How to get an official barcode for your product
Our generator creates the code image in seconds. For actual retail sale, though, that code also needs to be officially assigned — here's how.
This is worth understanding before you print a thousand labels. The barcode generator (ours or anyone else's) will create an image from any 13 digits that pass the checksum — mathematically, such a code is perfectly fine. The catch is that this isn't enough for actual retail sale in a shop or online store: the number also needs to be officially assigned to your business, or you risk it clashing with another product's code somewhere in the world.
Why it matters
EAN-13 codes aren't just images — behind them sits a worldwide system called GTIN (Global Trade Item Number), which guarantees that every number belongs to exactly one product from one company. Retail chains, wholesalers and platforms like Google Shopping check this in practice. Without official registration, a buyer may simply refuse to accept your code, or your product may get confused with a completely different item in someone's system.
The official route: your national GS1 organisation
Every country has a licensed GS1 member organisation responsible for registration (in Slovakia, this is GS1 Slovakia, operating under country prefix 858). The process typically looks like this:
- Registration happens online through the organisation's own portal.
- You choose the type and quantity of identification numbers based on how many products you plan to label.
- You provide your company details and sign an agreement with your national GS1 organisation.
- Once approved, you receive an assigned range of numbers, from which you assign individual EAN-13 codes to your own products.
This route makes sense if you plan to add new products regularly — you buy an entire block of numbers (e.g. 10 or 100), not just a single code.
A faster alternative for smaller needs
If you only need a handful of codes and don't want to take on full membership, authorised resellers also sell individual, already-registered EAN-13 numbers. You buy a specific number along with proof of ownership, which for a small number of products is quicker and cheaper than setting up membership.
What to do with the number once you have it
Once you have an officially assigned number (from your national GS1 organisation or an authorised reseller), enter it exactly as assigned into our generator under the EAN-13 type. Download the generated image and use it on your label or packaging — generating the code image is technically identical whether the number is official or not. The difference is whether that number actually belongs to you.
When you don't need registration
If the code will never pass through a till in an ordinary shop — internal warehouse tracking, your own store with no connection to external systems, or a serial number for internal use — you don't need any registration at all. In that case, CODE128 instead of EAN-13 is also the more suitable format, since it isn't tied to the GTIN system at all.