An Authorised Representative under the EU AI Act is a natural or legal person located or established in the European Union who has received and accepted a written mandate from a provider of an AI system or a general-purpose AI model to perform, on that provider's behalf, the obligations and procedures the Regulation establishes. In practice, the Authorised Representative is the EU-based point of contact through which a provider outside the Union answers to European authorities.
Why the role exists
The EU AI Act applies to AI systems placed on the Union market regardless of where the provider is established. That reach creates a practical problem: when a provider sits outside the EU, authorities and downstream operators have no established party inside the Union to hold accountable or to turn to for documentation.
The Authorised Representative closes that gap. A provider established outside the EU that places a high-risk AI system — or a general-purpose AI model — on the Union market must appoint, by written mandate, an Authorised Representative established in the Union before the system is made available. The role gives European authorities a stable, reachable contact within their own jurisdiction, and gives the provider a compliant route to the EU market without maintaining its own establishment there.
The mandate is deliberately formal. It must be received and accepted in writing, and it empowers the representative to act only within the scope the provider grants — though the Regulation sets a baseline of duties the mandate must always cover.
What the Authorised Representative does
The Authorised Representative does not design or build the AI system; the provider remains responsible for that. Instead, the representative carries out the accountability-facing obligations the Regulation attaches to the role. These typically include the following.
Keep documentation available
The representative keeps the EU declaration of conformity and the technical documentation available for the competent authorities for the period the Regulation requires, so that the evidence of conformity can be produced on request from inside the Union.
Cooperate with authorities
The representative cooperates with competent national authorities on any action they take in relation to the AI system, and provides — on a reasoned request — the information and documentation needed to demonstrate the system's conformity.
Act as the contact point
The representative serves as the point of contact for authorities and, where relevant, for the operator and other parties, on matters relating to the AI system's compliance. Its identity and contact details accompany the system so the point of contact is known.
Terminate the mandate on breach
If the representative has reason to consider that the provider is acting contrary to its obligations under the Regulation, it must terminate the mandate — and inform the relevant authority. Termination is a safeguard: the representative cannot lend its standing to a provider that is not meeting its duties.
How the role relates to other operators
The Authorised Representative is one of several defined roles the EU AI Act uses to distribute responsibility along the AI supply chain, and it is easiest to understand by contrast:
- The provider develops the AI system or model and bears primary responsibility for its conformity. The Authorised Representative acts for the provider, under mandate, but does not assume that primary design responsibility.
- The importer places on the Union market an AI system bearing the name of a third-country provider. Where a high-risk provider has appointed an Authorised Representative, the importer's checks include confirming that the representative and mandate are in place.
- Other operators — deployers, distributors — interact with the system further along the chain. The representative is the reachable EU node they and the authorities can address on questions of the provider's conformity.
A single provider appoints one Authorised Representative for a given system by written mandate; the representative's authority begins and ends with what that mandate — and the Regulation's baseline duties — define.
In context
The Authorised Representative is a compliance and accountability role, not a technical one: it makes a non-EU provider reachable, keeps the conformity evidence available inside the Union, and can withdraw its mandate when the provider falls short. For any organization mapping its position under the AI Act, identifying whether it is a provider, importer, operator, or representative — and what each role obliges — is a first step. For a broader walkthrough of the Regulation's structure and obligations, see the EU AI Act guide.
This article is an educational explainer and general information about a role defined in the EU AI Act. It is not legal advice and does not guarantee compliance; organizations should assess their specific obligations with qualified counsel.
