Battery Passport Glossary
36 terms from Annex XIII to access levels, every entry self-contained and honest about the status of the legal acts.
Your battery passport reference
This glossary explains key terms around the battery passport, from Annex XIII to access levels. Every entry stands on its own. You can look up a single term or read from A to Z. Where acts are missing we say so openly, instead of claiming duties that do not exist. All detailed guides are bundled in our topic hub: battery passport overview. If you prefer to follow a term on your own passport, try it yourself. The first battery passport is free permanently in our battery passport software. Information as of 20 August 2026.
A to B
Annex XIII
Annex XIII of the Battery Regulation lists the data points a battery passport must contain and assigns them to three access levels: publicly available information, information for persons and bodies with a legitimate interest and for the Commission, and an authority level that additionally covers only the test reports. The Commission's guidance of 15 August 2026 (version 2.0) fleshes out the annex with 71 data points, organized by category, and states for each point whether it is mandatory. How a legitimate interest is to be demonstrated is to be set out in an implementing act under Article 77(9); this act has not yet been adopted. See also the entry on access levels.
Battery passport
The battery passport is a digital record for an individual battery, required by Article 77 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. From 18 February 2027, every LMT battery, every EV battery and every industrial battery above 2 kWh placed on the market in the EU needs its own passport. It contains information on the manufacturer, materials, performance and durability, among other things, and is accessible via a QR code on the battery. Part of the data is public, other parts are reserved for specific groups. What exactly the passport is and who it affects: What is a battery passport?. Earlier stages already apply before that date: CE marking since 18 August 2024 and, under Article 13(4), the separate collection symbol since 18 August 2025, with the chemical symbol for cadmium or lead printed beneath it under paragraph 5. The labeling under Article 13(1) to (3) applies from 18 August 2026 or 18 months after the implementing act under paragraph 10 enters into force, whichever is later. That covers the general information, the capacity and the minimum average duration. The due diligence obligations under Article 48 follow only on 18 August 2027.
Battery Regulation
Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 is the EU legal framework for batteries, from sustainability requirements and labeling to collection and recycling. The battery passport sits in Chapter IX, that is, in Articles 77 and 78. As a regulation it applies directly in all member states, without national implementing laws. Many detailed obligations, however, depend on downstream implementing acts and delegated acts that the Commission adopts step by step; some of these are still outstanding. Which batteries need a passport and when: Battery passport obligation: from when?.
BMS (battery management system)
BMS stands for battery management system, the electronics that monitor the condition and operation of a battery, such as state of charge, aging and temperature. The BMS matters for the battery passport because data points on the battery's condition can come from it. In practice there are also batteries without a BMS, for example classic lead-acid batteries; adapted data requirements apply to them. When creating a passport, the battery type is therefore the first fork in the road: it determines which fields are mandatory, which remain optional and which are dropped entirely.
Battery Passport Data Model and Data Attribute Longlist
Two different things that often get confused. The Data Attribute Longlist is a document of the Battery Pass consortium. It lists the fields of the passport. Version 1.2 appeared in January 2025, version 1.3 in March 2026, version 2.0 in August 2026. The Battery Passport Data Model is the set of JSON schemas derived from it. They sit openly in the GEFEG repository; since v2.0 the schema files carry the version in the file name. Where this page says “Data Model v2.0”, it means the schemas at the state of Longlist v2.0. Neither is binding. The data scope only gains legal force through Annex XIII and the implementing act.
C to D
Carbon footprint
The carbon footprint of a battery is to be declared and shown in the passport in future. These duties are not triggered, however. They hang on acts covering methodology and format that are still missing. The Commission guidance of 15 August 2026 states this expressly for the carbon declaration and the carbon label. From February 2027 they are not yet to be filled or displayed. Anyone preparing a passport today should know the fields but need not supply them. There is no fixed start date at present.
Digital product passport (DPP)
The digital product passport is the overarching EU concept. It means a structured, digitally retrievable data record per product, reachable through a data carrier. The Ecodesign Regulation ESPR introduces it step by step for many product groups. The battery passport has its own legal basis in the Battery Regulation. With 18 February 2027 it already has a fixed start date. Both follow the same principles: unique identifier, machine-readable format, tiered access rights. Software for battery passports is therefore a specialized form of DPP software.
