EU warranty law: the two-year legal guarantee and the EU notice

A consumer who buys goods from you has a legal guarantee of at least two years from delivery, and no term in your contract can cut it before the consumer reports a defect. That is EU warranty law: a defect that was there at delivery and shows within the period is yours to put right, by repair or replacement first, then a price reduction or a refund. From 27 September 2026 you also show the harmonised EU notice that tells the consumer so. This page gives the rules in the order a sale runs. Which country’s law governs your sale is on EU consumer law.

What you do:

1. Count two years from delivery as the floor. Some countries set a longer one (Art. 10(1)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 10, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 10(3)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 10, paragraph 3Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).
2. Treat a defect that shows in the first year as present at delivery, unless you prove otherwise. Some countries extend this to two years (Art. 11(1)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 11, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 11(2)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 11, paragraph 2Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).
3. Give the consumer the choice of repair or replacement, free of charge. If that fails, give a price reduction or a refund (Art. 13Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 13Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 14(1)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 14, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).
4. For contracts concluded from 31 July 2026, tell the consumer before you repair or replace that the choice between the two is theirs and that a repair may extend the liability period by 12 months (Art. 13(2a)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 13, paragraph 2aClick opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 10(2a)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 10, paragraph 2aClick opens the article on EUR-Lex.).
5. Show the harmonised EU notice on the legal guarantee before the consumer is bound, from 27 September 2026 (Art. 5(1)(e)Directive 2011/83/EU, Consumer Rights Directive (consolidated text of 27 September 2026)Article 5, paragraph 1, point (e)Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 6(1)(l)Directive 2011/83/EU, Consumer Rights Directive (consolidated text of 27 September 2026)Article 6, paragraph 1, point (l)Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 22aDirective 2011/83/EU, Consumer Rights Directive (consolidated text of 27 September 2026)Article 22aClick opens the article on EUR-Lex.).
6. If you give a warranty of your own, give it in addition to the legal guarantee, not in place of it, and send its statement on a durable medium at the latest on delivery (Art. 17(2)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 17, paragraph 2Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 21(1)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 21, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).
7. Claim back from the person in your supply chain who caused the defect, under the national law that sets how (Art. 18Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 18Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).

Product safety is a separate law with its own duties: see GPSR.

The legal guarantee covers goods that do not match the contract or what is normal

The seller delivers goods that meet the requirements of Articles 6, 7 and 8 of the Directive (Art. 5Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 5Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). In short, the goods conform when they:

• match the description, quantity, quality and features the sales contract sets, and are fit for a particular purpose the consumer made known by the time of the contract and you accepted (Art. 6Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 6Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.);
• are fit for the purposes goods of that type are normally used for, correspond to any sample or model you showed, and come with the accessories, packaging and instructions the consumer may reasonably expect (Art. 7(1)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 7, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.);
• have the quantity and the qualities and features normal for goods of that type, including durability, repairability, functionality, compatibility and security, as the consumer may reasonably expect from the nature of the goods and from public statements by you or earlier links in the chain, including the producer, in advertising or on labelling (Art. 7(1)(d)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 7, paragraph 1, point (d)Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).

A lack of conformity from wrong installation counts too, if you or someone under your responsibility installed the goods, or the consumer installed them and your instructions were at fault (Art. 8Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 8Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).

The liability period is two years from delivery, and some countries set longer

You are liable for a lack of conformity that existed when the goods were delivered and becomes apparent within two years of that time (Art. 10(1)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 10, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). This is the answer to “is a 2-year warranty mandatory in the EU”: yes, as a minimum, for goods sold to consumers, as a legal guarantee and not as a warranty you offer. Countries may keep or introduce longer time limits (Art. 10(3)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 10, paragraph 3Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.), and some have. Three that a seller meets, as their own authorities state them:

• Netherlands. The legal guarantee has no fixed term. It lasts as long as the consumer may expect that product to last, and the authority says that is often longer than two years, for costly goods sometimes 6, 8 or even 10 years (ACM, ConsuWijzer).
• Ireland. Consumer rights last up to six years from the day of purchase or delivery, where the product might reasonably be expected to last six years (CCPC).
• Sweden. The consumer may complain about a fault that existed at delivery for three years, and must complain within two months from discovering it (Konsumentverket).

