The EU battery passport, explained for Indian battery makers

The EU battery passport is a digital record linked to each individual battery by a QR code. It is required under Article 77 of the EU Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542.

Think of it as a birth certificate and service record for a battery. Anyone who scans the QR code — a buyer, a repair shop, a recycler or a market inspector — can see the information they are allowed to see about that exact battery.

From 18 February 2027. The date is fixed in the regulation. Batteries in scope that are placed on the EU market from that day need a passport.

1. Aug 2024

   CE marking under the new regulation

2. 18 Aug 2026

   Harmonised labelling requirements

3. 18 Feb 2027

   Battery passport + QR code mandatory

4. 18 Aug 2027

   Due diligence obligations

Three categories of battery need a passport:

• Electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
• Light means of transport (LMT) batteries — e-bikes, e-scooters and swappable packs for 2W/3W vehicles.
• Industrial batteries with a capacity above 2 kWh — including home storage, UPS and BESS packs.

Portable batteries (phones, laptops, power tools) and SLI starter batteries do not need a passport, though other parts of the regulation still apply to them.

The legal duty sits with the company that places the battery on the EU market. For most Indian exporters, that is the European importer — or the maker's own EU entity, if it has one.

In practice, the importer cannot fill a passport without data that only the maker has: cell chemistry, materials, test results and production details. So European buyers will ask their Indian suppliers for this data. Makers who can hand it over quickly and correctly will keep their orders.

The passport holds information in several groups:

• Identity — battery model, serial or batch number, and date of manufacture.
• Manufacturer — who made it and where.
• Chemistry and capacity — cell chemistry, rated capacity, voltage and weight.
• Materials — critical raw materials, hazardous substances and recycled content.
• Performance and durability — expected lifetime, capacity fade, round-trip efficiency, internal resistance.
• Carbon footprint — once the EU calculation method is final.
• Lifecycle status — whether the battery is original, repurposed, remanufactured or waste.

Some of this data is public. Some is restricted to people with a legitimate interest, such as repairers, recyclers and authorities. You decide which fields go where, within the rules.

The passport sits on top of the rules you already need to sell batteries in Europe:

• CE marking under the EU Battery Regulation.
• Safety standards such as IEC 62619 (industrial), IEC 62133 (portable) and EN 50604-1 (light vehicles).
• UN 38.3 transport testing, plus an MSDS, to ship lithium batteries at all.
• RoHS, REACH and WEEE for substances and end-of-life.
• EPR (producer responsibility) registration in each EU country where the battery is sold.

You do not need to do everything at once. Start with these five steps:

1. List every battery model you sell, or plan to sell, into the EU — and check which category each falls into.
2. Collect your test reports and certificates (UN 38.3, IEC 62619 / 62133, EN 50604-1) and note their expiry dates.
3. Ask your cell and material suppliers for the data you will need: chemistry, materials, origin and carbon footprint inputs.
4. Agree with your EU buyer or importer who will issue the passport, and how data will flow between you.
5. Plan serial numbering and QR labels on your production line before February 2027.