DIN SPEC 99100
DIN SPEC 99100 is a German guide for the battery passport. It translates the requirements of the regulation into a process with seven steps. That runs from master data to publishing. As a DIN SPEC it is not a harmonized standard and creates no presumption of conformity. As a structural aid for implementation it is still useful. Our editor follows this structure: battery passport software.
Due diligence
The obligations under Chapter VII of the Battery Regulation. Article 47 exempts anyone whose net turnover in the last financial year but one was below 40 million euros and who belongs to no group exceeding that limit on a consolidated basis. From 40 million euros they apply, taking effect on 18 August 2027. Annex X names exactly four raw materials: cobalt, natural graphite, lithium and nickel. Verification is not by any third party but by a notified body.
E
eIDAS verification
eIDAS is the EU regulation on electronic identification and trust services. For the battery passport it becomes important at the EU registry: only an economic operator that has verified itself with an eIDAS-compliant electronic seal may register there. The verification is valid for at most three years and cannot be delegated away: service providers may register on an operator's behalf if they are verified themselves, but they cannot take over the economic operator's own verification. Companies should plan for this early, because an electronic seal has to be procured first.
EN 18222
EN 18222 is the European standard for the application programming interface of digital product passports. It describes methods to retrieve a passport by product identifier or passport ID. Access to earlier versions at a given date is part of it too. The final DIN version is announced for September 2026 but existed only as a draft on 20 August 2026. Our REST API follows the methods of EN 18222. Full conformity testing is open, and no certificate for it exists. To be distinguished from the standard are data spaces such as Catena-X or Gaia-X. They govern how companies share data with each other. For the battery passport they are not mandatory. The regulation requires retrieval through the data carrier, not participation in a data space.
ESPR
ESPR stands for the EU Ecodesign Regulation, the framework that gradually introduces digital product passports for many product groups. It does not apply directly to batteries: the battery passport has its own legal basis in the Battery Regulation. Important for context: Decision (EU) 2026/1736 harmonises six DPP standards under the ESPR; the associated presumption of conformity applies only to ESPR product passports, not to the battery passport. For batteries, using these standards remains voluntary.
EV battery
EV battery refers to the traction battery of an electric vehicle. Alongside LMT batteries and industrial batteries above 2 kWh, EV batteries form one of the three categories subject to the battery passport obligation from 18 February 2027; Article 77 does not set a capacity threshold for EV batteries. The passport of an EV battery contains, among other things, information on performance and durability that stays relevant over the vehicle's lifetime, for example for workshops, second use and recycling.
G to I
GLN (Global Location Number)
The GLN is a thirteen-digit GS1 identifier that uniquely identifies companies and locations. In the battery passport context it serves to name economic operators and manufacturing sites unambiguously, for example the plant where a battery was made. GS1 identifiers are licensed from the respective national GS1 organization; which license a company needs is its own decision and responsibility. It makes sense to sort out your own identifiers before the first passport is due to be published.
GS1 Digital Link
GS1 Digital Link is a standard that translates GS1 identifiers such as the GTIN and serial number into a web address. A single QR code thus leads people to the readable passport page and machines to structured data. For the battery passport this is a major advantage: the canonical passport URL can be built as a GS1 Digital Link, so the printed QR code stays permanently stable while the content behind it is updated and versioned. Our public passport pages use exactly this URL scheme.
GTIN
The GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is the GS1 article number that uniquely identifies a product model worldwide, familiar from the barcode in retail. For the battery passport, the GTIN together with a serial number forms the basis for addressing an individual battery, for example in a QR code following GS1 Digital Link. The last digit of the GTIN is a check digit; careful systems validate it before a passport is published. Which information has to be in place before publication is covered in the entry on the completeness check.
Industrial battery
Industrial batteries are batteries for industrial applications, including stationary energy storage. For industrial batteries above 2 kWh the passport duty applies from 18 February 2027. Smaller industrial batteries are exempt. Stationary battery energy storage systems have partly their own data points in Annex XIII. What the duty means for storage is in the guide battery passport for energy storage.
Placing on the market
Placing on the market means the first making available of a product on the EU market. For the passport this moment is decisive. The duty applies to batteries of the affected categories placed on the market from 18 February 2027. Batteries placed earlier need no passport retroactively. Anyone importing a battery from a third country and first making it available places it on the market. With that they take on duties of their own. What that means for importers: battery passport for importers.
