What is already established about the language of the passport
The regulation governing the digital product passport for furniture, the ESPR, determines at a high level what must be included in a passport and how it must be accessible. Which language or languages are mandatory is not specified in the regulation itself but in a delegated act per product group. For furniture, that act has not yet been published; the European Commission's work programme mentions 2028 as the expected period, but that date is not yet fixed. Once the text is available, the language rule will be posted here.
What this means for you: at present there is no EU-wide requirement stating that the passport must be available in Dutch, German or any local language. This may change once the delegated act is published, and how strict that requirement is may vary by product group.
Why practice nevertheless already differs by country
In the meantime, there are existing rules that have nothing to do with the passport but do influence which language you use in practice. Many countries have long had rules about the language of instructions for use, safety information or labelling on consumer products. These rules vary: one country accepts English alongside its own language, another country requires the national language on all consumer-facing information. These rules existed before the furniture passport and continue to exist alongside the new regulation.
The result is that a manufacturer selling in multiple EU countries is already taking account of different language requirements for supplied documentation. Once the passport becomes mandatory, it is realistic to expect that the same logic will be applied: not one EU-wide language, but a breakdown aligned with where the product is sold. However, this is an expectation, not an established fact, and the final text of the delegated act will be decisive on this point.
What this means for how you set up your passport
For practical purposes, it is advisable not to assume a single fixed language when setting up the passport, even though this is not yet mandatory. A passport that can display the key information in multiple languages, depending on where the QR code is scanned, is easier to expand than a passport that is built on a single language from the outset. This is also one of the points to be addressed in discussions with a software supplier about how the passport is technically structured.
Whether your company needs to do anything about this depends on which countries you sell to and what existing language rules apply there for product information. get an indication of your situation in a few questions provides an initial picture, without this constituting a statement of what is specifically mandatory for your company.
What supervisory authorities can look into on this
Market surveillance authorities in the EU work together within the same framework but conduct supervision within their own country. When assessing a product placed on the market, supervisory authorities look, among other things, at whether the information accompanying the product is understandable and accessible to users in that country. Language is one of the factors that plays a role, alongside other elements such as the clarity of the information itself. How strictly this will be tested for the furniture passport cannot yet be determined because the underlying rules are not yet in place.
Where you keep track of this
Because the language rule for each product group comes in a separate delegated act, it is advisable not to follow it in isolation but to see it as part of the broader development surrounding the furniture passport. In the knowledge base with explanation per subject is kept track of what is known about these and other outstanding issues, with a reference to the official text as soon as it is available. Also in the frequently asked questions about the furniture passport there is a brief answer to questions that are directly related to this.
How we determine which information is presented on this platform and where it comes from is explained on the page how we compile the information. For a concrete assessment of your own situation, including if it concerns sales across borders, a lawyer or the competent supervisory authority remains the appropriate point of contact.
Would you like to know where your company currently stands in relation to the furniture passport? The free quick-scan provides a first indication in a few minutes, without requiring you to have an account.