Two registers under one roof
Electronics and batteries have their own place in Germany's EPR system, separate from packaging. stiftung EAR is the German WEEE and battery register, and it is really two registrations, one under the electronics law and one under the battery law.
It is not run by a ministry directly but by a dedicated body, and you register before putting either kind of product on the German market.
What stiftung EAR covers
The two sit under separate laws and came into force years apart.
| Registration | Law | Live since |
|---|---|---|
| Electronics (WEEE) | Elektro- und Elektronikgerätegesetz (ElektroG) | Current act from 20 Oct 2015 |
| Batteries | Batterierecht-Durchführungsgesetz (BattDG) | 7 Oct 2025 |
The battery law implements EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542. It sets five battery categories and, from 1 January 2026, requires you to join an approved producer scheme for each category you sell.
Who runs it and why that matters
stiftung ear does not collect a single old appliance itself. It is a foundation that the Umweltbundesamt (the German Environment Agency) has entrusted with authority tasks under both laws.
In practice it registers producers, allocates take-back duties across them, and publishes who is compliant. That public list is the point. A distributor or marketplace can check your registration before dealing with you, so an unregistered producer is easy to spot.
Who must register
Registration turns on who first makes the product available in Germany, so the duty reaches well beyond German factories.
- Domestic manufacturers of electrical equipment or batteries.
- Importers bringing either across the German border.
- Foreign webshops shipping directly to German customers as distance sellers.
How registration works
You work out your device and battery categories, then apply for a WEEE registration and, separately, a battery registration through stiftung ear. Producers not established in Germany appoint an authorised representative first (see below).
Once registered you receive a WEEE-Reg.-Nr. DE, show it on your offers and invoices, report your volumes, and for batteries join an approved scheme for each category. The number is issued as "DE" followed by eight digits.
Note: the eight-digit length is reported by compliance sources and is not confirmed word-for-word on an official stiftung ear page, so treat it as indicative.
Registering from abroad
A producer without a German establishment cannot register with stiftung ear directly. Section 8 ElektroG requires a Germany-based authorised representative, appointed under a written mandate in German for at least three months, and the battery law works the same way.
The representative takes on the producer's obligations, registration and reporting included. There is no de-minimis threshold to fall under, so the first unit you place on the market triggers the duty.
What it costs and when you report
Your main cost is not the register but scheme participation. Battery producers must join an approved scheme for each battery category from 1 January 2026, and both registrations run on annual volume reporting.
Because there is no small-volume exemption, even a first shipment brings you into the reporting cycle.
Other German registers
Germany runs three separate registers, split by product. Packaging goes in LUCID, and single-use plastic products in DIVID. This page is the electronics and battery register.
Frequently asked questions about stiftung EAR
Short answers to what foreign producers ask most.
Can I register with stiftung EAR from outside Germany?
Not directly. A producer without a German establishment must appoint a Germany-based authorised representative, under a written German-language mandate, who registers and reports on its behalf under both the electronics and battery laws.
Does stiftung EAR cover packaging?
No. Packaging is a separate register, LUCID, run by the ZSVR. stiftung ear handles electronics and batteries only, so a company selling packaged electronics registers in both.
What is my WEEE-Reg.-Nr?
It is your electronics registration number, issued as "DE" plus eight digits, which you must show on offers and invoices. Batteries get a separate registration number.
Is there a threshold before I have to register?
No. There is no de-minimis exemption. The first electrical item or battery you place on the German market triggers the registration duty.