Can I supply my machine without paper instructions for use?

Yes for professional use, provided three conditions are met: how to access the digital instructions is indicated on the machine, they remain accessible online during the expected lifetime and for at least ten years after placing on the market, and a paper version is provided free of charge upon request at the time of purchase within one month. For non-professional users, essential safety information must still be provided on paper.

Is sending a PDF by email sufficient?

No: an ad hoc email transmission guarantees neither the indication of access on the machine, nor availability over ten years, nor a format that can be printed and downloaded at all times. A permanent access point is required: typically, a QR code on the machine linking to a version-controlled page.

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Article 10(7) · Requirement 1.7.4

Digital instructions for use: the best news in the Regulation, if done properly

Updated on 26 August 2026 · verified against the wording of Article 10(7)

Under Directive 2006/42, the instruction handbook had to accompany the machine: in practice, on paper. Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 changes the rule: the instructions may be provided in a digital format. This offers tangible savings (printing, updates, shipping) and better service (the end customer always reads the current version). But this authorisation is subject to conditions, and each condition must be demonstrable.

The three conditions, strictly by the book

Condition	What this implies in practice
a — Access is indicated on the machinery or in accompanying documents	A physical, legible access point: in practice, a QR code on or alongside the rating plate, ideally formatted in accordance with IEC 61406 (asset identification link), to remain compatible with industrial digital twins.
b — The format allows retention: they can be printed, downloaded, and saved	The reader must be able to print and save their instructions. A locked web page or a proprietary viewer is not sufficient.
c — Availability endures: expected lifetime and at least ten years after placing on the market	This is the most demanding commitment: a URL that must survive website redesigns, changes of hosting provider, and everything else. It warrants dedicated, versioned hosting with a demonstrable audit trail.

Two additional rules apply: a paper version free of charge upon request at the time of purchase, which must be provided within a maximum of one month; and, for machinery intended for non-professional users (or that can reasonably be used by them), the essential safety information for commissioning and safe use must be provided on paper in any event.

Why version control is not a luxury

The day a market surveillance authority or an insurance expert asks, "Which instructions accompanied this machine when it was placed on the market?", you must be able to present the exact, timestamped version, not the current version. That is the difference between a PDF hosted on a server and a passport: each publication is an immutable version, the history remains accessible, and the QR code always directs to the current version without erasing previous ones.

Digital instructions for use are not merely a file: they are a ten-year commitment to availability, backed by proof.

How Passeport Machine puts this into practice

One QR code per machine (with serial number), printed on the plate: view it on the specimen machine (FR);
A version-controlled instructions page, printable, with a version banner and publication date;
An immutable history of versions, timestamped by the server;
A full export at any time for the manufacturer: the ten-year commitment does not create vendor lock-in.

Publish my instructions properly

Sources

Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, Article 10(7) and Annex III, Section 1.7.4 — EUR-Lex · IEC 61406 (identification link) — digital nameplate. Verified on 26.08.2026.