EU Regulatory Regime · Medium
GPSR — General Product Safety Regulation 2023/988 — importer obligations + worked example
Status
Status: Active since 13 December 2024 (replaced GPSD 2001/95/EC).
What you must do as the importer
Conduct internal risk assessment. Maintain technical documentation for 10 years. Identify the manufacturer and an EU economic operator on the product or packaging. Implement traceability. Cooperate with Safety Gate alerts. Inform consumers via clear instructions and warnings. Record customer complaints and product accidents.
What goods are covered
- Consumer textiles and apparel
- Consumer electronics
- Consumer furniture
- Toys
- Cosmetics
- Homeware
- Footwear
Worked example: a typical shipment that triggers
A €50,000 shipment of apparel (HS 6203.42) from CN into the EU triggers GPSR — General Product Safety Regulation 2023/988. The customs duty + VAT are calculated as normal — but on top of that, the importer must satisfy the obligations above before the goods can be placed on the EU market.
Non-compliance is not a duty event — it is a market-access event
A common misunderstanding: importers focus on duty + VAT and treat compliance as a tickbox. EU customs increasingly hold goods at the border for missing documentation (DDS for EUDR, CBAM declarant status for steel/aluminium, EU Responsible Person for cosmetics). Holds become storage charges; storage charges become forced re-export. Validate before booking the freight.
Related OrcaTrade resources
See whether this regime applies to your specific shipment
Six questions, all four calculators (sourcing, routing, customs, warehouse), full landed cost — with this regime flagged on your specific HS code if applicable.
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