Liability for passport data
Responsible is the economic operator placing the battery on the market (Article 77(4)). They ensure the data is accurate, complete and up to date. The authority may only be transferred in writing. Anyone selling under their own brand counts as a manufacturer under Article 44, with all the duties under Article 38.
L to Q
LMT battery
LMT stands for light means of transport, so e-bikes and e-scooters. LMT batteries are the third category with passport duty from 18 February 2027. The other two are EV batteries and industrial batteries above 2 kWh. For manufacturers and brands in the e-bike field the passport becomes part of every launch from that date. The specifics for e-bike batteries are covered separately: battery passport for e-bikes and e-scooters.
QR labeling
The Battery Regulation requires a QR code on the battery that leads to the battery passport (Article 13(6) and (7) and Annex VI Part C). The obligation takes effect together with the passport obligation from 18 February 2027. Because the code is printed or lasered long before content changes, the URL behind it should be permanently stable: the passport is updated and versioned, the code on the battery stays the same. For prepress, vector formats such as SVG are common alongside PNG; for larger series, bulk exports help. For batteries the QR code cannot be substituted: the regulation does not prohibit extra carriers such as NFC, RFID or DataMatrix, but they do not take its place. Article 13(8) leaves the Commission the option of providing for alternative smart labels in addition or as a substitute by delegated act; until that happens, the QR code stands. For the digital product passport under the Ecodesign Regulation, by contrast, the data carrier is described in technology-neutral terms from the outset.
Notified body
A conformity assessment body designated by a member state. Among other things it verifies the reliability of recycled content and carbon footprint data as part of your quality management system. Which bodies are designated for batteries is listed in the European Commission NANDO database.
Market surveillance
The member state authorities checking compliance. They can order a withdrawal or stop sales. The fine tiers that go with it are set out in this glossary under Penalties.
R to S
Registry (EU battery passport register)
The registry is the central EU Commission registry for battery passports. Its legal basis is Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1778, applicable since 6 August 2026. It stores no passport content, only a register of identifiers, commodity code and a hash. A sandbox environment has been reachable since 20 July 2026. Registration of battery passports is still blocked on the EU side, because the semantic catalogue is missing. The Commission plans the semantic catalogue and registry APIs for the fourth quarter of 2026 according to the helpdesk. The registration duty starts on 18 February 2027. The state in detail: EU battery passport registry.
Recycled content
Recycled content states how much recovered material sits in a new battery. Annex XIII holds the shares for cobalt, lithium, nickel and lead as separate data points. At the start on 18 February 2027 they are not to be filled in. The Commission guidance of 15 August 2026 states this expressly for all three battery types. Binding minimum shares do not apply yet either. The act on the calculation methodology was still pending on 20 August 2026, despite the deadline having passed.
Semantic catalog
The semantic catalogue is the announced Commission register. It defines the data points of the battery passport uniformly and machine-readably. It is the missing precondition for registration in the EU registry. That is exactly why battery registration there is currently blocked. According to the EC helpdesk on 4 August 2026, semantic catalogue and registry APIs are planned for the fourth quarter of 2026. Until then passports can be created, published and shared. Only the entry in the EU registry waits for release.
Repurposing
A battery is prepared for another purpose, a vehicle battery as stationary storage for example. Under Article 77(7) it then needs a new passport. It is linked to the passport of the original battery. In law a new product arises, not an old passport with a changed status.
Second life
The umbrella term for continued use after the first application. The Regulation covers four cases: preparation for re-use, preparation for repurposing, repurposing and remanufacturing. In all four, responsibility for the passport moves to whoever places the battery on the market in this new form.
State of health
The condition of the battery compared with its new state. Annex XIII number 4 lists it as data on the individual battery, visible only to persons with a legitimate interest. The parameters are in Annex VII, for electric vehicle batteries the state of certified energy (SOCE).
Recycling efficiency
Recycling efficiency measures how much mass a recycling process recovers from waste batteries: the weight of the output fractions credited to recycling, divided by the weight of the waste batteries fed into the process. Since 31 December 2025, Annex XII Part B has required at least 75% for lead-acid batteries, 65% for lithium batteries, 80% for nickel-cadmium batteries and 50% for other waste batteries; by 31 December 2030 the first two figures rise to 80% and 70%. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/606 of 21 March 2025 sets out how these rates are calculated and verified. The duty falls on recycling operators, not on the manufacturer: the battery passport states the recycled content of the material used, not the efficiency of a recycling process.
