GPSR · Responsible Person
EU Responsible Person: the 2026 guide for non-EU sellers
You need an EU Responsible Person if you sell consumer products to EU customers and your manufacturer is not established in the EU. Since 13 December 2024 the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) requires an EU-established operator to be responsible for every consumer product on the EU market, and its name, address and contact must be visible on your product page before the sale. Which of the three cases you fall into, how to appoint one, and the EPR rules that come with it.
Assuro connects to Shopify. The guidance below applies whatever platform you sell on.
Your manufacturer is established in the EU
The manufacturer is the responsible operator. Show its name and address on the listing.
An EU importer places the product on the market
That importer is the responsible operator. Its details go on the listing.
You ship direct to EU consumers from outside the EU
Nobody in the EU is responsible yet, so you must appoint an EU Responsible Person.
Do you need one? Three cases
Under Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, which GPSR applies to consumer products, every product placed on the EU market needs an economic operator established in the EU who is responsible for it. Who that is depends on your supply chain, and there are only three cases:
- Your manufacturer is established in the EU. The manufacturer is the responsible operator. You do not appoint anyone; you show the manufacturer's name and address on the listing.
- Your manufacturer is outside the EU and an EU importer places the product on the market (an EU-established company that brings the product into the EU and places it on the market, typically a distributor). That importer is the responsible operator, and its details go on the listing.
- Your manufacturer is outside the EU and you ship directly to EU consumers from outside the EU, which is the typical US, UK, Canadian, Australian or Asian Shopify store. Nobody in the EU is responsible yet, so you must appoint an authorised representative established in the EU (or use an EU fulfilment service provider that accepts the role) before you sell. That appointed party is what everyone calls the EU Responsible Person.
What has to be on the product page
For every consumer product sold to EU shoppers: the responsible operator's name, postal address and an electronic contact (email or web form), plus the manufacturer's name and address, shown before purchase. On Shopify that means the product page, not the checkout or the parcel. How to add it is covered in our Shopify guide below.
What happens without one
Marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, and Etsy remove non-compliant listings from their EU stores, and EU customs can block or seize shipments at the border. For a Shopify-only seller, the practical risk is returns, chargebacks, and an authority notice.
What is an EU Responsible Person?
An EU Responsible Person (sometimes called an economic operator or, for some rules, an authorised representative) is a person or company established in the EU that takes responsibility for a product's compliance and safety. They are the point of contact for EU market-surveillance authorities, hold basic technical and safety documentation, and act if there is a safety problem.
The requirement comes from the EU's General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), which has applied since 13 December 2024. On your product page, EU shoppers must be able to see the Responsible Person's name, postal address, and a contact method before they buy.
How to appoint a Responsible Person
There is no single right answer. It depends on your setup. The common routes:
- A third-party RP service. The usual route for small non-EU sellers. Specialist firms act as your Responsible Person across the EU, often from around €199/year.
- An EU-based importer or distributor. If you already sell through one, they may be able to take the role.
- An EU fulfilment provider. If you hold stock in an EU warehouse, your fulfilment partner can sometimes serve as the responsible operator.
- Your own EU entity. Only if you have, or plan, a legal presence in the EU.
Responsible Person vs Authorised Representative
These two get confused constantly. The GPSR Responsible Person covers product safety and one can often cover the whole EU. The EPR Authorised Representative is a different role for packaging, electronics, and batteries, and you usually need one per country.
Responsible Person
GPSR, product safety
- Point of contact for authorities
- Often one can cover the whole EU
- Shown on your product page
Authorised Representative
EPR, packaging and WEEE
- Handles registration and fees
- Usually one per country that requires it
- Packaging rules apply since 12 Aug 2026
Don't forget EPR
GPSR is only one layer. If your packaging, electronics (WEEE), or batteries reach the EU, you also owe Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which means registering and reporting per country (Germany's LUCID, France's Citeo, and others), each with its own fees and deadlines. Read more in GPSR for US sellers, or see every layer in one place in the EU compliance checklist for Shopify sellers.
13 Dec 2024
GPSR in force
12 Aug 2026
PPWR packaging rules apply
Every year
EPR reports and fees
A deadline to diarise: 12 August 2026
From 12 August 2026, the EU's Packaging Regulation (PPWR) requires an EU-established seller to appoint a packaging authorised representative in each other member state it sells into. If you are outside the EU, it is set country by country: several member states require local representation, while Germany has you register yourself instead.
How to know which of your products need what
The hard part isn't any single rule. It's seeing, across a whole catalogue, which products are missing a Responsible Person, which need EPR, and in which countries. That's exactly what Assuro does: connect your Shopify store and it flags every gap, country by country, and tracks the deadlines. It won't be your Responsible Person or file for you, but it makes sure nothing slips.
- Confirm GPSR applies to your products
- Appoint an EU Responsible Person and show their details on every product page
- Check EPR (packaging / WEEE / batteries) for each EU country you ship to
- Note the 12 August 2026 packaging-representative deadline
- Keep a single, living view of which SKUs are covered, and which aren't
Frequently asked questions
Does a US or UK seller really need an EU Responsible Person?
Yes. GPSR is destination-based: if you place physical consumer products on the EU market and your manufacturer isn't in the EU, you must appoint an EU-based Responsible Person, regardless of where your business is.
How much does an EU Responsible Person cost?
Third-party RP services commonly start around €199 per year for GPSR. EPR is separate and priced per country and per stream (for example, German packaging and WEEE registration each carry their own annual fees).
Can one Responsible Person cover the whole EU?
For GPSR, often yes. A single Responsible Person can serve as your EU contact. EPR is different: you usually need an authorised representative in each country where you place goods on the market.
Does Assuro act as my Responsible Person?
No. Assuro organizes and flags. It shows which products are missing GPSR and EPR data and tracks deadlines, but it does not act as your Responsible Person, certify products, or file with authorities.
Assuro is a Shopify app for EU compliance
It reads your catalogue and flags, product by product, which ones are missing GPSR data and which EPR registrations they pull in across 6 EU countries. Scanning and the full exposure report are free. Writing the fixes back into your Shopify products starts at $39 a month.
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