EU Regulatory Regime · Standard
Footwear Labelling — Directive 94/11/EC — importer obligations + worked example
Status
Status: Active since 1996.
What you must do as the importer
Each pair must carry a label indicating the material composition of the upper, lining/sock, and outer sole. Pictograms or words in the official language(s) of the destination member state. Information must be visible, legible, durable.
What goods are covered
- 64 — Footwear
Worked example: a typical shipment that triggers
A €50,000 shipment of footwear (HS 640000) from CN into the EU triggers Footwear Labelling — Directive 94/11/EC. The customs duty + VAT are calculated as normal — but on top of that, the importer must satisfy the obligations above before the goods can be placed on the EU market.
Non-compliance is not a duty event — it is a market-access event
A common misunderstanding: importers focus on duty + VAT and treat compliance as a tickbox. EU customs increasingly hold goods at the border for missing documentation (DDS for EUDR, CBAM declarant status for steel/aluminium, EU Responsible Person for cosmetics). Holds become storage charges; storage charges become forced re-export. Validate before booking the freight.
Related OrcaTrade resources
See whether this regime applies to your specific shipment
Six questions, all four calculators (sourcing, routing, customs, warehouse), full landed cost — with this regime flagged on your specific HS code if applicable.
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