The GS mark stands for "geprüfte Sicherheit" (safety tested) and is a national "speciality". It may only be applied to ready-to-use products, such as electrical equipment, furniture or textiles.

The GS mark is not a comprehensive quality seal seeking to say anything about the lifespan or performance of a product, but it does provide - in contrast to the CE marking - genuine confirmation of safety. Its legal basis is provided in section 5 (§§ 20-24) of the Product Safety Act (ProdSG). With the amendment of the ProdSG, which will come into force on 16 July 2021, most of the regulations will be taken over from the previous ProdSG, largely with the same content.

We summarized the most important information about the GS mark as FAQs for you:
Questions and answers about the GS mark

The Product Safety Commission (AfPS) determines specifications which must be applied for GS mark recognition (§ 20 para. 3 no. 3 ProdSG). It also makes recommendations regarding the suitability of a product for the GS mark. However, not all products are considered GS mark-eligible, e.g. weapons.
GS specification of the AfPS

From case to case, GS bodies discover the abuse of their GS marks. In order to counteract the abuse of GS marks, the BAuA publishes cases of which it has become aware in its database on GS mark abuse (§ 22 para. 3 ProdSG).
GS mark abuse database (German Website)

BAuA provides notification of GS bodies according to § 21 para. 4 of the Product Safety Act (ProdSG).
GS Bodies database (German Website)

You can submit a quick request to check the validity of a GS certificate using the following form:
Quick request for the control of GS certificates (in German)