EU / Radio Equipment
Since 28 April 2026, new laptops placed on the EU/EEA market must charge over USB-C with USB Power Delivery, and their packaging must carry a pictogram disclosing whether a charger is in the box plus a separate label giving the wattage range the laptop needs and whether PD is supported — the same Common Charger Directive (EU) 2022/2380 that already brought phones, tablets and cameras into line in December 2024, now extended to the one device category it originally excluded.
Last updated 5 September 2026
The Common Charger Directive (EU) 2022/2380, which amends the Radio Equipment Directive, set 28 December 2024 as the date phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld games consoles all had to standardise on USB-C charging. Laptops were named in the directive from the start, but given a longer runway — 40 months from entry into force rather than the original category's shorter window — landing on 28 April 2026. That date has now passed: it is a current, in-force requirement, not an upcoming one.
Source: Acroname, "The EU's Universal USB-C Mandate: The April 2026 Laptop Deadline"; European Commission, "The EU common charger".
Three things, in practice: a USB-C receptacle as the laptop's wired charging input; support for the USB Power Delivery fast-charging protocol wherever the laptop charges at more than 15W, scaling up to the laptop's rated power (the USB PD version the directive actually mandates, EN IEC 62680-1-2:2021, tops out at 100W; the 240W USB PD revision appears only in the directive's recitals, as grounds for possibly bringing higher-power equipment into scope in future, not as a current requirement); and the option to sell the laptop without an in-box charger, provided that is clearly disclosed rather than assumed. A laptop that still ships with a proprietary barrel connector as its only charging path is out of scope for the EU market from this date.
Source: techoutlet.eu, "USB-C mandatory for laptops: EU deadline 28 April 2026"; Granite River Labs, "EU USB-C Law & How the New Mandate Impacts Chargers and Devices".
These are two distinct requirements and it is common to see them merged. The pictogram set out in Annex Ia Part III does one job only: it states whether a charging device is included with the product. The charging specifications — the minimum and maximum power in watts the laptop requires, and the “USB PD” marking where the protocol is supported — go on a separate label defined in Annex Ia Part IV and required by Article 10(8) of the RED. Both must be printed on or affixed to the packaging, shown in the instructions, and displayed close to the price indication in distance selling. This sits alongside the charging-port requirement rather than replacing it: a laptop can be fully USB-C/PD compliant on the hardware side and still fall foul of the rule if the packaging carries only one of the two.
Source: Official Journal of the EU, Guidance for the interpretation of the Common Charger Directive.
The directive itself sets no EU-wide penalty figure. Instead, each member state's market surveillance and consumer protection authorities enforce it once transposed into domestic law, with powers ranging from corrective orders up to withdrawal or recall of non-compliant products from that country's market. A 2025 market-surveillance sweep on the categories already in scope (phones, tablets and similar) found high compliance — a reasonable signal that authorities are actively checking, not that the rule is being treated as low-priority.
Source: Nemko, "EU Common Charger Directive: Key Benefits and Compliance Insights".
28 April 2026. The Common Charger Directive (EU) 2022/2380, an amendment to the Radio Equipment Directive, already required USB-C charging on phones, tablets, cameras, headphones and similar devices from 28 December 2024. Laptops got a longer transition — 40 months from the directive's entry into force — landing on 28 April 2026.
A USB-C receptacle for wired charging, and — where the laptop charges at more than 15W — support for the USB Power Delivery (USB PD) fast-charging protocol, up to the laptop's rated charging power (the USB PD version the directive references, EN IEC 62680-1-2:2021, supports up to 100W; the 240W USB PD revision is mentioned only in the recitals as a possible future scope extension). A laptop can still ship without an in-box charger, as long as that is disclosed.
Two separate things, not one. A standardised pictogram (Annex Ia Part III) states only whether a charging device is included in the box. A separate label (Annex Ia Part IV, required by Article 10(8) of the RED) carries the charging specifications: the minimum and maximum power in watts the laptop needs, and the abbreviation “USB PD” if it supports USB Power Delivery. Both must appear on the packaging and, in distance selling, close to the price indication. They apply to every category the directive covers, including laptops from 28 April 2026.
The directive itself sets no EU-wide fine; instead, national market surveillance and consumer protection authorities in each EU member state enforce it, transposed into domestic law, with powers up to withdrawal or recall of non-compliant products from that country's market. A 2025 market-surveillance sweep by EU authorities found high compliance among phones and tablets already in scope.
Most laptop manufacturers already use USB-C for charging — the parts that actually trip products up are the PD wattage threshold, the "no charger in box" disclosure rules, and getting both the pictogram and the separate charging label right per market. We check a product's charging spec and packaging artwork against the directive's requirements alongside the rest of its EU market-access work, rather than as a separate afterthought.
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