The Registry API Takes Shape
With six months until the EU Central DPP Registry goes live, the European Commission has published draft technical specification v0.9 for public consultation. This document defines how Digital Product Passports will be registered, queried, and maintained within the central system. It is the most detailed technical guidance published to date on the registry architecture.
API Specification Highlights
Passport Registration
To register a passport, the economic operator (or their platform) submits a POST request to the registry API containing:
- GS1 Digital Link URI (the unique product identifier)
- Product category code (from the EU product classification)
- EORI number of the responsible economic operator
- URL where the passport data is hosted
- Data format declaration (JSON-LD with W3C VCDM 2.0 context)
- Access tier configuration (which data elements are public, authorised, or restricted)
Query Interface
The registry supports three query modes:
- By product identifier — Returns the passport hosting URL for a specific GS1 Digital Link URI
- By economic operator — Returns all passports registered by a specific EORI number (authorised access only)
- By product category — Returns aggregate statistics and compliance rates (market surveillance authorities only)
Data Hosting Requirements
Economic operators or their platform providers must maintain passport data endpoints with:
- Minimum 99% uptime availability
- Response time under 2 seconds for data retrieval
- HTTPS with TLS 1.3
- Data retention for the product lifetime plus 10 years
What This Means for the Market
The v0.9 specification confirms that the registry is designed for API-first integration. Manual passport registration (e.g., through a web portal) is planned but will not be available at launch — reinforcing the need for manufacturers to use DPP platforms with built-in registry integration rather than attempting manual compliance.