kid with toys – G-Mark imports to Saudi Arabia

What to Know When Importing Toys Into Saudi Arabia

By: QIMA Jun 4, 2024

The Saudi toy market is predicted to generate revenue in excess of $3 billion USD in 2024, with the market still projected to grow, making it an attractive market for toy manufacturers. However, toys in Saudi Arabia are one of the most highly regulated consumer goods categories due to their use by children and potential hazards.

Importers bringing toys into the Kingdom are faced with a strict set of regulations covering product safety, quality and compliance. Without proper and complete certification and documentation, importers risk incurring large penalties on their goods or having their goods turned away completely by Saudi customs.

This article will help you navigate these requirements so you can successfully import toys into Saudi Arabia.

Regulations Governing Toys in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar have joined forces to create the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This group, also referred to as the member states, has created a collaborative set of regulations with which toy importers must comply. The country of Yemen, while not a part of the official GCC group, also requires that toys entering the country meet these regulations.

Regulations are managed by the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO). These regulations mandate comprehensive toy safety testing to ensure products meet the GCC Technical Regulation on Children's Toys, which aligns with international standards such as EN71 and ISO 8124. This framework covers various toy safety aspects, including mechanical, physical, flammability, and chemical properties, emphasizing the protection of children's health and safety. Compliance with these standards is crucial for market access and legal selling within the GCC region.

Which Toy Products Are Covered by the Regulations?

Articles or products designed or intended, whether or not exclusively, for use in play by children under 14 years of age are considered toys by the regulations. The regulations presume that a parent or supervisor will be able to reasonably understand the product’s purpose—as a child’s play-thing—based on its size, functions and other characteristics.

The following product categories are included:

The following items are not covered by the toy regulations:

Importers looking to sell these items in the GCC member states will need to follow the standards outlined in the Gulf Technical Regulation (TR).

What Must a Manufacturer or Importer Do to Ensure Compliance with Saudi Arabia Toy Regulations?

In order to sell your toys in Saudi Arabia, you must display compliance with all Technical Regulations set by the GSO. After ensuring compliance and undergoing the compliance review process, importers obtain a Certificate of Conformity and a G-Mark symbol for display on the product or its packaging. Without the proper G-Mark, goods will not be passed through customs.

The G-Mark demonstrates that a product conforms to the Technical Regulation and applicable standards of the region and is therefore safe for consumers to use. All products governed by a Gulf Technical Regulation are required to display a GSO Conformity Tracking Symbol (GCTS) which consists of the G-Mark and a QR Code.

Selling Toys in Saudi Arabia: The Compliance Process

Compliance begins with design and production. Manufacturers must ensure toy products are produced in line with the standards laid out in the Technical Regulation for toys. To achieve certification, the manufacturer must send samples of the finished product to a Notified Body (NB) like QIMA for evaluation.

The manufacturer or importer must also perform a risk assessment and collect evidence that the product itself, as well as materials used in its production, are compliant. Once this evidence is gathered, a Manufacturer Declaration of Conformity or an Importer Declaration of Conformity must be completed. All documents must be put into a technical file which will be shared with the Notified Body to carry out the conformity assessment and award the G-Mark if all requirements are met.

The technical file should include:

What Is a Conformity Assessment?

A Notified Body must carry out a conformity assessment for all toy products entering the GCC member states market. The NB will carry out a thorough assessment of the technical file provided by the manufacturer or importer to assess whether the product meets safety and quality standards, and that appropriate testing has been carried out in accordance with the Technical Regulation and relevant standards.

If the NB determines that the product meets all requirements, it will issue a Gulf-type examination certificate to the manufacturer. The certificate will contain the name and address of the manufacturer, a list of the tests performed, conclusions, conditions for validity, a color image of the toy and its description (including dimensions and necessary data for identification of the approved type).

What Are the Labelling Requirements for Toy Products in Saudi Arabia?

The main product labelling requirements relate to language, which varies based on the information the label contains:

Labels and instructions included with toys must clearly explain hazards and risks associated with using the toy, as well as ways to avoid these risks and potential injury.

How QIMA can help

As an independent Notified Body approved by the Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO), QIMA can support your G-Mark and certification needs for toys intended for sale in any of the GCC member states and the Republic of Yemen. We also provide SASO Product Certificate of Conformity (PCoC) and Shipment Certificate of Conformity (SCoC) for products entering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Our global network of ISO 17025 accredited laboratories can provide toy testing or other product testing for products that lack a test report or have incomplete testing. Our team of experts can also carry out the necessary risk assessment for importers or manufacturers unsure of the risk assessment requirement, as well as label review to help brands avoid delays during the conformity assessment process.

Contact us today to learn more!


Related Articles

/