Poison centre notification in Germany
Verified against ECHA’s member state overview ·
Germany is the largest chemicals market in the EU, and its PCN regime is exacting in one specific way: although dossiers travel through the ECHA Submission portal in German or English and cost nothing, you may only place the mixture on the German market once the submission report confirms the BfR — the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment — has received it.
Germany also notifies more than the EU baseline. Under national rules anchored in § 16e of the Chemikaliengesetz, all detergents and cleaning products are notifiable regardless of classification — a non-hazardous washing-up liquid that needs no PCN elsewhere still needs a German notification. Non-compliance is an administrative offence under § 26 ChemG, with fines reaching €50,000 in the top administrative tier.
The BAuA-run REACH-CLP-Biozid helpdesk is the working reference for German specifics, and BfR maintains its own product-notification pages in English.
What to watch for in Germany
- Confirmation of receipt required before placing on the German market.
- National extra: all detergents notifiable regardless of classification (§ 16e ChemG).
- Penalties: administrative fines up to €50,000 under § 26 ChemG.
The submission itself is the same in every member state that accepts the ECHA route: a PCN dossier in ECHA’s current format, carrying the mixture’s UFI, full composition, and product category. See how to submit a PCN for the process end to end, or compare all 30 countries in the country overview table.
Frequently asked questions
Can I submit a German PCN in English?
Yes. Germany accepts notifications in German or English through the ECHA Submission portal — one of the reasons many multi-country dossiers are built in English.
Do non-hazardous detergents need a notification in Germany?
Yes. Under German national law all detergents and cleaning agents are notifiable regardless of CLP classification. The harmonised PCN duty only covers hazardous mixtures; the German detergent rule is a national extra on top of it.
When can I place a product on the German market after submitting?
Only after the ECHA submission report shows the dossier as received by BfR. Germany is one of the six confirmation-of-receipt member states, so passed validation alone is not enough.
Sources
- Overview of Member States decisions (MSD) — ECHA, v14, May 2026.
- Appointed bodies list — ECHA, accessed July 2026.
- § 26 Chemikaliengesetz (penalties) — Gesetze im Internet, accessed July 2026.