Role under the Regulation
Distributor
Due care in the middle of the supply chain.
Distributors make products available on the market after a manufacturer or importer has placed them there. The standard is due care: verify the CE marking is present, the declaration of conformity exists, and the manufacturer and importer did their parts — and do not make a product available when you have reason to consider it non-compliant F-013.
Lighter, not weightless
The distributor checks are document-level, not technical F-013; nobody expects a reseller to re-run a conformity assessment. But the same escalation rule watches this role too: rebrand the product as your own and you become its manufacturer F-106.
Practical posture
Resellers and marketplaces sitting in this role mostly need a paperwork reflex: collect the declaration and CE marking evidence at listing time, not after a market surveillance authority asks F-013.
Verified facts this page relies on
- F-013 Distributors act with due care; verify CE marking, declaration of conformity and manufacturer/importer obligations; do not make non-compliant products available; report vulnerabilities to the manufacturer; cooperate with authorities. Art. 20
- F-012 Importers place only compliant products on the market; verify conformity assessment, technical documentation, CE marking and manufacturer identification; indicate their own name and address; report known vulnerabilities to the manufacturer; keep the declaration of conformity; cooperate with authorities. Art. 19
- F-106 Marketing a product under your own name or trademark makes you the manufacturer even if someone else developed it. Art. 3(13), Art. 21
Facts are maintained and human-verified in the CEMarque Facts Table (v2026.09.4, verified 2026-09-10).
Editorial review: Claude (AI reviewer, delegated by the editor), 2026-10-08. Methodology and correction process: how this site works.