Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542
EU battery passport: what's required by 18 February 2027
The battery passport is the first mandatory Digital Product Passport in EU law. It is set by Article 77 of the Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, a separate regime from ESPR, and applies from 18 February 2027.
This guide covers which batteries need a passport, what information it must contain, the related deadlines, and how Tracevora helps you prepare.
- Mandatory from 18 February 2027
- EV and LMT batteries: all, regardless of capacity
- Industrial batteries above 2 kWh
- Accessed via a QR code on the battery
- Unique identifier registered in the EU DPP registry
- Separate from ESPR, but designed to be interoperable
Which batteries need a passport
Under Article 77(1), a passport is required for every electric vehicle battery and every light means of transport battery (e-bikes, e-scooters) regardless of capacity, and for industrial batteries above 2 kWh. Portable batteries and SLI (starter) batteries are outside the Article 77 passport, although from the same date all batteries must carry a QR code under Article 13(6).
What the passport contains
Annex XIII groups the data by who may see it: information available to the public (for example manufacturer, battery category and chemistry, material composition, carbon footprint and recycled content where those obligations apply); information for persons with a legitimate interest such as repairers and recyclers (for example dismantling information and safety measures); and information for notified bodies, market surveillance authorities and the Commission. Some data is set per battery model; other data, such as state of health, follows the individual battery.
Key dates
- 18 February 2027: battery passport mandatory (Art. 77) and QR code on all batteries (Art. 13(6))
- 18 August 2027: supply-chain due diligence obligations apply (Art. 48, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/1561)
- Carbon footprint declarations: phased by battery category, and dependent on the Commission's delegated and implementing acts (Art. 7)
- 2031 and 2036: minimum recycled-content thresholds (Art. 8)
Who is responsible
The economic operator placing the battery on the EU market or putting it into service is responsible for the passport, keeps its data accurate and up to date, and must upload the battery's unique identifier to the EU Digital Product Passport registry set up under Article 13 of ESPR (Art. 77(10)).
How Tracevora helps
Tracevora already provides structured passports, Professional-plan AI extraction of materials, certifications, carbon and origin data from pasted specification text, dynamic QR codes, multilingual public passport pages and an audit log. A dedicated battery template aligned with Annex XIII is on our roadmap — contact us for early access.
Frequently asked questions
- When is the EU battery passport mandatory?
- From 18 February 2027, under Article 77 of the Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542.
- Which batteries need a battery passport?
- All electric vehicle batteries, all light means of transport batteries such as e-bike and e-scooter batteries, and industrial batteries with a capacity above 2 kWh. Portable and SLI batteries do not need an Article 77 passport, but must carry a QR code from the same date.
- Is the battery passport part of ESPR?
- No. It is set by the separate Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. It is designed to be interoperable with the ESPR Digital Product Passport, and battery identifiers are stored in the same EU DPP registry.
- What data does a battery passport contain?
- Annex XIII sets the content, split into public information, information for persons with a legitimate interest such as repairers and recyclers, and information reserved for authorities. It includes battery identity and composition, carbon footprint and recycled content where applicable, and performance and durability data.
- Who creates the battery passport?
- The economic operator that places the battery on the EU market or puts it into service. That operator is responsible for keeping the passport accurate and for registering its unique identifier in the EU DPP registry.
- How long must the battery passport be kept?
- The passport stays available for the life of the battery. It ceases to exist once the battery has been recycled.
Related resources
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