Which countries recognise CE marking?
The CE marking is legally mandatory in 30 countries within Europe, but it is also recognized and accepted by numerous non-EU nations to streamline their own regulatory approvals.
The baseline legal requirement covers the entire European Economic Area (EEA).
The CE mark is mandatory for regulated products sold in the 27 European Union (EU) member states plus 3 European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states that participate in the EEA:
EU Member States (27)
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
Non-EU EFTA States in the EEA (3)
- Iceland
- Liechtenstein
- Norway
Non-EEA European Countries Mandating CE Rules:
Several European countries sit outside the EU/EEA bloc but have harmonized their national laws to require or fully accept the CE mark:
- Switzerland: Not an EU or EEA member, but closely aligns its safety laws with EU directives. It requires CE marking for most electronic goods and specific product groups.
- Turkey: Not an EU member, but a signatory to the Customs Union agreement. Turkey mandates the CE mark for products falling under EU directives.
- United Kingdom (Northern Ireland): Under post-Brexit protocols, Northern Ireland continues to require the CE mark (or the joint CE + UKNI mark) for goods placed on its market.
The United Kingdom (Great Britain):
The legal status for England, Scotland, and Wales differs following Brexit:
- The Rule: Great Britain officially uses its own domestic standard, the UKCA mark.
- The 2026 Status: To prevent supply chain disruption, the UK government extended the recognition of the CE mark indefinitely for most goods (such as toys, electronics, and machinery). However, certain sectors like medical devices and construction materials are transitioning to stricter UKCA-specific cutoff timelines.
🌏 Global Recognition (Fast-Track Status):
While countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan do not allow you to sell goods using only a CE mark (they mandate their own native marks like FCC, CSA, RCM, or PSE), they frequently recognize CE test data.
If you hold a comprehensive EU Technical File with raw test reports from an accredited lab, foreign regulators will often fast-track your domestic certification because the safety benchmarks have already been proven. Furthermore, specific Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) exist between the EU and these nations to simplify the cross-acceptance of laboratory conformity checks.