What is the registry of digital product passports and what must I enter in it?
The register links each QR code to a central European database
The register of digital product passports is a central database established and managed by the European Commission, in which a unique identification code and a limited set of core data are recorded for each product with a digital product passport. This register is not the same as the passport itself: the passport with the full product information remains hosted by the party that compiles and provides it — in most cases the manufacturer, importer or a service provider on their behalf. The register is the layer below: it enables customs, market surveillance and other competent authorities to find a product and link it to the corresponding passport, without having to know each passport individually. In addition to this register, there is also a public web portal, intended to make passport data accessible to those entitled to access it — from consumer to supervisor, depending on which part of the data is public.
Who this applies to, and what it is not
The register is relevant to the party responsible for placing on the market a product for which a digital product passport is mandatory — in practice the manufacturer or importer of furniture, once a delegated act designates furniture as a product category. This is a different obligation from creating the passport itself: the passport contains the product information, the register contains the identification data that makes that passport findable and verifiable. It is also not a consumer portal: the register in Article 13 is primarily a technical and supervisory instrument. The web portal in Article 14 is the place that is set up for consultation by a broader public. Anyone looking for 'where can I as a consumer look up a passport' should look rather to the web portal than to the register.
No fixed date yet for furniture
No date has yet been set for when registration for furniture becomes mandatory. This obligation only arises once a delegated act designates furniture as a product category within the framework of the ESPR, and this has not yet happened. According to the Commission's work plan for the period 2025-2030, such a delegated act for furniture is expected around 2028, but this is a schedule, not a fixed date — it can be postponed. What is fixed is the framework itself: the ESPR requires the Commission to establish and maintain the register (Article 13) and the web portal (Article 14), regardless of when a specific product category comes under it. Until a delegated act for furniture is published, there is no registration obligation for furniture.
What this means concretely, step by step
Manufacturers or importers of furniture who follow this topic will encounter the registration obligation when a delegated act for furniture is in place. At that point, it becomes clear which identification data must be included in the register and through which technical channel. In practice, registration typically does not happen separately from creating the digital product passport: a service provider that compiles and hosts the passport can include registration in the central register as part of that process, ensuring that the unique identification code on the QR data carrier is consistent with what is in the register and on the passport. The sequence is important: first it becomes clear which data the delegated act for furniture requires, then the passport is set up with that data, and only then follows registration and linking to the QR code. For those currently placing furniture on the market without a delegated act in place, there is nothing to register — the obligation simply does not yet exist. What is useful to know: because the passport and the register are linked to each other via the unique identification code, it is advisable to check when selecting a passport service provider whether registration in the central register is part of the service offering, so that this does not need to be arranged as a separate step once the obligation takes effect.
Where this is stated: Article 13 and Article 14 of the ESPR
The obligation to establish a central register of digital product passports derives from Article 13 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR). That article provides that the Commission shall establish and maintain a register containing the unique identification codes and supplementary data needed to link passports to products and to enable interoperability with, for example, customs systems. The associated web portal, intended for consultation of passport data by a wider public, is governed by Article 14 of the same regulation. Both articles describe the framework at regulation level; the concrete implementation per product category — including for furniture — follows only from a delegated act that has not yet been published.
What you can do now
At this moment there is no registration obligation for furniture to anticipate, so no action is required. What is worthwhile: following the publication of the delegated act for furniture, and when selecting a party to compile and host the digital product passport, checking whether registration in the European register and linking to the QR data carrier are standard parts of the service — so that this is already arranged when the obligation takes effect.
This is based on
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR), Article 13 (register of digital product passports)
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR), Article 14 (web portal for data in the digital product passport)
The regulation itself is available on EUR-Lex. We refer per statement; you do not need to believe us.
