The Regulation applies to manufacturers, importers and distributors of machinery and related products. Until 19 January 2027, machinery is still placed on the market under the directive. All references below are to the consolidated text of the Regulation on EUR-Lex.
When does the Machinery Regulation apply?
| Date | What happens | Where it is written |
|---|---|---|
| 29 June 2023 | The Regulation is published in the Official Journal (OJ L 165, p. 1). | Official Journal |
| 19 July 2023 | It enters into force, on the 20th day after publication. | Article 54, first paragraph |
| Up to 19 January 2027 | Machinery is placed on the market under Directive 2006/42/EC. | Articles 51(2) and 54 |
| 20 January 2027 | The Regulation applies, and the directive is repealed. | Article 54, second paragraph; Article 51(2) |
A few articles apply earlier. Most of them concern notified bodies, and none concerns the instructions.
If you have seen "14 January 2027" elsewhere, that date comes from the original Official Journal text. A correction published on 4 July 2023 (OJ L 169, p. 35) changed it to 20 January 2027. The consolidated text shows the corrected date.
Machinery placed on the market under the directive before 20 January 2027 can still be made available afterwards: Member States may not block it (Article 52(1)).
What must the instructions contain under the Regulation?
The contents are listed in Annex III, Part B, §1.7.4.2(1): 24 points, (a) to (x). Most repeat the directive's 22 points word for word. Two are new, one has changed, and three are reworded.
Throughout, the Regulation writes "machinery or related product" where the directive says "machinery". "Unchanged" means the same words apart from "machinery or related product"; "Reworded" means different words with the same or a slightly extended requirement; "Changed" means a different requirement; "New" means no directive equivalent.
| Regulation point | Directive point | Status | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) | (a) | Reworded | The authorised representative is now listed "where applicable". The requirement stays the same. |
| (b) | (b) | Unchanged | — |
| (c) | (c) | Changed | The manual must contain the EU declaration of conformity, or the internet address or machine-readable code where it can be accessed (Article 10(8)). The option of "a document setting out the contents" is gone. |
| (d) | (d) | Unchanged | — |
| (e) | (e) | Unchanged | — |
| (f) | (f) | Unchanged | — |
| (g) | (g) | Unchanged | — |
| (h) | (h) | Unchanged | — |
| (i) | (i) | Unchanged | — |
| (j) | (j) | Unchanged | — |
| (k) | (k) | Unchanged | — |
| (l) | (l) | Unchanged | — |
| (m) | (m) | Unchanged | — |
| (n) | (n) | Unchanged | — |
| (o) | (o) | Unchanged | — |
| (p) | (p) | Unchanged | — |
| (q) | (q) | Unchanged | — |
| (r) | (r) | Reworded | Adds that the preventive maintenance measures are those to be observed "taking account of the design and the use" of the machine. |
| (s) | (s) | Unchanged | — |
| (t) | (t) | Unchanged | — |
| (u) | (u) | Reworded | The same noise values and thresholds. Common specifications join harmonised standards in the rule on measuring methods, and that rule now applies where they "cannot be applied" (the directive says "are not applied"). New: for noise-reduction equipment, the instructions must say, where appropriate, how to assemble and install it correctly. |
| (v) | — | New | Information on the necessary precautions, devices and means for the immediate and gentle rescue of persons. |
| (w) | (v) | Unchanged (moved) | Non-ionising radiation. This is the directive's point (v), now lettered (w). |
| (x) | — | New | Where the design allows hazardous substances to be emitted: the characteristics of the capturing, filtration or discharge device if it is not supplied with the machine, and "any of the following": the flow rate of the emission, the concentration around the machine, or the effectiveness of the capturing or filtration device and how to keep it effective. |
The directive's points are explained one by one on Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC manual requirements.
Can instructions be digital under the Regulation?
Yes. Article 10(7) says the instructions "may be provided in a digital format", and they must clearly describe the product model they belong to. If you supply them digitally, you must:
- Mark how to access them on the machine. Where that is not possible, mark it on the packaging or in a document that comes with the machine.
- Use a format the user can print, download and save on a device, so the instructions can be reached "at all times, in particular during a breakdown". This also applies when the instructions are built into the machine's software.
