The EU Battery Passport Deadline: What Importers Must Do Before 18 February 2027

From 18 February 2027, every LMT battery (e-bikes, e-scooters and other light electric vehicles) and every industrial battery over 2 kWh placed on the EU market must carry a digital battery passport. The date is set by Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 and has not moved. If you import these batteries, the obligation is yours, not your supplier's. This is what the deadline requires and what you can do about it today.

What the deadline requires

Each battery in scope must have a passport: a structured record of its key attributes, reachable from a QR code on or near the battery, and kept available online. The passport is not a document you file once. It is a hosted record that must stay reachable for the working life of the battery, so market-surveillance authorities and other permitted parties can open it at any time.

The data set is defined in Annex XIII of the regulation. It covers the battery's identity and chemistry, its carbon footprint, recycled content, performance and durability, hazardous substances, and supporting documentation. Not all of it is public: the regulation sets access tiers, so some fields are visible to everyone, some to parties with a legitimate interest, and some only to authorities.

Who carries the obligation

Under the regulation, the economic operator that places the battery on the EU market is responsible for the passport. For most importers, that is you, acting under your own EORI number. The duty cannot be handed back to a non-EU supplier, and it does not sit with the marketplace or the freight forwarder. A supplier in China can send you the data, but it cannot carry the legal obligation for you.

This is the point many importers miss. You can buy a battery that already has test reports and a CE mark and still be the party responsible for producing and hosting its passport.

Which batteries are in scope

Three categories are covered, on different timelines:

• LMT batteries (e-bikes, e-scooters, light electric vehicles) need a passport regardless of capacity.
• Industrial batteries above 2 kWh are in scope, including stationary storage.
• EV batteries are covered as well, with their own attribute set.

If you are not sure whether a specific battery is caught, the fastest way to check is by class, capacity, chemistry and the date you place it on the market.

What to do now

The deadline is close enough that the useful work is practical, not theoretical:

1. Confirm your scope. Run a quick check for each battery model you import, so you know which ones need a passport and by when. You can start with our scope checker.
2. Ask your supplier early. Most of the Annex XIII data sits with the manufacturer. Send a single, structured request now rather than chasing fields one at a time later.
3. Decide who hosts the passport. Because the record must stay online for years, hosting is the real commitment. Plan for continuity, not just for a file you generate once.

The short version

The date is fixed at 18 February 2027. The obligation falls on the importer placing the battery on the EU market, under its own EORI. The data comes from Annex XIII, served in access tiers, reachable by QR, and hosted for the life of the battery. The earlier you confirm scope and request data from your supplier, the less of this lands in the final weeks before the deadline.