Is your shop showing the EU legal guarantee notice?
Online shops that sell goods to consumers must show the EU’s harmonised legal guarantee notice prominently, in colour and unedited, once their country applies Art. 6(1)(l) and Art. 22a of Directive 2011/83/EU, as amended by Directive (EU) 2024/825.
Slovakia and Germany (Art. 246a EGBGB) have applied these rules since 27 September 2026; in Czechia the transposing law had not been promulgated by 22 October 2026. The design and text of the notice are fixed in Annex I of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960.
Last checked 22 October 2026: Directives 2011/83/EU and (EU) 2024/825, Annex I of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960, the Commission guidelines and the German and Slovak laws.
Check your shop now
Enter your shop’s address. We read its public pages and show whether we found the text of the notice. The status of the withdrawal function appears in a separate line of the result.
The check runs no JavaScript, cannot see the cart, checkout, customer account or emails, and does not read text inside images. “Notice not found” therefore does not mean the notice is missing, and “Notice found” does not mean the shop complies.
We read only public pages and files of your shop, without signing in and with at most 14 requests per check: robots.txt, the home page, the public product export /products.json (Shopify has one), possible product pages (at most 3 are evaluated), the returns, shipping and contact pages, llms.txt and, if needed, the sitemap. Limit: 6 checks per hour per IP, counted by an IP hash, never by the shop address. No sign-up and no email address needed; page contents are not saved.
On 21 October 2026 our check did not find the text of the notice in any of the 20 Slovak online shops. One measurement, not a representative sample; the notice is often an image without text, which the check cannot read.
The official wording: directive and harmonised notice
Before a consumer is bound by a distance contract, the trader must provide:
(l) a reminder of the existence of the legal guarantee of conformity for goods and its main elements, including its minimum duration of two years as provided in Directive (EU) 2019/771, in a prominent manner, using the harmonised notice referred to in Article 22a of this Directive;
They shall apply those measures from 27 September 2026.
The text of the notice (English version)
In the Official Journal the notice is an image. We read the text from that image and from the Commission’s official files; both match line by line. Heading: “LEGAL GUARANTEE”.
Minimum two-year legal guarantee protection for goods sold in the European Union.
Consumers can claim their rights under the legal guarantee of conformity, for example if goods: do not match the description; do not function as intended. Sellers are liable for any lack of conformity which existed when the goods were delivered, and which becomes apparent within the legal guarantee period. Sellers in such a situation are required to offer: free repair or free replacement; in some cases, a price reduction or full reimbursement.
Some countries have a longer legal guarantee period. For second-hand goods, a shorter period may apply, but not less than one year. For more information on your rights in a specific country, scan the QR code below or ask the seller. europa.eu/youreurope/guarantees
What to do if you receive non-conforming goods: 1 Contact the seller as soon as possible to report the issue; 2 Provide proof of purchase, such as a receipt, invoice, or bank statement. Sellers and producers may also offer commercial guarantees, which apply independently from the legal guarantee. For example, you may see this GARAN label representing a commercial guarantee of durability offered by the producer at no additional cost and covering the entire good.
(1) None of the elements of the harmonised notice can be edited. (5) For distance contracts concluded through an online interface, the harmonised notice on the legal guarantee of conformity shall be in colour (RGB).
Use the Commission’s official file, not this transcribed text. The files exist in all 24 official languages as PDF, PNG and SVG: Commission files and guidelines.
Who has to show the notice, and from when
- Every trader selling goods to consumers (Art. 5(1)(e) and Art. 6(1)(l) of Directive 2011/83/EU). Recital 28 of Directive (EU) 2024/825 gives examples for physical shops and for online sale (recitals are not binding).
- Goods only. For digital content and digital services the directive asks for a reminder of the legal guarantee (Art. 6(1)(lb)), not the harmonised notice.
| Country | Where the duty sits | Status on 22 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Slovakia | § 5(1)(f) of Act No. 108/2024 Coll., as amended by Act No. 310/2025 Coll. | in force since 27 September 2026 |
| Germany | Art. 246a § 1(1) no. 11 EGBGB | in force since 27 September 2026 |
| Czechia | transposing bill (parliamentary print 53) | approved by the Chamber of Deputies on 14 October 2026, not yet promulgated |
The regulation does not say which language version a shop must show. The Commission provides each of the 24 versions as a separate file.
