If you are looking at putting a GS1 Digital Link on a product, it is easy to assume there is a certification you have to pass first. Mostly, there is not. Here is what is actually required, and what only sounds required.
Resolver conformance is voluntary and self-signalled
The GS1-Conformant Resolver standard is a set of technical requirements, not an accredited certification programme. There is no body that certifies your resolver and no registry it must be entered into before it works. A resolver signals conformance itself, by publishing a description file at /.well-known/gs1resolver; a public test suite lets you self-check. GS1’s own standard even states that connecting a GS1 Digital Link to a conformant resolver is not required at all. Source: GS1-Conformant Resolver standard, reviewed July 2026.
So a built-to-spec resolver on your own domain works in production without any GS1 certification of the software. That is the honest basis on which redireo offers it — we build to the standard and publish the description file; we do not claim, and there is no, certification.
Resolution does not depend on any GS1 registry
A GS1 Digital Link is a normal HTTPS URL on your domain (https://brand.example/01/...). Any phone camera opens it and your resolver answers. There is no GS1 registry your resolver domain must be listed in for that to happen. GS1’s id.gs1.org is only a “resolver of last resort” for barcodes that carry no domain name, and it is explicitly optional.
What actually is required — and who owns it
| Thing | Required? | Who |
|---|---|---|
| A GTIN / GS1 Company Prefix | Yes — the one hard gate | You, via GS1 membership |
| Resolver “certification” | No (voluntary, self-signalled) | — |
| Registering your resolver domain with GS1 | No | — |
| “Verified by GS1” (GTIN data registry) | Optional / recommended data quality | You, via your GS1 member org |
| Barcode print-quality verification | Practically yes for retail | You / your printer |
| EU DPP registry registration | Yes, for in-scope products from 2027 | You (the economic operator) |
The one unavoidable requirement is the GTIN: GS1 issues those, and they cost (a single GTIN is a modest one-time purchase in the US; a Company Prefix is a recurring licence). We do not issue GTINs — you bring one you are licensed to use.
Healthcare and DPP are different
Two areas carry real, separate obligations that are not about resolver certification:
- Regulated healthcare link types (electronic leaflets, IFUs, SmPCs) require per-market regulatory validation and a manufacturer-authorised source. These are Enterprise-only on redireo for that reason.
- The EU Digital Product Passport requires registering the passport identifier in the EU DPP Registry for in-scope categories from 2027 — an obligation on the manufacturer, not a certification of your resolver.
The bottom line
You do not need GS1 certification to use a GS1 Digital Link. You need a GTIN you are licensed to use, and a resolver built to the standard on a domain you control. redireo provides the second; you bring the first. We say what we are — a conformant-built resolver — and what we are not — a certification, a GTIN issuer, or a guarantee of regulatory compliance.