Penalties
The Battery Regulation names no fine levels itself. Article 93 only obliged the member states to lay down sanctions by 18 August 2025; they have to be effective, proportionate and dissuasive. In Germany section 60 of the Battery Act Implementation Act does that with three tiers: up to 500,000, 100,000 and 10,000 euros. The highest tier targets due diligence obligations and disregarded orders, not the passport obligation itself. For the passport the sharper consequence is usually a different one anyway: without it the battery may not be placed on the market from 18 February 2027. Who enforces that is set out in this glossary under Market surveillance. Responsibility for accuracy stays with the economic operator.
U to Z
UPI (Unique Product Identifier)
UPI stands for Unique Product Identifier. It is the identifier under which a passport is kept in the EU registry. Under the technical specifications the UPI has to be in a URL format. It may not exceed 2000 characters. In practice several schemes come into question, URN notations or GS1 Digital Link URLs for example. The final decision hangs on the pending registry documentation. Anyone planning identifiers today already watches URL capability and length.
Completeness check
A completeness check, often called a publish gate, only lets a passport be published once all mandatory data is in. Checked are the organization data, the GS1 identifiers with check digit and the completeness of all steps. The reason: a published passport is publicly retrievable. Incomplete drafts should never reach that state. In our editor the check blocks until all seven steps are complete. What has to be ready beforehand: battery passport checklist 2027.
Economic operator
Economic operator is the collective term of the Battery Regulation for companies with duties along the supply chain. That includes manufacturers, importers and distributors. For the passport the operator placing the battery on the market is responsible. They provide the passport and register it in the EU registry once the duty applies. For that they need eIDAS verification. A DPP service provider is not a defined actor under the Battery Regulation. A delegated act on service providers is expected around the second quarter of 2027. Responsibility stays with the economic operator.
Access levels
The battery passport does not show everything to everyone. Annex XIII defines three access levels: public data points can be viewed by anyone via the QR code, without login and without cost. A second level is reserved for persons and bodies with a legitimate interest and for the Commission. The third level additionally covers only the test reports and is aimed at authorities. How a legitimate interest is to be demonstrated is to be set out in an implementing act under Article 77(9); it is still outstanding. Implemented cleanly, this means: restricted data is never delivered to public requests in the first place.
Cell, module, pack
Three build levels that often get mixed up in the passport. The cell is the smallest unit, the module groups several cells, the pack several modules. Article 3 defines the battery as a device consisting of one or more cells, modules or packs. The passport hangs on the level that is placed on the market, not on the batch. If you sell a pack, the pack is the battery. The levels below sit in the composition.
From looking things up to your own passport
We keep this glossary current when the legal position moves. That applies to the semantic catalogue and the pending implementing acts. If you want to move from looking up to doing: your first battery passport is created in seven guided steps, free permanently, in the battery passport software. The umbrella term is explained on digital product passport.
Frequently asked questions
Battery passport and digital product passport: how do the terms relate?
The digital product passport (DPP) is the overarching EU concept for product-related records, introduced gradually for many product groups by the Ecodesign Regulation ESPR. The battery passport rests on its own legal basis, Article 77 of the Battery Regulation, and becomes mandatory from 18 February 2027. Both follow the same principles: a unique identifier, a machine-readable format and tiered access rights.
From which date does the passport obligation apply, and for which batteries?
From 18 February 2027. Affected are LMT batteries, EV batteries and industrial batteries with a capacity above 2 kWh that are placed on the market in the EU from that date. On the same date, the QR labeling obligation and the obligation to register the passport in the EU register take effect.
Who sees which data in the battery passport?
Annex XIII divides the data points into three access levels: public information for everyone who scans the QR code, restricted information for persons with a legitimate interest and for the Commission, and an authority level that additionally covers only the test reports. The implementing act governing proof of legitimate interest has not yet been adopted.
Can a battery passport solution have itself certified?
No. There is neither an official seal nor a certification scheme for battery passports or DPP service providers. Even the harmonised DPP standards create a presumption of conformity only for ESPR product passports, not for the battery passport. The only credible statement is which standards and schemas a solution is aligned with, for example EN 18222 or DIN SPEC 99100.
From the term to a finished passport
Set up an account, choose your battery type and capture your first passport in the guided editor. One passport is free forever.