R129 04 series: the 1 September 2026 and 2027 deadlines explained
Two dates in R129 §16 matter to everyone selling child seats in 2026–2027. Here is what they say, what they don’t, and how to prepare.
The two dates
- 1 September 2026 — contracting parties are no longer obliged to accept approvals to series preceding the 04 series that are first issued after this date (§16.14).
- 1 September 2027 — contracting parties are no longer obliged to accept any approvals issued to preceding series (§16.15).
The exception
Parties continue to accept, and to grant extensions to, earlier-series approvals for seats not affected by the changes introduced by the 04 series (§16.16). Whether a product is affected is a technical question for the Technical Service and authority, based on its category and design.
“Not obliged to accept” is not the same as “banned”
§16 governs mutual recognition between contracting parties. What can actually be sold in a country is decided by its own rules — for the EU, by EU type-approval and market legislation. Plan as if older approvals will stop being accepted where it matters to you.
A practical plan
- List every product and the series in its approval number.
- Ask your approval holder or Technical Service whether each 03-series product is affected by the 04 changes.
- For affected products, schedule 04-series testing early — test-lab capacity tightens before deadlines.
- Develop all new products directly to the 04 series.
- Update labels, manuals and packaging with the new approval numbers.
Background: R129 amendment series and deadlines.
We develop child car seats to the current R129 04 series for brands and distributors. Tell us which products need replacing and when.
Guidance only. Check the authentic UN/ECE text and your Technical Service before relying on any requirement for approval.