Legal guarantee notice or GARAN label: two different things
Many guides mix them up. The notice covers the whole shop. The GARAN label belongs to a single product and applies only in this case:
(la) where the producer offers the consumer a commercial guarantee of durability at no additional cost, covering the entire good and with a duration of more than two years, and makes that information available to the trader, the information that that good benefits from such a guarantee, its duration and a reminder of the existence of the legal guarantee of conformity, in a prominent manner, using the harmonised label referred to in Article 22a;
| Harmonised notice | GARAN label | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Art. 6(1)(l) of Directive 2011/83/EU; Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2025/1960 | Art. 6(1)(la) of Directive 2011/83/EU; Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2025/1960 |
| Who shows it | every trader selling goods to consumers | the trader, when the producer offers the guarantee and gives the trader the information |
| Editable | nothing | only years, brand and model identifier |
| Nested display online | not mentioned in the regulation | expressly allowed |
Art. 8(2) of Directive 2011/83/EU lists the information shown directly before the order as points (a), (e), (la), (o) and (p). Point (la), the GARAN label, is there; point (l), the notice, is not. That is our reading of the text, not a court ruling.
Where the notice should go: what is settled and what is disputed
Settled: the notice must be shown “in a prominent manner”. Neither the directive nor the regulation names a place in the shop. Recital 28 of Directive (EU) 2024/825, which is not a binding article, gives an example:
in cases of online sale, placed as a general reminder on the website of the trader selling goods.
The Commission guidelines of April 2026 are not binding. Their examples put a link text such as “Your legal guarantee rights” on the catalogue page, in the header or at checkout, with the notice appearing on the first click or on mouseover. They also say:
A clickable link to the same destination as the QR code should always be available.
The harmonised notice should also be included in the confirmation email.
German practitioners are more cautious. The law firm IT-Recht Kanzlei recommends showing the notice directly as a visible graphic. Its argument: the regulation expressly allows nested display only for the GARAN label (Annex II and recital 14). The retailers’ association Händlerbund also advises caution until the Commission clarifies this. We found no court ruling on this by 22 October 2026.
Make the choice deliberately and note why. If our check finds only such a link, it never reports it as an error, only as “Check by hand”.
Shop platforms: what the vendors themselves say
Shopware 6
Built in since version 6.7.14 (9 September 2026); a backport to 6.6 has been announced. Switch it on under “Settings > Cart settings > Checkout”; a link next to the terms and conditions checkbox then opens the full notice in a modal window. The official sources do not say whether it is on by default.
Source: Shopware release notes 6.7.14.0; Shopware news, 7 August 2026
Shopify
We found no official Shopify help page on the notice by 22 October 2026. What remains are third-party apps or adding the official file to the theme. We do not recommend a specific app; two examples:
Source: EU Warranty Label GARAN (Appsentials); EU Guarantee & GARAN Label (voidroot)
WooCommerce
We found no official WooCommerce guide, and the 11.1 release notes do not mention the notice. Plugins on wordpress.org add it, for example on the product page, at checkout and in confirmation emails.
Common mistakes
- A sentence of your own such as “2-year warranty” instead of the harmonised notice.
- The notice cropped, recoloured, shrunk until it is illegible, or translated by the shop.
- The black-and-white version online instead of the colour RGB file.
- The GARAN label shown across the shop although no producer offers such a guarantee.
- The platform setting left off after an update.
- No clickable link to europa.eu/youreurope/guarantees, although the Commission recommends one.
How our check searches
The check looks for the main sentence of the notice in English, German, Slovak or Czech in visible text, in image alt text and in aria-label. It also reports the address printed under the QR code or a link to the Your Europe page on guarantees. In the result, the notice is called “Notice on the legal guarantee”.
- Notice found: the text is on a page we read. We do not check design, colours or placement.
- Check by hand: we did not find the text, but we found a link to Your Europe or the address under the QR code. A link may open the notice when clicked; check the page yourself.
- Notice not found: neither the text nor such a link was on the pages we read. The notice may still be there, as an image without text, in the cart or at checkout.