What you concretely have to do
What is expected of you
Article 13 of the ESPR (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781) provides for a European register in which data on digital product passports are stored. Article 14 of the same regulation additionally provides for a web portal through which that data becomes searchable. For a furniture manufacturer or importer, this register is not a separate form that is added on top of the passport itself: it is the place where certain identifying data from the passport automatically or via the data carrier are entered. What that precisely entails must be further developed through delegated and implementing acts; the core of Article 13 and 14 is established, the technical implementation is not yet complete.
Registration of the product passport upon its creation
When a product passport is created, the intention is that a number of core data — such as the unique identification of the product and a reference to where the passport can be found — are entered in the register. For a company with 10 to 100 employees, this means in practice that creating a passport cannot be separated from the question of how each product is identified. Those who do not yet have a conclusive system for this can read more about it at how do I give each product a unique identification code?. Without a unique identification code per product or product group, registration in the European register cannot be properly carried out, even by a third party that compiles the passport on behalf of the manufacturer.
Ensuring that the data in the register matches the passport
The register is not a copy of the complete passport, but the data that are in it must correspond to what is found on the passport itself. This immediately raises the question of what happens if data change after publication — a supplier change, an adjusted material composition, new packaging. You can read more about this at can I modify data after the product passport has already been published. For a company with ongoing production, this means that changes in the range must not only be processed internally, but also have consequences for what is publicly visible and in the register.
Accessibility of the data via the web portal
Article 14 focuses on the accessibility of the data: the web portal must make it possible to search data from passports. This is especially relevant for supervision and for market participants who deal with each other's products, such as in project furnishing where furniture from different manufacturers come together. For an importer who brings together products from various manufacturers under one brand or project, it is important that the underlying passports — and thus the register data — remain traceable per product, even when a piece of furniture consists of multiple components that can each have their own passport. See more about this at does each part get its own passport or the furniture as a whole?
Availability of the passport during the required period
The register refers to the passport, but the passport itself must remain hosted somewhere. These two matters — registration and hosting — belong together but are not identical. A company that outsources hosting remains responsible for ensuring that the reference in the register remains correct, even after years. More about this is provided at how long must a product passport remain available?
Where things go wrong in practice
A common situation is that a manufacturer creates and publishes the passport, but does not consider whether the identification code used is consistent with what is used elsewhere — for example in the ERP system or on the packaging. If by chance two different codes for the same product are in circulation, confusion arises about which passport belongs to which product, both for the supervisor and for the end user who scans the QR code.
A second situation arises when a company modifies a product line — new upholstery, a different type of wood — without checking whether this requires a new passport or an amendment to the existing one. If the existing passport is simply overwritten, the register data can no longer match what was once published, which can be problematic during a later inspection.
A third situation occurs with companies that have not properly established the connection between their own systems and the passport. When inventory changes, article codes or supplier data do not consistently flow through to the passport, there is a risk that the data in the register become outdated without anyone noticing. For further information on this, read can I link the product passport to my ERP or inventory system?
A fourth, less discussed situation: a company ceases operations, is taken over, or splits up, and nobody has arranged who will maintain the register data and the underlying passport. See on this subject what happens to the product passport if my company stops?
A fifth situation arises with products sold in multiple EU countries, where language versions of the passport are not properly aligned with what is stated in the register. More on this under in which language must I provide the product passport of my piece of furniture
What you can put in order now
- An overview of which unique identification code applies to which product or product group, and where that code is also used elsewhere (ERP, packaging, invoice).
- An internal agreement on who is responsible for keeping the register data current when a product changes.
- A procedure for what happens to existing passports and register data in the event of a business takeover, merger or cessation.
- A log of changes to a published passport, including the date and reason for the change.
- Agreements with any importers or distributors on who supplies which data and who verifies whether this matches what ends up in the register.
Anyone wishing to document these points without starting from scratch each time can use the templates available to subscribers within the platform.
This is not legal advice. This page provides general information about the legislation that this platform concerns. We do not know your situation. If in doubt about your own case, consult a lawyer or the competent supervisory authority.
Written with AI based on the sources above, reviewed by a human on 2026-08-22. Is something wrong? Let us know — corrections take priority.