What to prepare before 18 February 2027

Dates · Updated 2026-11-05 · 3 min read Updated

The short answer

Work out which battery type each model is, gather the spec sheets and test reports, complete the passport data and pass the checks, decide which company places the batteries on the EU market as the economic operator, then publish the passport and print the QR code on the battery. Once the EU registry opens for batteries, the passport's identifier also has to be registered.

Art. 77(1)Art. 13(6)Art. 77(10)

What the regulation says

  • Art. 77(1) The passport is due from 18 February 2027

    “From 18 February 2027 each LMT battery, each industrial battery with a capacity greater than 2 kWh and each electric vehicle battery placed on the market or put into service shall have an electronic record (‘battery passport’).”
  • Art. 13(6) The QR code is due the same day

    “From 18 February 2027, all batteries shall be marked with a QR code as described in Part C of Annex VI.”
  • Art. 77(10) The unique identifier goes into the EU registry

    “The economic operator placing the battery on the market or putting it into service shall upload the unique identifier in the registry referred to in Article 13(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 of the European Parliament and of the Council”

Quotes are from the English text of the regulations; the text published in the Official Journal prevails.

Six things, in order

StepWhat to doNotes
1Work out the battery type of each modelThe type decides whether a passport is needed and how many data points. Does my battery need a battery passport?
2Gather documentsSpec sheets, test reports, safety data sheets (SDS) and so on. Some data only cell and material suppliers have, so ask early.
3Complete the passport data and pass the checksWhich data points apply depends on the battery type. Which data goes in the passport
4Decide who places the battery on the EU marketAn EU importer or your own company. That company is the economic operator and answers for the content; an authorised representative only acts within its written mandate. Who does what
5Publish the passport and print the QR code on the batteryEach battery gets a unique identifier and a QR code. QR code and unique identifier
6Register the passport identifier once the EU registry opensThe opening date is not set; get the documents ready now. How to register in the EU registry

How long one model takes depends on how complete your documents are and how fast suppliers deliver data; we do not print a number of days we cannot back up. All the dates are on the key dates page.

Common mistakes

  • Is it fine to wait until the EU registry opens?

    Do not wait. The registry is needed only to register the identifier, but the passport data and the QR code are due from 18 February 2027. The Commission has published its guidance on battery passport data points (version 3.2, 19 October 2026); the battery semantic catalogue the EU registry will use to check passport content has not been published yet. The platform's field list follows the regulation, this guidance and the data model.

  • If my battery needs no passport, is there nothing to prepare?

    There is the QR code. From 18 February 2027 every battery carries one (Art. 13(6)).

  • Can I not start until all documents are in?

    You can start now. Work out the battery type, sort the documents you have, and ask suppliers for what is missing.

Tables to download

The tables are CSV files (UTF-8); open them in Excel or WPS. The tables are generated from the field list and the key dates page, so they match the pages.

Update dates and checks

First published
Last updated
Checked against
Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 (Battery Regulation), consolidated text
Checked
Checked 2026-11-07 · by PassBridge

This guide is for reference and is not legal advice. When the rules change we update it and say so here.

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Tell us about your product and we say which category it falls in, whether it needs a passport and by when. Every answer names its regulation article.

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