EU Guarantee Marking 2026 – rights notice, GARAN sustainability guarantee and e-commerce check | Word/PDF/Excel

Does your online store need to display correct information about the right of complaint and the manufacturer's voluntary sustainability guarantee under the new EU rules? This niche package helps retailers and manufacturers check when the EU's official notice of rights and GARAN marking should be used, which manufacturer certificates are required, how the information is actually displayed online, and which discrepancies must be corrected.

Quick facts: Five Swedish working templates, one Swedish user guide, and one English User Guide – all available in both editable Word (DOCX) and searchable, printable PDF without interactive form fields. Also included is a Swedish-language Excel workbook with nine tabs. 7 standalone documents in two formats + 1 XLSX = 15 customer files. Digital download as a ZIP after manual activation.

Why is this a special documentation need in 2026?

The Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960 applies from 27 September 2026 and establishes the format of a common EU notice on statutory rights of complaint/warranty and a harmonised GARAN marking for certain voluntary manufacturer sustainability guarantees. The underlying information requirements stem from nationally implemented Directive (EU) 2024/825.

Important reservation for Sweden: According to the Swedish Consumer Agency's current guidance, Sweden has not yet decided on the national implementation. The Directive is not in itself an automatically fully binding information requirement for all Swedish private online stores. Therefore, check the current national legal situation for each country of sale before publication.

What is GARAN and when might it be relevant?

It is not enough to offer just any guarantee. In the revised consumer law regulations, GARAN is relevant when the manufacturer offers the consumer a free-of-charge commercial sustainability guarantee covering the entire product and valid for longer than two years, and the manufacturer has made the information available to the retailer. A separate battery promise, a paid extended warranty, or a two-year guarantee should not be classified as qualifying solely on the basis of its name.

A Swedish consumer normally has a three-year right of complaint under the Swedish Consumer Sales Act. That right is something different from a voluntary manufacturer/producer guarantee and should not be shortened to two years in Swedish information simply because the EU's common notice contains the EU minimum level. The Swedish Consumer Agency explains the difference.

Exact file manifest

Official graphics: what can be changed?

Notice of rights in Annex I: No parts may be changed. For distance contracts concluded through online interfaces, the official colour version is used. GARAN label in Annex II: Only guarantee period in years, manufacturer's name/trademark, and model identifier may be adapted. The QR code, heading, symbols, and translations must be preserved in accordance with the rules of the Regulation.

This package does not contain a fictional or editable EU logo. It refers to the official original files on EUR-Lex and the EU Commission download page.

Excel: nine tabs with checks and clear stop signals

The tabs are Overview, Products, Manufacturer Guarantees, Countries, Official Labels, Display Tests, Evidence, Discrepancies, and Read Me. An empty register shows zero products and zero discrepancies. The formulas distinguish, for example, a three-year, free-of-charge, comprehensive manufacturer guarantee from a standard two-year or paid guarantee; they also indicate when an official graphic has been changed or when actual display evidence is missing.

Control cases: A verified three-year manufacturer guarantee gives the status “CANDIDATE – MANUAL”, not EU approval. A two-year or paid guarantee gives “DO NOT TRY GARAN”. Changed EU graphics give “BLOCK – CHANGED GRAPHICS”, and a missing screenshot gives “MISSING TEST EVIDENCE”. Excel does not make legal decisions or publish labels.

How you work

1. Select the correct country of sale, product, and national legal source. Document the legal status.
2. Ask the manufacturer to confirm in writing the guarantee terms, duration, free-of-charge status, and model.
3. Download the official graphics according to Annex I/II; only change the three expressly permitted GARAN fields.
4. Check placement before purchase, colour display, and link to the exact product variant – on mobile, desktop, and relevant countries.
5. Archive screenshots and evidence, correct discrepancies, and sign an actual manual release decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Must all products have GARAN marking?

No. The marking for the manufacturer's sustainability guarantee refers to specific voluntary, free-of-charge guarantees for the entire product that are longer than two years. Also check the information requirement in the current national regulatory framework.

Do the EU's new marking requirements already fully apply to Swedish online stores?

The EU Implementing Regulation on the format applies from 27 September 2026, but the Swedish Consumer Agency states that the national Swedish implementation of Directive 2024/825 has not yet been decided. Check current Swedish law and the rules of other countries of sale separately.

Can I draw my own blue EU guarantee label?

No, do not create your own reconstruction of the official graphics. The notice of rights may not be changed, and GARAN only has three expressly changeable data fields according to Annex II.

Will customers only have a two-year right of complaint after 2026?

No. In Sweden, the right of complaint is normally three years for defects in consumer-purchased goods. The EU minimum level in the notice does not replace mandatory Swedish law.

Do the files contain a ready-made official EU guarantee label?

No. The package contains operational working documents and links to official originals, not redrawn or altered markings.

Are the PDF files digitally fillable or in English?

The PDF versions are searchable and printable without interactive form fields. Word is editable. The working templates and Excel are in Swedish; only the English User Guide is in English.

Sources and transparency

EU 2025/1960 · Directive EU 2024/825 · Swedish Consumer Agency on Swedish implementation · Swedish Consumer Agency on guarantee and complaint. Version 1.0 · 8 November 2026. Legal source review and file QA are AI-assisted; no independent external legal review, authority certification, or guarantee of regulatory compliance has been performed.