A notified body is an organisation designated by an EU country to assess the conformity of certain products before being placed on the market. These bodies carry out tasks related to conformity assessment procedures set out in the applicable legislation, when a third party is required. The European Commission publishes a list of such notified bodies.
What the notified bodies do
Conformity assessment is a service to manufacturers in an area of public interest. It is the responsibility of the EU country to notify conformity assessment bodies within their jurisdiction according to principles laid down in Decision 768/2008/EC. Notified bodies
- are free to offer their conformity assessment services to any economic operator inside or outside the EU
- may carry out these activities on the territory of other EU countries or non-EU countries
- must operate in a non-discriminatory, transparent, neutral, independent, and impartial manner
- must employ the necessary personnel, with sufficient knowledge and experience to carry out the conformity assessment in accordance with the law(s) in question
- must make adequate arrangements to ensure the confidentiality of the information obtained in the course of conformity assessment
- must be adequately insured to cover their professional activities, unless liability is assured under the national legislation of the notifying EU country
- must provide information to their notifying authority, the market surveillance authorities, and other notified bodies
Manufacturers are free to choose any notified body that has been legally designated to carry out the conformity assessment procedure.
How are the notified bodies controlled?
- The competence of the notified body should be subject to verification carried out at regular intervals and following the practice established by the accreditation organisations.
- The EN ISO/IEC 17000 series of standards and accreditation are important instruments to help establish conformity with the requirements of applicable legislation.
List of notified bodies - the NANDO website
The Commission strives to maintain an up-to-date list of bodies notified by EU countries and make the necessary information available to all interested parties. Lists of Notified Bodies are on the NANDO website (New Approach Notified and Designated Organisations). The lists
- include the identification number of each notified body
- include the tasks for which it has been notified
- are regularly updated
EU countries, EFTA countries (EEA members), and other countries with which the EU has concluded Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) and Protocols to the Europe Agreements on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (PECAs) have designated Notified Bodies per directive or regulation.
More information and support tools
- The so-called Blue Guide (2 MB) contains guidance on the application of all aspects of the single market for products including the role and organisation of notified bodies.
- The NANDO website lists notified bodies by reference to specific legislation.
- The list of CERTIF documents.