USB-C mandatory for all portable devices

What changes?

Do you manufacture, import, or sell electronic devices? Small and medium-sized electronic devices that can be charged via a wired connection must have a USB Type-C port. USB-C is the mandatory standard connection for the USB charger. This applies in the whole of the European Union.

The following devices must have a USB-C connection:

• mobile phones
• tablets
• laptops
• e-readers
• earplugs
• digital cameras
• headphones
• headsets
• portable game consoles
• portable speakers
• keyboards/keypads
• computer mice
• portable navigation devices (sat navs)
• smart watches
• electronic toys

Devices that are too small for a USB-C connection and devices that can only be charged wirelessly do not need a USB Type-C port.

For laptops a transition period of 40 months applies.

For whom?

• manufacturers and importers of portable electronic devices
• vendors of portable electronic devices

When?

This change in the Commodities Act is expected to enter into effect on 28 December 2024.

Please note: The effective date of this measure is not yet final. Entry into force is subject to its passing through the upper and lower houses of parliament or proclamation of the Order in Council (Algemene Maatregel van Bestuur, AMvB) or ministerial decree and publication in the Staatsblad or Staatscourant (Government Gazette, in Dutch).