We import power adapters and chargers
An importer of mains adapters and chargers must check, before placing them on the market, that the manufacturer has carried out the conformity assessment under the Low Voltage, EMC and RoHS Directives, drawn up the technical documentation, affixed the CE marking and supplied the required documents. Add your own name and postal address, keep the declaration for 10 years and check the ecodesign rules for external power supplies.
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Reviewed 5 October 2026 by the Conphora compliance team · Not legal advice
Why this happens
A power adapter sits under several acts at once. The Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU applies to electrical equipment designed for use with a voltage rating between 50 and 1 000 V AC or 75 and 1 500 V DC (Article 1), and an importer may place only compliant equipment on the market (Article 8(1)). Before doing so, the importer ensures that the manufacturer carried out the conformity assessment, drew up the technical documentation, affixed the CE marking and supplied the required documents, and marked the product with a type or serial number and its own name and postal address (Article 8(2)).[1]
The EMC Directive 2014/30/EU gives the importer the same checks for electromagnetic compatibility (Article 9(2)), and both directives require a single EU declaration of conformity where a product is subject to more than one Union act requiring one (Low Voltage Directive Article 15(3); EMC Directive Article 15(3)). The importer keeps a copy of the declaration for 10 years and makes sure the technical documentation can be made available on request (Low Voltage Directive Article 8(8); EMC Directive Article 9(7)).[2]
RoHS adds the substance check. Electrical and electronic equipment, including cables and spare parts, must not contain lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, PBB, PBDE or the four listed phthalates above the maximum concentrations in Annex II (RoHS Directive Article 4). Importers place only compliant equipment on the market, check the CE marking and documents, put their name and address on the product, and keep a register of non-compliant equipment and recalls (Article 9).[3]
Ecodesign is the fourth layer. Regulation (EU) 2019/1782 sets limits for no-load power consumption and average active efficiency of external power supplies of up to 250 W used with household and office equipment, and requires nameplate and published information, all from 1 April 2020 (Article 2(1), Article 9 and Annex II). The conformity assessment follows Article 8 of the Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC (Article 4(1)). Regulation (EU) 2025/2052 replaces it from 14 December 2028 and extends the ecodesign rules to wireless chargers, battery chargers for portable batteries of general use and USB Type-C cables (Articles 1, 8 and 10).[4][6]
The importer is also the Union contact point. For products under these directives, Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 requires an economic operator established in the Union to be responsible for keeping the declaration, answering authorities and cooperating on corrective action, and its name and contact details must be on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document (Article 4).[5]
How to solve it
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Map the acts that apply to the adapter
A mains adapter is electrical equipment for a voltage between 50 and 1 000 V AC on its input side, so the Low Voltage Directive applies; it is apparatus under the EMC Directive and electrical and electronic equipment under RoHS. An external power supply of up to 250 W used with household and office equipment is also covered by ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2019/1782.
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Check the manufacturer's evidence before the first shipment
Before placing the adapters on the market, make sure the manufacturer has carried out the conformity assessment, drawn up the technical documentation, affixed the CE marking and supplied the required documents, and that the product carries a type, batch or serial number and the manufacturer's name and postal address. Adapters made for another market, such as UK or US plug versions, are not designed for the Union market; the Commission's Blue Guide says whoever places such products must assume the role of the manufacturer.
Product validationCompliance engine Open in the console -
Add your own name, address and the instructions
Put your name, registered trade name or trade mark and postal address on the adapter, or where that is not possible on the packaging or an accompanying document, in a language end-users and authorities understand. Make sure instructions and safety information are in a language consumers in the destination country understand.
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Check the external power supply nameplate and data
Since 1 April 2020, the nameplate of an external power supply shows output power, output voltage and output current, and the instructions and the free-access website of the manufacturer, importer or authorised representative publish the listed data, including average active efficiency. The no-load power and efficiency limits in Annex II apply from the same date. Regulation (EU) 2025/2052 repeals and replaces Regulation (EU) 2019/1782 from 14 December 2028; external power supplies that already meet it may be placed on the market from 14 December 2025 (Articles 8, 9(3) and 10).
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Keep the declaration and know your supply chain
Keep a copy of the EU declaration of conformity for 10 years after placing on the market and make sure the technical documentation can be produced on request. Where one product is covered by several acts, there is a single declaration naming all of them. Be able to name your supplier and your customers for 10 years.
Documentation generatorCompliance engine Open in the console -
Sample, register and act on complaints
Where the risks justify it, carry out sample testing of adapters on the market, investigate and, if necessary, keep a register of complaints, non-conforming products and recalls, and keep distributors informed. Under RoHS, importers keep a register of non-compliant equipment and recalls.