Those are three of the countries that go beyond two years. The Commission’s pages for sellers say that in some countries national law may require you to provide longer guarantees, and link each country’s own page (Your Europe, consumer guarantees). Other countries’ periods are not listed in this guide.

A seller outside the EU can be held to the longer period. Konsumentverket says that Swedish law applies if the company targets Swedish consumers, with a Swedish-language website, payment in Swedish kronor and a phone number with a country code as examples, and that a German company targeting Swedish consumers may face the three-year period even though German law sets two (Konsumentverket).

A defect in the first year is presumed to have been there at delivery

Any lack of conformity that becomes apparent within one year of delivery is presumed to have existed at delivery, unless you prove otherwise or the presumption is incompatible with the nature of the goods or of the lack of conformity (Art. 11(1)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 11, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). So within the first year the consumer shows the defect and you carry the burden of proving that it was not there. A country may instead set two years (Art. 11(2)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 11, paragraph 2Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.), which the Commission’s consumer page confirms some countries have done (Your Europe, guarantees).

Two countries show the range. Ireland keeps one year: a fault in the first year is presumed to have existed when the item was received, and after the first year the consumer must show that the fault was there from the beginning (CCPC). Sweden puts the proof on the company for the first two years (Konsumentverket). This guide does not list which other countries apply the two-year presumption or require the consumer to tell you of a defect within a set time.

The consumer gets repair or replacement first, then a price reduction or a refund

The consumer is entitled to have the goods brought into conformity, or to receive a proportionate price reduction, or to terminate the contract, under the conditions in the Directive (Art. 13(1)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 13, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). In order:

1. Repair or replacement. The consumer chooses, unless the remedy chosen is impossible or imposes costs on you that are disproportionate compared to the other, taking into account the value the goods would have without the defect, the significance of the lack of conformity and whether the other remedy can be given without significant inconvenience to the consumer (Art. 13(2)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 13, paragraph 2Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). You may refuse to bring the goods into conformity if repair and replacement are both impossible or disproportionate (Art. 13(3)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 13, paragraph 3Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).
2. Price reduction or termination. The consumer gets one of these where you have not completed a repair or replacement or have refused to, where a defect appears despite your attempt, where the defect is so serious that an immediate price reduction or termination is justified, or where you have declared, or it is clear, that you will not fix it in a reasonable time or without significant inconvenience (Art. 13(4)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 13, paragraph 4Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).
3. No termination for a minor defect. You carry the burden of proving that the defect is only minor (Art. 13(5)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 13, paragraph 5Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).

A repair or replacement is free of charge, within a reasonable period from the moment the consumer tells you of the defect, and without significant inconvenience to the consumer (Art. 14(1)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 14, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). The consumer also has the right to withhold the unpaid part of the price until you have met your duties, under the conditions of the country (Art. 13(6)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 13, paragraph 6Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).

A repair adds 12 months to the liability period for contracts from 31 July 2026

Where repair takes place as the remedy, the liability period is extended once by 12 months (Art. 10(2a)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 10, paragraph 2aClick opens the article on EUR-Lex.). Before you provide the remedy, you tell the consumer of the right to choose between repair and replacement and of the possible extension (Art. 13(2a)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 13, paragraph 2aClick opens the article on EUR-Lex.). Both come from the Right-to-Repair Directive, which EU countries apply from 31 July 2026. The amendment does not apply to sales contracts concluded before that date (Art. 16Directive (EU) 2024/1799, Right-to-Repair DirectiveArticle 16Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 21Directive (EU) 2024/1799, Right-to-Repair DirectiveArticle 21Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 22(1)Directive (EU) 2024/1799, Right-to-Repair DirectiveArticle 22, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).

The 12 months are added to the remaining liability period of the goods, and the seller is liable for a defect that existed at delivery and shows within that remaining period including the extension (recital 40 of Directive (EU) 2024/1799). On the two-year floor, a repair therefore moves the end of the liability period to three years after delivery.