- Keep them online for the expected lifetime of the machine, and for at least 10 years after it is placed on the market.
- Send a paper copy free of charge within one month, if the user asks for one at the time of purchase.
- Supply on paper the safety information that is essential for putting the machine into service and using it safely, if the machine is intended for non-professional users, or if non-professionals can reasonably be expected to use it.
The Commission's Guide to application of the Machinery Directive (edition 2.3, §255) also gives guidance on the current directive, which says nothing about paper or digital form. It considers that meeting these conditions also satisfies the directive.
What else changes for the manual?
- Language. The language rule moves to Article 10(7): instructions and safety information must be "in a language which can be easily understood by users, as determined by the Member State concerned". The Regulation has no "Original instructions" marking. Importers must make sure the instructions come with the machine (Article 13(4)). Distributors must check that the instructions are in such a language (Article 15(2)(c)). Details: machinery manual translation requirements.
- Declaration of conformity. It becomes the EU declaration of conformity, with the model structure in Annex V, Part A. It must come with the machine, or the instructions must give an internet address or machine-readable code where it can be found (Article 10(8)). A digital declaration must stay online for the machine's expected lifetime and at least 10 years. Details: EC declaration of conformity for machinery.
- Drafting principles. The rules on foreseeable misuse and on non-professional users stay, renumbered as §1.7.4.1(a) and (b). The exception that lets maintenance instructions for specialised staff mandated by the manufacturer or its authorised representative be in one EU language they understand also stays.
- Sales literature moves from §1.7.4.3 to §1.7.5. It must still not contradict the instructions on health and safety.
- Possible further change. In June 2026 the Council and the European Parliament provisionally agreed a package called "Omnibus IV". It would apply a "digital by default" principle to 20 EU product laws: declarations of conformity would become digital, and manufacturers could give instructions for use digitally instead of on paper, with safety information kept on paper where consumers risk serious harm. As of 27 September 2026 it has not been published in the Official Journal and is not in force; its final text for the Machinery Regulation is not yet public. The rules above still apply.
What does EU Manuals check for the Regulation?
EU Manuals checks a machinery manual (Word .docx) against the 22 instruction requirements of Directive 2006/42/EC, Annex I §1.7.4.2, free of charge, and returns a corrected Word manual — written from the manufacturer's answers to its questions — for €149 excluding VAT; translations cost €14.99 per EU language, also excluding VAT. It is an automated pre-review, not a certification.
The check covers the 22 points (a)–(v) of Directive 2006/42/EC, Annex I §1.7.4.2, and nothing more; it is not legal advice, and the manufacturer remains responsible for the manual and the machine.
Twenty-one of the Regulation's 24 points match a directive point, three of them with small wording changes. So the check tells you how far your manual is on most of the list. What this check does not cover:
- the Machinery Regulation's new points (v) (rescue of persons) and (x) (emissions of hazardous substances), and its changed point (c);
- the Regulation's small additions to points (r) and (u);
- the conditions for supplying instructions in digital form;
- whether your declaration of conformity itself is correct;
- conformity with EN ISO 20607.
To go through the directive's points yourself, use the free machinery manual checklist.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Machinery Regulation replace the Machinery Directive?
On 20 January 2027. From that date the Regulation applies and the directive is repealed (Articles 54 and 51(2), as corrected in July 2023). Machinery placed on the market under the directive before that date can still be made available afterwards (Article 52(1)).
Can I provide my machinery manual only as a PDF or QR code from 2027?
Yes, if you meet Article 10(7):
- mark how to access the instructions;
- let users print, download and save them;
- keep them online for the machine's lifetime and at least 10 years;
- send a free paper copy within one month when a buyer asks at purchase.
Essential safety information must still be on paper for machinery that non-professionals may use.
Do I have to rewrite my manual for the Machinery Regulation?
Usually not from the start. Twenty-one of the 24 points match the directive's. Add, where they apply, the rescue information (point (v)) and hazardous-substance emissions (point (x)). Update the declaration point (c), and review the language and digital-delivery rules.
Does EU Manuals check my manual against the Regulation?
No. EU Manuals checks the directive's 22 points, (a) to (v). Most of them carry over into the Regulation, but the check does not cover the new points (v) and (x), the changed point (c), or the rules for digital instructions.