EU product safety · GPSR Art 9(7)
Which language must your safety warnings be in?
The GPSR requires safety warnings and instructions in a language the consumer can easily understand — as determined by the Member State of sale. Pick your market and role to get the official national language(s), the duty, and the sector-law layer.
Warnings-language requirements map
5 markets · 5 languagesGermany
France
Spain
Italy
Belgium
Each language is the market's official national language(s) from the verified dataset — the GPSR delegates the language to the Member State; confirm with the national authority.
Safety information must be in — Spain
Spanish (Castilian)
These are the official national language(s) of Spain — the reference for the GPSR safety-information requirement there. Confirm the exact acceptable-language requirement with the national authority.
Who must act
As the manufacturer / importer / authorised representative, you must ENSURE the warnings and safety information are in the required language(s) before placing the product on the market.
The GPSR does not list languages — it delegates to the Member State. The language(s) shown are the official national language(s) as a reference; the exact requirement is set by each Member State's transposition and practice. Do not assume English alone is accepted. This is orientation, not legal advice — confirm with the national market-surveillance authority.
The rule, in one line
Under the General Product Safety Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/988, Article 9(7)), applicable from 13 December 2024, a consumer product's safety instructions, warnings and safety information must be in a language easily understood by consumers, as determined by the Member State where the product is made available — in practice each Member State's official national language(s). Importers carry the same duty; distributors and marketplaces must verify it. Sector law (e.g. the Toy Safety Directive) can add stricter language rules.
Official sources:
- The ruleSafety warnings, instructions and safety information must be in a language easily understood by consumers in the Member State where the product is made available (GPSR Art 9(7)).
- Per marketIn practice each Member State requires its own official national language(s) — e.g. France → French, Germany → German, Spain → Spanish, Belgium → Dutch + French + German.
- TranslateKey safety text must be translated into the required language(s). Pictograms and symbols can supplement it but cannot replace mandatory safety wording.
- ManyA seller shipping across the EU must provide the warnings in several languages — one set per market's official language(s), not English alone.
- AppliesThe GPSR applies to products made available from 13 December 2024 (Regulation (EU) 2023/988).
GPSR language rule last reviewed June 2026. Rule + application date verified against Regulation (EU) 2023/988 and the European Commission (2026-06-16). Informational, not legal advice.
What this tool is — and isn't
This checker gives the official national language(s) for an EU market as a reference for the GPSR safety-information requirement (Regulation (EU) 2023/988, Art 9(7)), plus the duty + sector layer. It is an estimate and orientation, not legal advice — the exact acceptable-language requirement is set by each Member State's transposition and practice, and sector law (toys, MDR, cosmetics, food) can be stricter. Verify against the linked official sources.
How the determination works
1. The Member State decides
The GPSR requires safety information in a language easily understood by consumers, as determined by the Member State of sale — so the answer is the market's official national language(s).
2. Your role sets the duty
Manufacturers and importers must ensure the language requirement is met; distributors and marketplaces must verify it before making the product available.
3. Exceptions + sector law
The Art 9(7) exception relaxes instruction translation (not warnings) for products usable safely without instructions. Sector law (e.g. toys) can add stricter language rules.
Frequently asked questions
- Which language must safety warnings be in?
- A language easily understood by consumers, as determined by the Member State of sale — in practice the market's official national language(s). The tool names them as a reference.
- Is English enough across the EU?
- No — do not assume English alone is accepted. Most Member States require their own official language(s); some (e.g. Malta, Ireland) accept English. Confirm with the national authority.
- Who is responsible for the language?
- Manufacturers, importers and authorised representatives must ensure it; distributors and online-marketplace sellers must verify it is present before making the product available.
- Do instructions always have to be translated?
- Where the product can be used safely without instructions, the Art 9(7) exception relaxes instruction translation — but mandatory safety warnings still must be intelligible in the required language(s).
- What about toys and medical devices?
- Sector law applies on top. The Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC (Art 11(3)), MDR/IVDR, cosmetics and food law carry their own (sometimes stricter) language rules. Check the sector instrument in addition to the GPSR. Note: a new Toy Safety Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 entered into force on 1 January 2026 but only applies from 1 August 2030 — until then the Toy Safety Directive remains the law in force for toys.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. This tool gives the official national language(s) as a reference. The exact requirement is set by each Member State, and this is orientation, not legal advice. Verify against the linked official sources.