Work through the steps in the platform with your own product.
What you need to show
| Document | Where it comes from | Legal ground |
|---|---|---|
| One EU declaration of conformity covering LVD, EMC and RoHS | The manufacturer; you keep a copy | Low Voltage Directive Articles 8(8) and 15(3); EMC Directive Articles 9(7) and 15(3); RoHS Directive Article 9(g) |
| Technical documentation available on request | The manufacturer | Low Voltage Directive Article 8(2) and (8); EMC Directive Article 9(2) and (7) |
| Declared values for the external power supply | The manufacturer | Regulation (EU) 2019/1782 Article 4(2) and Annex II, point 2 |
| Records of who supplied you and whom you supplied | Your own purchase and sales records | Low Voltage Directive Article 11; EMC Directive Article 12; RoHS Directive Article 12 |
If you do nothing
Your brand on the box makes you the manufacturer
An importer that places equipment on the market under its own name or trade mark, or modifies it so that compliance may be affected, is considered the manufacturer and takes on all the manufacturer's obligations (Low Voltage Directive Article 10; EMC Directive Article 11; RoHS Directive Article 11).[1]
Authorities can stop, withdraw or recall
Where an authority has sufficient reason to believe that electrical equipment presents a risk to the health or safety of persons or domestic animals, or to property, and its evaluation finds that it does not comply, it requires corrective action, withdrawal or recall within a reasonable period, and takes provisional measures to prohibit, restrict, withdraw or recall if the operator does not act (Low Voltage Directive Article 19(1) and (4)).[1]
Penalties under national law
Member States lay down effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties for infringements by economic operators, which may include criminal penalties for serious infringements (Low Voltage Directive Article 24; EMC Directive Article 42).[1]
Questions about this problem
We sell the chargers under our own brand. Does that change anything?
Yes. You are then treated as the manufacturer, with the duty to carry out the conformity assessment, draw up the technical documentation and sign the declaration yourself (Low Voltage Directive Article 10; EMC Directive Article 11; RoHS Directive Article 11).
Does RoHS apply to the cable as well?
Yes. Equipment placed on the market, including cables and spare parts for its repair, must not contain the restricted substances above the maximum concentrations in Annex II, measured in homogeneous materials (RoHS Directive Article 4(1) and (2)).
Do we need an address in the EU on the product?
An importer is by definition established in the Union and puts its own name and postal address on the product (Low Voltage Directive Articles 2(5) and 8(3)). For products under these directives, an economic operator established in the Union must be responsible and indicated on the product, its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document (Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, Article 4(1) and (4)).
Do the USB-C rules apply to our chargers?
The common charger requirements in the Radio Equipment Directive are addressed to the listed radio devices, not to a stand-alone power adapter. Your adapters follow the Low Voltage, EMC, RoHS and ecodesign rules.
How long do we keep the paperwork?
A copy of the declaration of conformity for 10 years after the adapter was placed on the market, and the ability to name your suppliers and customers for 10 years (Low Voltage Directive Articles 8(8) and 11).
Sources
- Directive 2014/35/EU on electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits (consolidated text of 30 May 2026) EUR-Lex · accessed 4 October 2026
- Directive 2014/30/EU on electromagnetic compatibility (consolidated text of 30 May 2026) EUR-Lex · accessed 4 October 2026
- Directive 2011/65/EU on the restriction of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (consolidated text of 1 July 2026) EUR-Lex · accessed 4 October 2026
- Regulation (EU) 2019/1782 laying down ecodesign requirements for external power supplies EUR-Lex · accessed 4 October 2026
- Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 on market surveillance and compliance of products (consolidated text of 12 August 2026) EUR-Lex · accessed 4 October 2026
- Regulation (EU) 2025/2052 laying down ecodesign requirements for external power supplies, wireless chargers, battery chargers and USB Type-C cables EUR-Lex · accessed 4 October 2026
About this page
- Reviewer
- Conphora compliance team
- Reviewed
- 5 October 2026
General information, not legal advice. Check the legal text or ask an adviser about your own product.
Conphora (2026). We import power adapters and chargers. Retrieved 13 October 2026 from https://www.conphora.com/solutions/problem/power-adapter-imported/
Conphora (2026) We import power adapters and chargers. Available at: https://www.conphora.com/solutions/problem/power-adapter-imported/ (Accessed 13 October 2026).
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title = {We import power adapters and chargers},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.conphora.com/solutions/problem/power-adapter-imported/},
note = {Retrieved 13 October 2026}
} See it working before you add a product
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