The extension is for a repair. Under EU law a replacement does not trigger it, because the Directive names repair only (Art. 10(2a)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 10, paragraph 2aClick opens the article on EUR-Lex.). A country may set a longer period (Art. 10(3)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 10, paragraph 3Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). A country with no fixed liability period, or only a limitation period for the remedies, may skip the extension if it ensures liability, or the limitation period, after a repair is at least three years (Art. 10(5a)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 10, paragraph 5aClick opens the article on EUR-Lex.). This guide does not list which countries have used that option. The manufacturer’s separate duty to repair listed goods after the guarantee is on EU right to repair.

The official EU warranty notice is mandatory from 27 September 2026

Before the consumer is bound by a contract or any corresponding offer, you give a reminder of the existence of the legal guarantee of conformity for goods and its main elements, including its minimum duration of two years, in a prominent manner, using the harmonised notice. The duty sits in the information requirements for distance and off-premises contracts and for all other contracts, such as a sale in a shop (Art. 6(1)(l)Directive 2011/83/EU, Consumer Rights Directive (consolidated text of 27 September 2026)Article 6, paragraph 1, point (l)Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 5(1)(e)Directive 2011/83/EU, Consumer Rights Directive (consolidated text of 27 September 2026)Article 5, paragraph 1, point (e)Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 22a(1)Directive 2011/83/EU, Consumer Rights Directive (consolidated text of 27 September 2026)Article 22a, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). EU countries apply it from 27 September 2026 (Art. 4 of Directive (EU) 2024/825; Art. 3 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960).

What the notice looks like is fixed by the Commission:

• No element can be edited. Not the wording, not the layout (Annex I, note 1 to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960).
• Online it is in colour. For a distance contract concluded through an online interface the notice is in colour. In a shop it may be in colour or black and white, printed no smaller than A4 (Annex I, notes 4 and 5 to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960).
• It carries a QR code that leads to the language section on the legal guarantee of conformity on the Your Europe portal (Annex I, note 3 to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960).
• It states the main elements of the legal guarantee, including the two-year minimum and a general reference to the possibility that national law makes it longer (Art. 22a(3)Directive 2011/83/EU, Consumer Rights Directive (consolidated text of 27 September 2026)Article 22a, paragraph 3Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).

The Commission publishes the notice in all EU languages, in colour for shops and online shops and in black and white for physical shops only, as PDF, JPG, PNG and SVG files, with practical guidelines (Commission publication, 19 March 2026). For a seller its examples of prominent display are a poster on a wall of the shop, next to the checkout counter, and a general reminder on your website if you run an e-commerce site (Your Europe, the notice and the GARAN label).

For online sales the Commission’s practical guidelines of 1 April 2026 give examples, which they say are not an exhaustive set: a sentence such as “Your legal guarantee rights” on the product catalogue page, in the header of the seller’s website and on the check-out page, with the full notice appearing on the first mouse click or mouse roll-over, and the notice also in the confirmation email (Commission practical guidelines, April 2026). The guidelines state that they are the preliminary views of Commission services and not an official position.

The Directive names no language for the notice. For distance and off-premises contracts, national law may set language requirements for the contractual information (Art. 6(7)Directive 2011/83/EU, Consumer Rights Directive (consolidated text of 27 September 2026)Article 6, paragraph 7Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).

A commercial guarantee comes on top of the legal guarantee, not in its place

A warranty from you or from the producer is a commercial guarantee. It binds the guarantor under the conditions in the guarantee statement and the associated advertising, and if the statement is less favourable than the advertising, the advertising governs, unless it was corrected in the same or a comparable way before the contract (Art. 17(1)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 17, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). The consumer’s legal remedies from the seller are not affected by it (Art. 17(2)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 17, paragraph 2Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). You may offer more than the Directive requires (Art. 21(2)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 21, paragraph 2Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).

