (EU) 2024/2749 on emergency procedures for the conformity assessment and market surveillance of products (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32024L2749
  5. Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 on market surveillance and compliance of products, Annex I listing Directive 2014/33/EU (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019R1020
  6. Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery, consolidated text of 27 July 2026, Article 51 repealing Directive 2006/42/EC from 20 January 2027 (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02023R1230-20260727
  7. Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 on accreditation and market surveillance (EUR-Lex) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008R0765
  8. Lifts, including the Guide to Applying the Lifts Directive and the guidance on the transition to the Machinery Regulation (European Commission, DG GROW) https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/mechanical-engineering/lifts_en
  9. Kontrol med elevatorer og tovbaner (Sikkerhedsstyrelsen) https://www.sik.dk/erhverv/produkter/elevatorer-og-tovbaner/kontrol-og-tilsyn/kontrol-elevatorer-og-tovbaner
  10. Sikkerhedsstyrelsen, en del af Erhvervsstyrelsen from January 2026 (Sikkerhedsstyrelsen) https://www.sik.dk/sikkerhedsstyrelsen-del-erhvervsstyrelsen
  11. Bekendtgørelse nr. 1540 af 10. december 2015 om indretning m.v. af elevatorer og sikkerhedskomponenter til elevatorer (Retsinformation) https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2015/1540
  12. Bekendtgørelse nr. 491 af 28. maj 2026 om ændring af bekendtgørelse om indretning m.v. af elevatorer og sikkerhedskomponenter til elevatorer (Retsinformation) https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2026/491
  13. Lov om produkter og markedsovervågning, LBK nr. 22 af 8. januar 2026 (Retsinformation) https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2026/22

About this guide

Reviewed by
Conphora compliance team, Compliance editors, Conphora
Reviewed
24 September 2026
Next review
12 March 2027

Written from the official text on EUR-Lex and the Commission’s guidance, with a source for every fact. It is not legal advice.

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Conphora (2026). LiftD: Lifts Directive (Directive 2014/33/EU), explained. Retrieved 13 October 2026 from https://www.conphora.com/regulations/liftd/
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