In vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDs)

  1. General information
  2. Registration as an IVD manufacturer
  3. Registration IVDs
  4. Notification form
  5. Transitional period
  6. Guidance
  7. FAQ

     

1. General information

In general, from 26 May 2022, IVDs must comply with the new IVD Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2017/746 on in vitro diagnostic medical devices, hereafter abbreviated as IVDR). However, there are still some transitional periods and exceptions in place, allowing IVDs to be placed on the market under the previous IVD legislation (Directive 98/79/EC, hereafter abbreviated as IVDD) (see point 5). This also takes into account the fact that the European database on medical device (Eudamed) is not fully yet functional. IVD manufacturers must comply with the general obligations set out in Article 10 of the IVDR, subject to their applicability to IVDs benefiting from a transitional period.

 

2. Registration as an IVD manufacturer

Regulation (EU) 2017/746 (IVDR) requests manufacturers of in vitro diagnostic medical devices to register in the « Actors » module of Eudamed, the European database on medical devices. Before 28 May 2026, this registration is carried out on a voluntary basis. However, registration in Eudamed will be mandatory as from 28 May 2026, i.e. 6 months after the date of publication of Decision (EU) 2025/2371 concerning Eudamed. (more information on the “Eudamed” webpage)

The FAMHP strongly recommends to register proactively. On 28 May 2026, Eudamed will be considered as the only authentic source for the « actor » data of economic operators (manufacturers, authorised representatives and importers). Our national database (the web portal) communicates with Eudamed in order to retrieve these data. This means that registration in Eudamed will be considered as equivalent as a registration on our web portal.     After registration in Eudamed, it is requested to log in afterwards to the web portal to complete the risk class(es) of the in vitro diagnostic devices you manufacture and to add additional establishment units.

Further information on registration and Eudamed can be found in our FAQ document (see point 7, question 3 to 5).

 

3. Registration of IVDs

Regulation (EU) 2017/746 on in vitro diagnostic medical devices requests manufacturers to register their in vitro diagnostic devices in the « Devices » module of Eudamed. For the time being, however, this registration is carried out on a voluntary basis. The date on which the registration of a device becomes mandatory depends on several factors. With the publication on 27 November 2025 of Decision (EU) 2025/2371, the full functionality of the « Devices » module was confirmed and registration will become mandatory as from 28 May 2026, with a transitional period of six months to allow the encoding of the devices concerned. For more information on this subject, please consult the dedicated page on our website.

Before 28 May 2026, Belgian manufacturers and authorised representatives still have the possibility to apply the corresponding provisions of Directive 98/79/EC as transposed into national legislation, namely the notification to the AFMPS of the placing on the market of an in vitro diagnostic device (see the form below).

Nevertheless, the FAMHP is encouraging the Belgian manufacturers and the foreign manufacturers who have designated a Belgian authorised representative the registration of their IVD(s) on Eudamed via the "Devices" module. This registration replaces the FAMHP notification. No acknowledgement of receipt will be sent in this case. If you still wish to receive an acknowledgement of receipt, please contact us by e-mail at notifications.meddev@fagg-afmps.be with the following details:

  • The manufacturer's SRN
  • The authorised representative's SRN
  • The basic UDI-ID
  • The device model
  • The number of the CE certificate and notified body (if applicable)

Starting from 28 May 2026, notification to the FAMHP will no longer be possible and registration must be carried out exclusively via Eudamed. In addition, as from that date no acknowledgement of receipt will be issued by the FAMHP.

 

4. Notification form

In accordance with Article 5 of the Royal Decree of 14 November 2001, Belgian manufacturers and authorised representatives who do not yet use Eudamed (see also points 2 and 3) must notify the FAMHP before placing IVDs on the market.

The notification must be made

  • using the notification form for the placing on the market : form on IVDR (French/Dutch), form on IVDD (French/Dutch)
  • on the day the devices are placed on the market at the latest,
  • separately for each device.

The form can be completed using Microsoft Word or certain free alternatives such as WPS Office Writer. Please note that some alternatives (Open Office) do not display drop-down menus or allow fields to be completed correctly. The form must be signed manually after printing or signed electronically using a PDF reader.

The various documents can be send in electronic format by e-mail to notifications.meddev@afmps.be. If several notifications are being submitted made at the same time, please group the various documents to be supplied in a folder for each notification.

The confirmation of receipt that you will receive following notification in no way constitutes approval of the qualification and classification of the IVD(s) concerned or their conformity with the general safety and performance requirements described in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2017/746 on medical devices for in vitro diagnostic.

Changing the notification information

If the information provided at the time of notification changes, you must inform us within 15 days using the applicable notification form for the placing on the market (see above). When the change concerns the transition from IVDD to IVDR notification for the same device, the manufacturer or its authorised representative must use the IVDR notification form and must indicate the IVDD notification number in the appropriate field of the form. This change is not considered as a change but as a new notification.

 

5. Transitional periods

Some IVDs may benefit from a transitional period under certain conditions (Article 110, IVDR). During that period, it is still possible to place on the market IVDs that are compliant with the old IVD Directive after 26 May 2022 (the date of application of the new IVDR). These IVDs are termed 'legacy IVDs'.

  • In January 2022, a first amendement to the IVDR transitional provisions was published with the following points :
    • extension of the maximum validity date of IVDD certificates to 26 May 2025 (instead of 26 May 2024);
    • extension of the transition period for IVDs with a valid IVDD certificate until 26 May 2025  (instead of 26 May 2024);
    • addition of transitional periods for 'other' IVDs that are not certified under IVDD but for which certification is required under IVDR.
  • A second amendement to the IVDR transitional provisions was published beginning of 2023. It removes the deadlines for IVDD-compliant IVDs already in the distribution chain. Once these IVDD-compliant IVDs are in the distribution chain, they can continue to be supplied to customers.
  • Finally, a third amendment was published in June 2024, which once again changes the transitional periods and imposes additional conditions on manufacturers to benefit from these transitional periods.

Further information on the transitional periods can be found in question 8 of the FAQ document (see point 7).

 

6. Guidances

The European Commission publishes guidance documents on many subjects (UDI, Eudamed, nomenclature, notified bodies, legacy devices, etc.). These guidance documents are available via this link. It also publishes more general information on topics of interest (notified bodies, standards, expert panels, Eudamed, etc.).

 

7. FAQ

The FAMHP has produced a FAQ document for IVD manufacturers and authorised representatives with information on: Eudamed, the single registration number for Eudamed, UDI, availability of European reference laboratories, transitional provisions, etc.

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