For a single battery type, a passport can be completed within a few weeks, provided the data is complete. With a range of ten, twenty or a hundred different models, that time does not simply add up: the processing time is then mainly determined by how many suppliers you have, how quickly they respond, and whether the same data needs to be requested again per model. Those who start now with an overview of their own range typically save more time than those who wait until all documentation is already in.
The regulation itself does not mention a processing time for compiling a passport; however, the obligation is set out that batteries falling under the scheme must have a digital passport from 18 February 2027. What lies in between — how quickly you get that done — depends on your own organisation and the parties you work with, not on a deadline from the law.
What determines processing time in practice
Three factors always come into play: the number of different product types, the number of suppliers you work with, and the question of whether technical documentation is already centrally recorded or must be looked up per model. An importer who takes ten variants of the same e-bike battery from one factory typically has less delay than a retailer who stocks ten different brands, each with its own contact person and own way of documenting.
Phase 1: gathering data
In virtually all cases, this is the longest phase, and the phase where most things go wrong. The required data — cell chemistry, origin of raw materials, performance values, safety information — come from the manufacturer or from your own purchasing department, and not every supplier has them ready in the form needed. Particularly with suppliers outside the EU, requesting missing pieces often takes weeks, because the question must first be sorted out within their own organisation. Those dealing with multiple product types at the same time are well advised to make this request all at once for the entire range rather than per model separately, if only to avoid having the same email correspondence five times.
Phase 2: compiling and checking
Once the data is complete, compiling the passport itself is relatively quick. This phase mainly encounters delays when it later turns out that a piece of documentation was missing after all, or when data between different departments — purchasing, technical, quality — do not match. A fixed contact point within your organisation that collects all pieces saves multiple back-and-forth rounds in practice. In the knowledge base per topic each data category explains exactly what is being asked and why.
Phase 3: applying and publishing
Placing the QR code on the product or packaging, and going live with the passport, is technically the shortest step. Yet this part also deserves time: with existing stock, it must be determined how and where the code is applied without having to have the product or packaging produced again. Companies that only schedule this part at the end often find that this final step requires more coordination than expected, for example with a packaging supplier or printer.
Why it more easily goes wrong with a broad range
For a single product, a missed step is quickly corrected. With an assortment of dozens of models, delays accumulate: a missing document from supplier A does not automatically hold up model B, but if you want to complete everything at once, you still have to wait for the slowest link. It helps to track separately for each product type which data has already been received and which is still missing, so that a delay at one supplier does not bring the entire operation to a standstill. With a brief scan that shows your status for each situation you quickly gain visibility into which product types are already nearly ready and which still require attention.
When it makes sense to start
Because the longest phase takes place outside your own office — at the manufacturer or supplier — starting early is the most important way to prevent delays. The sooner the request for documentation is sent out, the more time remains to uncover missing pieces before the obligation takes effect. On the page that shows where the data for a product passport comes from it is explained which steps are involved and what we take on for you.
Whether your situation is even subject to the regulation, and what the exact deadlines are, is something you would best discuss with a lawyer or check in the official text. If you would first like to get an impression of where you stand with your own assortment, do the free quick-scan or read the other topics in the frequently asked questions about the battery passport.