The statement is given to the consumer on a durable medium at the latest on delivery of the goods, in plain, intelligible language, and contains (Art. 17(2)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 17, paragraph 2Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.):

• a clear statement that the consumer is entitled by law to free remedies from the seller for a lack of conformity and that the commercial guarantee does not affect them;
• the name and address of the guarantor;
• the procedure the consumer follows to obtain the guarantee;
• the goods the guarantee applies to;
• the terms of the guarantee.

A statement that misses one of these still binds the guarantor (Art. 17(3)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 17, paragraph 3Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). Where a producer offers a commercial guarantee of durability for certain goods for a certain period, the producer is liable directly to the consumer for repair or replacement during that whole period (Art. 17(1)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 17, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).

A commercial guarantee of durability that is free, covers the entire good and runs for more than two years is shown with the harmonised GARAN label, whose design is also fixed. The producer fills in only the years, the brand or trademark and the model identifier. A guarantee that covers only part of a product does not use the label (Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960; Your Europe).

You can recover the cost from the person in your supply chain who caused the defect

Where you are liable to the consumer for a lack of conformity resulting from an act or omission by a person in previous links of the chain of transactions, including omitting to provide updates for goods with digital elements, you are entitled to pursue remedies against the person or persons liable. Who that is, and the actions and conditions, are set by national law (Art. 18Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 18Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). The consumer’s claim is against you, the seller (Art. 10(1)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 10, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). Your claim against the chain is a separate step.

Countries cannot add to the Directive or cut it, except where it says so

The Directive fully harmonises the subject. A country may not maintain or introduce provisions diverging from it, “including more, or less, stringent provisions to ensure a different level of consumer protection, unless otherwise provided for in this Directive” (Art. 4Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 4Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). That is why the rules look alike in every EU country, and why the differences are in the places where the Directive itself leaves a choice. The table above lists the main ones: a longer liability period, a two-year presumption, a notice duty, a free choice of remedy in the first 30 days, skipping the repair extension, and a shorter agreed period for second-hand goods (Art. 3(7)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 3, paragraph 7Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 10(3)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 10, paragraph 3Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 10(5a)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 10, paragraph 5aClick opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 10(6)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 10, paragraph 6Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 11(2)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 11, paragraph 2Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 12Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 12Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). Others are a limitation period for the remedies instead of a liability period, leaving second-hand goods sold at public auction and living animals out of scope, the effect of the consumer’s own contribution to the defect on the remedies, and rules on other aspects of commercial guarantees, such as the language of the statement (Art. 10(5)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 10, paragraph 5Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 3(5)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 3, paragraph 5Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 13(7)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 13, paragraph 7Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 17(4)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 17, paragraph 4Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).

The Directive also does not touch general contract law, such as the formation, validity or effects of contracts, or the right to damages, in so far as it does not regulate them (Art. 3(6)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 3, paragraph 6Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). A contract term that excludes or varies the national rules to the consumer’s detriment, before the consumer tells you of the defect, does not bind the consumer (Art. 21(1)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 21, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).

What happens if you do nothing

The consumer keeps the guarantee you did not honour. A term that cuts it does not bind the consumer (Art. 21(1)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 21, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). The consumer can have a defect put right free of charge, the price reduced or the contract ended, and can withhold the unpaid part of the price (Art. 13Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 13Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). Public bodies, consumer organisations and professional organisations may take action before the courts or competent administrative bodies under national law (Art. 19(2)Directive (EU) 2019/771, Sale of Goods Directive (consolidated text of 31 July 2026)Article 19, paragraph 2Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.). Missing the notice is a breach of a national provision adopted under Directive 2011/83/EUDirective 2011/83/EU, Consumer Rights Directive (consolidated text of 27 September 2026)The whole regulationClick opens the law on the EU Publications Office., and each EU country sets effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties for that, with a maximum fine of at least 4 % of annual turnover in the countries concerned in coordinated cross-border cases (Art. 24(1)Directive 2011/83/EU, Consumer Rights Directive (consolidated text of 27 September 2026)Article 24, paragraph 1Click opens the article on EUR-Lex., Art. 24(3)Directive 2011/83/EU, Consumer Rights Directive (consolidated text of 27 September 2026)Article 24, paragraph 3Click opens the article on EUR-Lex.).