Technical documentation

The audit binder: what goes in it and how to build it without pain.

Technical documentation is drawn up before placing on the market F-016 and updated where appropriate, at least during the support period (Article 31(2)), with contents per Annex VII: description, risk assessment, design information, the vulnerability-handling process including the SBOM F-019, standards, test evidence, declaration F-022. The Annex II user information is retained for at least ten years or the support period, whichever is longer F-049.

Build it as a by-product

Most Annex VII items are things careful engineering produces anyway; the failure mode is not missing work but unassembled work. Keep the binder growing per release and the authority request becomes an export, not a project.

Verified facts this page relies on

F-016 Technical documentation (Annex VII) is drawn up before placing on the market and kept, with the EU declaration of conformity, for at least ten years after placing on the market or the support period, whichever is longer. Art. 13(12)–(13), Art. 31
F-022 Technical documentation contents (Annex VII). Annex VII, Art. 31
F-019 Manufacturers identify and document vulnerabilities and components, including by drawing up a software bill of materials in a commonly used machine-readable format covering at the very least the top-level dependencies. Annex I Part II(1), Art. 13(8), (24)
F-049 Manufacturers keep the user information and instructions (Annex II) at the disposal of users and authorities for at least ten years after placing on the market or for the support period, whichever is longer; a notification is displayed when the support period ends where technically feasible. Art. 13(18)–(19)

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.

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