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# Authorised Representative

> A person established in the Union appointed in writing by a manufacturer to perform specified tasks on behalf of the manufacturer.

## Definition

An authorised representative is a natural or legal person established in the Union who has
received a written mandate from a manufacturer to act on its behalf in relation to specified tasks
arising from that manufacturer's obligations under Union legislation.

## Expanded Explanation

The mandate is the whole of the role. A representative may only do what the mandate assigns, and
certain duties cannot be delegated at all: the manufacturer remains responsible for designing the
product to meet requirements, for the technical documentation and for the conformity assessment
itself.

Typical mandated tasks are keeping the EU declaration of conformity and the technical documentation
available to authorities, cooperating with authorities on request, and providing the information
needed to demonstrate conformity. Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 additionally requires, for certain
product categories, that an economic operator established in the Union exists as a contact point
before products can be placed on the market.

For Digital Product Passports, the representative is often the practical respondent to an authority
request even though the underlying data originates with a manufacturer outside the Union.

## Why It Matters

Where a manufacturer is established outside the Union, the authorised representative is frequently
the only party an authority can reach quickly. An unclear or stale mandate becomes a compliance
failure at exactly the wrong moment.

## Legal and Regulatory Context

Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 sets the obligations of authorised representatives for ecodesign
requirements. Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, Article 4, sets the wider requirement for a responsible
economic operator in the Union.

## Relationship to Adjacent Concepts

The authorised representative is one of the economic operator roles, alongside manufacturer,
importer, distributor and fulfilment service provider.

## Common Misconceptions

#### Appointing a representative transfers legal responsibility

It does not. The manufacturer keeps responsibility for conformity. The representative carries only
the tasks the written mandate assigns.

## Related Terms

* [Economic Operator](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/economic-operator)
* [Technical Documentation](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/technical-documentation)
* [EU Declaration of Conformity](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/eu-declaration-of-conformity)
* [Market Surveillance Authority](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/market-surveillance-authority)

## Related Knowledge Base Articles

* [Who Is Legally Responsible for a Digital Product Passport?](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/who-is-legally-responsible-for-a-digital-product-passport)
* [Who Needs a Digital Product Passport?](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/who-needs-a-digital-product-passport)

## Related Articles

* [Conformity Assessment](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/conformity-assessment)
* [Corrective Action](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/corrective-action)
* [EU Declaration of Conformity](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/eu-declaration-of-conformity)
* [Harmonised Standard](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/harmonised-standard)
* [Market Surveillance](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/market-surveillance)
* [Market Surveillance Authority](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/market-surveillance-authority)
* [Notified Body](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/notified-body)
* [Presumption of Conformity](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/presumption-of-conformity)

## See Also

* [Regulations](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/overview)
* [Governance & Assurance](/docs/knowledge-base/compliance-frameworks/overview)

## References

* Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 establishing a framework for ecodesign requirements:
  [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj)
* Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, Article 4:
  [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1020/oj](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1020/oj)

## About This Article

About This Article

<dl>
  <dt>
    Last Reviewed
  </dt>

  <dd>
    2026-08-09
  </dd>

  <dt>
    Next Scheduled Review
  </dt>

  <dd>
    2027-08-09
  </dd>

  <dt>
    Article Version
  </dt>

  <dd>
    1.0
  </dd>
</dl>

tieback Knowledge is a continuously maintained reference library covering Digital Product
Passports, product traceability, product compliance and related regulations. Articles are
reviewed regularly as legislation, standards and implementation guidance evolve.

## Related Docs

* [Regulations](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/overview)
* [Digital Product Passports](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/overview)
* [Glossary](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/overview)