From 27 September 2026, online stores selling goods to consumers in the EU must show a harmonised legal-guarantee notice and, for qualifying products, a durability label. This page explains what the rules require, who they affect, and the fastest way to get your store ready.
Key facts at a glance
Effective: 27 September 2026 — no transition period.
Legal basis: Directive (EU) 2024/825 + Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960.
Who: any trader selling goods to consumers in the EU (WooCommerce, Shopify and others); B2B-only sales and some categories such as food differ.
What: the harmonised legal-guarantee notice (Annex I) on every qualifying B2C store; the GARAN durability label (Annex II) only when a producer offers a free durability guarantee beyond two years.
How: official, unaltered EU graphics, in the buyer's language (24 EU languages); online, the durability label sits on the specific product page.
Enforcement: national authorities (e.g. France's DGCCRF) — fines, injunctions and competitor/consumer-association warnings.
What changes on 27 September 2026
Two pieces of EU law come together on this date. Directive (EU) 2024/825 — the "Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition" directive — makes guarantee and durability information more visible to shoppers. Its practical detail lives in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960, which defines the exact graphics traders must display. The Regulation becomes applicable on 27 September 2026, the same date from which Member States apply the measures transposing the Directive.
For ecommerce, this means guarantee information can no longer sit hidden in your terms and conditions. It must be shown prominently, in the consumer's language.
The two elements you must show
1. Legal-guarantee notice
A harmonised notice reminding consumers that they benefit from a legal guarantee of conformity when goods do not match the contract. For online sales, it is placed as a general reminder on the trader's website. It is consumer-rights information — not a manufacturer warranty badge.
2. Durability label (GARAN)
A product-specific label shown when the producer offers a qualifying commercial guarantee of durability — free of charge, covering the whole good, lasting more than two years, with the information made available to you. It is not added to every product.
Who is affected
Any trader selling goods to consumers in the EU is in scope — regardless of where the business is registered — across most consumer goods, on WooCommerce, Shopify and other platforms. The obligation is about what the customer sees, not which software you run. Genuinely B2B-only sales are treated differently, and some categories (such as food) are outside the scope.
Why implementation is not trivial
A single-language store with a small catalogue can place the graphics by hand. Complexity grows fast with more products, more EU markets, more languages, and different manufacturer guarantees. You then need to decide what belongs at store level versus product level, in which language, and for which products — and keep it correct as your catalogue changes. That is exactly the kind of manual task that quietly slips.
How to get ready
Start with an audit rather than software. Confirm you sell goods to consumers, list the EU markets you serve, find where legal-guarantee rights are currently explained, identify which producers offer qualifying durability guarantees, review your language coverage, and decide who owns compliance. Then choose an implementation that fits your scale.
Not sure where you stand? Run a free, indicative check of your store and get the result by email.
How WarrantyARK helps
WarrantyARK treats EU guarantee information as part of your ecommerce infrastructure, not a set of static images you maintain by hand. WarrantyARK Connect renders the official Annex I notice in the correct one of 24 EU languages, adds the GARAN durability label where it applies (filling in years, brand and model), and lets you control where it appears. After checkout, shoppers can save their purchase into the free WarrantyARK app in one tap — turning a legal duty into repeat-customer loyalty. It is available for WooCommerce today, with Shopify on the way.
See it in action
Two short walkthroughs of WarrantyARK Connect showing the EU legal-guarantee notice and the GARAN durability label live on a store:
WooCommerce
Shopify
A generated image vs. an integrated display
Some tools only generate a label image that you download and paste onto every product by hand. WarrantyARK is different: it shows the official legal-guarantee notice and the GARAN durability label automatically — on the product page, at checkout and in the order email, in the buyer's language across all 24 EU languages — and it keeps up as your catalogue changes. Compliance you set once, not an image you maintain.
See if your store is ready for 27 September 2026
Run a free compliance check, or install WarrantyARK Connect and be ready in minutes.
Check your store → Get the pluginFrequently asked questions
When do the new EU guarantee rules apply?
They apply from 27 September 2026. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960 becomes applicable on that date, alongside the national measures transposing Directive (EU) 2024/825. There is no transition period.
Which businesses must comply?
Any trader selling physical goods to consumers in the EU, regardless of where the business is registered, and regardless of platform (WooCommerce, Shopify and others). Genuinely B2B-only sales are treated differently, and some categories such as food fall outside the scope.
What is the harmonised legal-guarantee notice?
A harmonised notice (Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2025/1960) reminding consumers of their legal guarantee of conformity of at least two years. It must be shown prominently, in the consumer's language — not hidden in terms and conditions.
When is the GARAN durability label required?
The GARAN durability label (Annex II) is mandatory only when the producer offers a voluntary durability guarantee that is free of charge, covers the whole product and lasts longer than the two-year statutory minimum. It is not added to every product.
What are the penalties for non-compliance?
Enforcement is by national authorities (for example France's DGCCRF), which can impose administrative and financial penalties. Non-compliant stores also risk injunctions and warnings from competitors and consumer-protection associations.
What is the legal basis?
Directive (EU) 2024/825 (Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition) and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960, which fixes the official design and content of the labels.
Official sources
- Directive (EU) 2024/825 — Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (EUR-Lex)
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960 — harmonised notice & label (EUR-Lex)
- EU legal-guarantee notice and GARAN label — Your Europe (official EU portal)
Related: WooCommerce EU guarantee compliance · The 2026 rules explained · Legal vs commercial vs durability guarantee
This page is general information, not legal advice. For how the rules apply to your specific business, consult the official texts of Directive (EU) 2024/825 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960, or a qualified adviser.