Alt text with the main sentence does not change the notice, helps screen reader users and makes the notice visible to our check.
How to check by hand
- Open a product page as a customer: can you see the colour notice without searching?
- Put a product in the cart and go as far as checkout without ordering.
- Repeat on a phone: is the notice legible at the default size?
- Tap the link or scan the QR code: do you reach the Your Europe page on guarantees?
- Read your order confirmation email: does it contain the notice or a link to it?
- Compare the graphic with the official file: same colours, same text, nothing cut off.
Side note: the withdrawal function
Directive (EU) 2023/2673 required Member States to apply national measures on a withdrawal function for distance contracts concluded through an online interface from 19 June 2026; Slovakia and Germany do, while in Czechia the rule applies from 1 January 2027. Under Art. 11a(1) of Directive 2011/83/EU, the function “shall be labelled with the words ‘withdraw from contract here’ or an unambiguous corresponding formulation in an easily legible way”; our check shows its status in a separate line of the result.
Source: Art. 11a(1) of Directive 2011/83/EU, inserted by Directive (EU) 2023/2673
We check the withdrawal function in detail on the Slovak and Czech pages (in Slovak and Czech).
Penalties
The directive leaves penalties to the Member States, so amounts and procedures differ from country to country:
1. Member States shall lay down the rules on penalties applicable to infringements of national provisions adopted pursuant to this Directive and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented. The penalties provided for shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.
Shop Guard: this check every week
Shop Guard checks the public pages of your shop once a week for the EU duties (withdrawal function, legal guarantee notice, generic environmental claims). Right after you switch it on, it emails you the first results; after that, only when something changes.
9 EUR a month including VAT
Cancel with one click on the Shop Guard page at any time. The subscription ends at the end of the paid month.
Frequently asked questions
Is the legal guarantee notice mandatory?
Yes, for traders selling goods to consumers, from the date set by national law; in Slovakia and Germany that date is 27 September 2026. The duty is in Art. 6(1)(l) and Art. 22a of Directive 2011/83/EU, and Annex I of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960 fixes the design and text.
What is the difference between the notice and the GARAN label?
The notice is for the whole shop (Annex I). The GARAN label belongs to a single product and is shown only when the producer offers a commercial guarantee of durability at no extra cost, covering the entire good, for more than two years, and gives the trader that information (Annex II, Art. 6(1)(la)).
Is a link that opens the notice enough?
The directive only says “in a prominent manner”. The non-binding Commission guidelines show such examples, while the German law firm IT-Recht Kanzlei recommends a visible graphic and the retailers’ association Händlerbund advises caution. It has not been settled; decide deliberately.
Must the notice sit directly above the order button?
Art. 8(2) of Directive 2011/83/EU lists point (la), the GARAN label, among the information shown directly before the order, but not point (l), the notice. That is our reading of the text; for your own case, ask a lawyer.
Can I edit or translate the notice myself?
No. “None of the elements of the harmonised notice can be edited” (note 1 to Annex I). The Commission provides the file in all 24 official languages.
Why does the check say “Notice not found” when the notice is in my shop?
The notice is usually an image without text. The check does not read text in images and cannot see the cart or checkout.
Sources
- Directive (EU) 2024/825, Official Journal (ELI) (text read on 22 October 2026)
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960, Official Journal (ELI) (text read on 22 October 2026)
- Directive 2011/83/EU, consolidated text as of 27 September 2026 (documentation tool, no legal effect) (read on 22 October 2026)
- Directive (EU) 2023/2673, Official Journal (ELI) (text read on 22 October 2026)
- Your Europe: the EU legal guarantee notice and GARAN label (read on 22 October 2026)
- Commission practical guidelines and official files (April 2026, non-binding) (read on 22 October 2026)
- Art. 246a § 1 EGBGB, gesetze-im-internet.de (German) (read on 22 October 2026)
- Act No. 108/2024 Coll., consolidated text from 27 September 2026, Slov-Lex (Slovak) (read on 22 October 2026)
Each source shows the date we read it.
A technical check, not legal advice. For your own case, ask a lawyer or your consumer protection authority.
Last checked 22 October 2026: Directives 2011/83/EU and (EU) 2024/825, Annex I of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960, the Commission guidelines and the German and Slovak laws.