Battery Passport: EU Consults on Access to Restricted Data

Not all information in a battery passport will be public. While some data will be available through the battery’s QR code, more detailed information will be restricted to authorities and people with a legitimate interest, such as repairers and recyclers.

A draft implementing regulation now open for feedback would define who qualifies for access to certain restricted information and how they may use it. The consultation runs from 19 October to 16 November 2026, closing at midnight Brussels time.

The proposal supports the battery passport requirements applying from February 2027 to electric vehicle batteries, light means of transport batteries and industrial batteries above 2 kWh. It concerns access rights, rather than introducing the passport requirement itself.

Who would have access?

The draft identifies battery repairers, remanufacturers, repurposers, recyclers, waste treatment operators and vocational training centres as having a legitimate interest in specified information. Access would depend on the person’s role and the category of data; it would not give every eligible organisation access to the entire passport.

Battery purchasers would also have access to specified information, including component part numbers and sources of replacement spares. Purchasers and parties acting on their behalf would be able to access individual-battery information for purposes such as assessing the battery’s condition, residual value and suitability for further use.

Access would not mean unrestricted sharing

Eligible users could download and use restricted information for the purposes set out in the draft, including repair, reuse, repurposing, remanufacturing and recycling. They would not generally be allowed to publish it or pass it on, and downloaded information could be retained only for as long as necessary.

Specific exceptions would allow certain information to be shared with emergency services, poison centres and relevant authorities. Purchasers could also share individual-battery information with prospective buyers. Further sharing or publication could be authorised by the economic operator placing the battery on the market.

Safety information would be treated differently. The eligible users identified in the draft, including end-of-life vehicle and waste electrical and electronic equipment treatment facilities, could use, download, share and publish that information without restriction.

What this means for battery passport preparation

For companies developing passport systems, the proposal makes access management part of the implementation work. Collecting the required data is only one task; companies also need to distinguish public information from restricted information and control access according to the user’s role.

The document remains a draft and has not been adopted or endorsed by the Commission. Feedback submitted during the consultation will inform the finalisation of the initiative. The draft provides for entry into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal, but no final publication date is specified.

Source: European Commission, draft implementing regulation on access to and use of certain information in the battery passport, Ref. Ares(2026)9814179, 19 October 2026.