Selling toys: the rules by market
The rules toys must meet before going on sale in the EU, the UK, Switzerland, the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, the UAE and Saudi Arabia: who writes them, who enforces them, and what has to be registered, tested and labelled, with the official source for each. Compliant Always shows which of them apply to your product.
Europe
- European UnionIn the EU, toys must meet the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC before they are marketed. The manufacturer carries out a safety assessment and a conformity assessment, draws up technical documentation and an EC declaration of conformity, and affixes the CE marking. The Toy Safety Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 replaces the Directive from 1 August 2030.Selling toys in the EU
- United KingdomIn Great Britain, toys for children under 14 fall under the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011. Before sale, the manufacturer carries out a safety assessment and conformity assessment, draws up a declaration of conformity and technical documentation, and affixes the UKCA or CE marking. Northern Ireland applies the same Regulations in line with the EU Toy Safety Directive.Selling toys in the UK
- SwitzerlandIn Switzerland, toys for children up to 14 are utility articles under food law. The FDHA Ordinance on the Safety of Toys (VSS) is aligned with the EU Toy Safety Directive, 2009/48/EC, and asks for a safety assessment, technical documentation and a declaration of conformity, kept ten years, with warnings and traceability. Cantonal authorities enforce.Selling toys in Switzerland
The Americas
- United StatesIn the US, each toy must comply with the applicable provisions of ASTM F963-23, made mandatory by 16 CFR 1250. Toys are children's products: they are tested by a CPSC-accepted third party laboratory and covered by a Children's Product Certificate. Lead, phthalate and small parts rules apply, and toys carry permanent tracking marks.Selling toys in the US
- CanadaIn Canada, toys are consumer products under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, administered by Health Canada. The Toys Regulations set mechanical, flammability, toxicological, electrical and thermal requirements for products intended for children under 14, with tighter rules for under-threes. Lead and phthalates have their own regulations, and warnings are in English and French.Selling toys in Canada
- MexicoIn Mexico, toys carry the commercial information of NOM-015-SCFI-2007, in Spanish, including the recommended age, the importer and any batteries needed. Toys for children up to 12 years and preschool school articles meet NOM-252-SSA1-2011 limits on bioavailable lead, with further metal limits for under-threes. PROFECO and the Secretaría de Economía enforce.Selling toys in Mexico
- BrazilIn Brazil, toys follow INMETRO's Portaria 302/2021: technical requirements, compulsory certification by an accredited body, and registration with INMETRO before sale. The conformity seal on the pack carries the registration number. INMETRO and its delegated state bodies check toys on the market, with penalties under Law 9.933/1999.Selling toys in Brazil
Asia and the Pacific
- AustraliaIn Australia, toys must meet the mandatory safety standards and bans made under the Australian Consumer Law, enforced by the ACCC and state and territory regulators. Toys for under-3s, magnetic, projectile and aquatic toys each have a standard, as do lead in toys and products with button batteries. Supplying non-compliant or banned toys is prohibited.Selling toys in Australia
- New ZealandIn New Zealand, toys for children up to 36 months must meet the Product Safety Standards (Children's Toys) Regulations 2005, which adopt AS/NZS ISO 8124.1. Unsafe goods notices ban lead in toys above a migration limit and small high-powered magnet sets, and, from 1 February 2027, untested sand toys. The Commerce Commission enforces; Customs stops non-compliant imports.Selling toys in New Zealand
- JapanIn Japan, toys that infants may put in their mouths fall under the Food Sanitation Act, with standards and an import notification at an MHLW quarantine station. The Consumer Product Safety Act adds specified children's products, which carry an age standard, warnings and a mark. Electrical and radio toys also meet PSE and the Radio Act.Selling toys and children's products in Japan
- South KoreaIn South Korea, toys are children's products under the Special Act on the Safety of Children's Products, run by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS). Toys are subject to safety verification: each model is tested by a designated laboratory and reported before release or customs clearance.Selling toys in South Korea
- SingaporeIn Singapore, toys are general consumer goods under the Consumer Protection (Consumer Goods Safety Requirements) Regulations 2011, run by the Consumer Product Safety Office. There is no pre-market registration: a toy meets an applicable ISO, IEC, EN or ASTM standard plus CPSO limits on phthalates, and the CPSO can stop the sale of unsafe toys.Selling toys in Singapore
- IndiaIn India, toys for children under 14 fall under the Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020. They conform to the IS 9873 series, or IS 15644 for electric toys, and bear the BIS Standard Mark under a licence from the Bureau of Indian Standards. Imported toys need the same licence, held by the foreign manufacturer.Selling toys in India
The Middle East
- United Arab EmiratesIn the UAE, toys for children under 14 fall under the Gulf Technical Regulation for children's toys, adopted by Cabinet Resolution No. 22 of 2015. Manufacturers meet its safety requirements, keep a technical file for ten years, issue a declaration of conformity, fix the Gulf conformity mark and give warnings in Arabic. Dubai also checks toys at import.Selling toys in the UAE
- Saudi ArabiaIn Saudi Arabia, toys meet the GCC Technical Regulation on Children's Toys (BD-131704-01), listed among the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization's (SASO) technical regulations. Manufacturers carry out a safety assessment and conformity procedure, draw up a declaration in Arabic and English, and affix the GC mark. Instructions, safety information and warnings are in Arabic.Selling toys in Saudi Arabia
Other products
- Food
- Supplements
- Beverages
- Alcohol
- Infant formula and baby food
- Pet food
- Cosmetics and beauty
- Cleaning products and detergents
- Electrical and electronics
- Clothing, footwear and textiles
- Kitchenware and food contact articles
- Consumer goods
Selling toys somewhere not listed here? Tell us the product and the market, and we will come back to you with the rules that apply.
Tell us where you sellCompliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.