The EU DPP Registry Explained (Now Live)
How the EU DPP Registry works: the decentralised index that went live in 2026, what it stores, and how operators register a product passport.
The EU DPP Registry went live on 20 July 2026, together with a testing and acceptance environment. Established under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1778, this central directory is the backbone of how Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are discovered and verified across the European single market. If your business will place regulated products on the EU market, understanding the EU DPP Registry — what it does, what it stores, and how you register a passport with it — is now an operational necessity rather than a future concern.
This guide explains the DPP Registry in plain language: how the decentralised index works, the step-by-step registration flow, the secured API for automated registration, the sandbox for testing, and the deadlines that decide when you must act. New to the topic? Start with our primer on what a Digital Product Passport is.
What is the EU DPP Registry?
The EU DPP Registry is a central, EU-operated directory that indexes every Digital Product Passport placed on the European market. Its legal basis is Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1778 (adopted 16 July 2026, in force 6 August 2026), which sets out access management, user verification, data registration and storage, the technical architecture, and the secured APIs.
The key point: the Registry does not replace the passport — it points to it. It is a decentralised index; it does not host the passport data itself. The production environment lives at registry.product-passport.ec.europa.eu.
The Registry sits inside the wider ESPR framework. The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, entered into force on 18 July 2024 and empowers the European Commission to set DPP requirements for each product group through delegated acts under Article 4. The Registry is the connective layer that makes those passports findable by consumers, customs, and market-surveillance authorities across the single market — advancing the EU's goals of transparency, a circular economy, better ecodesign, and protection against greenwashing.
What the Registry stores vs what stays with you
Because the Registry is an index and not a data store, it keeps only a minimal record per passport plus a link to the full data. The substantive sustainability data stays with the economic operator or their designated DPP platform.
| Stored in the Registry (the index) | Stays with you / your platform |
|---|---|
| Unique product identifier (GS1 Digital Link) | Composition, origin and material data |
| Registration identifier | Sustainability, repair and recycling information |
| Commodity / HS code | Documents, certificates and technical files |
| Granularity level (model / batch / item) | The data carrier (QR code) content |
| A link to where the passport is hosted | The full passport data set |
In plain terms: the DPP Registry tells the world where a passport is and that it is registered — not what it contains. Control and hosting of the data remain yours.
Understanding granularity: model, batch or item
One of the fields the Registry records is the granularity level. A passport can describe a product model (all units of a design), a specific production batch, or an individual item. The level you choose shapes how precisely a scan resolves to data — an item-level passport can carry a serial number and its own history, while a model-level passport is shared across identical units. Higher granularity means more passports to register, which is exactly where the API (below) becomes essential.
How to register a product passport — step by step
Economic operators connect to the Registry through a secure user interface or via an API. The registration flow has four essential steps:
- Enrol your organisation. Register your entity with the Registry; access and user management are governed by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1778.
- Verify your identity via eIDAS. Legal entities need a qualified electronic seal from a qualified trust service provider under the eIDAS Regulation (EU) 910/2014; sole traders use a qualified electronic signature.
- Register each DPP. Submit the unique product identifier (GS1 Digital Link), the HS code, the granularity level (model/batch/item), and the link to your hosted passport — through the user interface or the API.
- Receive a registration identifier. The Registry returns a registration identifier that ties your product identifier to its record in the index.
An "economic operator" here means whoever is responsible for placing the product on the EU market — typically the manufacturer, importer, or authorised representative. That responsible operator, or a DPP platform acting on their behalf, is who enrols and registers. Access to the Registry is managed centrally, so the identity you verify governs which passports you may create and maintain.
The API and automated registration
Beyond manual entry, the Registry exposes a secured API, as required by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1778. For manufacturers with large catalogues — especially where registration is at batch or item level — manual entry does not scale. The API lets your own systems (ERP, PLM, or a DPP platform) register passports programmatically, update links, and keep your data and the Registry index in sync. It also means a passport's hosting link can be maintained centrally if your data moves, without re-issuing the physical QR code already printed on the product.
Testing environment (sandbox)
Alongside production, the EU provides a separate testing and acceptance environment at registry.acc.product-passport.ec.europa.eu. It is good practice to build and test your integration there first — validating the identity flow, your GS1 Digital Link format, and your API calls — before registering real products in the production Registry.
Deadlines — who registers when
The DPP Registry is now live, but the obligation to hold and register a passport switches on product group by product group, through ESPR delegated acts under Regulation (EU) 2024/1781. Batteries come first.
| Product group | Earliest DPP obligation | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Batteries (industrial & EV over 2 kWh) | 18 February 2027 | EU Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 |
| Textiles, steel, aluminium, tyres, furniture, ICT/electronics, construction, toys, detergents | Via ESPR delegated acts (dates set per group) | ESPR (EU) 2024/1781 |
Batteries are the first category with a firm date. See the full requirements in our guide to the EU Battery Passport and its 2027 requirements. For the Registry itself, the primary source is the European Commission's official page, Digital Product Passport — DPP Registry.
How DPP Central helps you register
Because the Registry only stores a link, you need a reliable place to host the full passport data and to connect to the Registry. DPP Central does both: you create compliant passports, host the data behind a stable GS1 Digital Link, and issue the data carrier (QR) — ready to register in the EU Registry.
See what is included in our features and pricing, or contact us about your product group. When you are ready, start free.
What to do now
- Identify your product group and date. Batteries are first (18 February 2027); other groups follow as ESPR delegated acts are adopted.
- Secure your eIDAS credential early. Obtain a qualified electronic seal from a qualified trust service provider — onboarding a legal entity can take time.
- Prepare your data and hosting. Decide where each passport will live and how it will stay up to date, then test against the sandbox before you register for real.
Informational content — not legal advice. For your specific obligations, refer to the official EU sources or a qualified adviser.