Do I Need an EU Responsible Person to Sell in Austria?
GPSRIf you are based outside the EU and want to sell into Austria, you will generally need an EU responsible person. The General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988, which has applied since 13 December 2024, provides that a consumer product cannot normally be placed on the EU market unless there is a responsible economic operator established in the EU.
Who counts as an EU responsible person
The responsible person is an operator established in the EU, which may be the manufacturer if it is EU-based, an EU importer, or an authorised representative appointed for the task. For a non-EU seller, appointing an EU-established importer or authorised representative is the usual route to satisfy this requirement.
- The responsible person must be established in the EU.
- Their name and contact details must be available to customers and authorities.
- They carry defined duties, such as verifying documentation and cooperating on safety.
What this means for your PrestaShop store
Once you have an EU responsible person, their details must appear on your product listings where the manufacturer is outside the EU, as Article 19 requires. In PrestaShop, you can add these details to product pages so that Austrian customers and the authorities can see who is responsible for the product’s safety before a purchase is made.
Because how this applies can depend on your products and supply chain, confirm your position with the relevant Austrian market-surveillance authority before relying on any single arrangement.
This answer is for educational purposes and is not legal advice. Confirm your obligations with the relevant Austrian market-surveillance authority or a qualified adviser before acting.