EU Guarantee Notice vs GARAN Label: What Each Means

From 27 September 2026, EU sellers of consumer goods must display a harmonised notice explaining legal-guarantee rights under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960. A separate mark, the GARAN label, applies only when a producer offers a qualifying voluntary durability guarantee. The two graphics can appear together, but they answer different questions: the notice explains legal rights a buyer already has, while GARAN identifies an extra product-specific promise.

The legal-guarantee notice

The European Commission’s Your Europe guidance says consumers have at least two years of legal-guarantee protection for consumer goods sold in the EU, though the period can vary by country. The notice summarizes those rights, common situations in which a buyer can use them, the solutions the seller should provide and practical steps for seeking redress.

The notice is general information for shoppers, not a product-specific promise that a particular item will last for a set number of years. Sellers must display it prominently. The Commission says it can appear on a shop wall, near checkout or as a general reminder on an online store. The standard format includes a QR code linking to more information in the consumer’s language. Printed copies must be at least A4 size, and online displays must be in colour. In shops, the notice may be in colour or black and white, and it is available in all EU languages.

For a buyer, the notice is a guide to baseline rights, not evidence that a product passed a durability test or comes with an extra manufacturer promise. Country-linked information matters because national rules can provide longer periods or additional rights than the EU minimum.

When a product gets the GARAN label

GARAN concerns a commercial durability guarantee offered voluntarily by the producer. If the producer offers that guarantee at no extra cost, covers the entire product and promises more than two years, use of the harmonised GARAN label is mandatory. The label shows the guaranteed duration in years and identifies the product or model covered.

The label has a fixed design with a check mark, a calendar symbol, a reminder about the legal guarantee and a QR code. The producer adds the number of years, its brand or trademark and the model ID so the buyer can identify covered products. The producer’s written guarantee statement must give the terms, claim steps and covered goods by the time the item is delivered.

The producer’s promise concerns the product’s required functions and performance during normal use for the stated period. If the product fails to meet that durability promise, the producer must repair or replace it at no cost. The guarantee’s terms must explain what is covered and how to make a claim.

The GARAN label does not replace the legal guarantee from the seller. The Commission says the commercial guarantee must make clear that the buyer’s legal right to free remedies from the seller remains unaffected. Other commercial guarantees may also exist, but a limited promise that covers only part of a product cannot use the GARAN label.

What the label tells a buyer

A GARAN label identifies a product with a whole-item durability promise beyond two years. Check the number of years, brand and model ID, then read the accompanying terms before treating it as coverage for every part or every kind of fault.

If a product has no GARAN label, that alone does not remove its legal-guarantee rights. The label applies to a specific voluntary durability promise; the legal guarantee applies separately. Shoppers can use the notice for the baseline rights and follow its country-specific link for details that may vary.

At the point of sale, use the notice to understand the general legal guarantee and look for GARAN only when the producer offers the qualifying extra durability promise.