Importing Toys from China to Israel: Standards, Testing and Labelling

What must toys imported into Israel comply with?

The Standards Institution of Israel (SII) states that SI 562 is an official standard and that by law only toys meeting its requirements may be imported, exported or marketed. SI 562 sets requirements and test methods for mechanical and physical properties, flammability and toxicity, and applies to toys for children under 14. The Standards Law (section 9(a)) is the legal basis: no article may be imported or sold unless it meets an official standard, an accepted international standard or an adopted European regulation.

Within Parts 1, 2 and 3, Group 3 covers board games for children over 3 (the database names Monopoly and card games), leisure toys for children over 3 (balls and rackets) and gouache paints and chalks for children over 3. Every other toy under those parts is Group 2. The database lists no standard-mark obligation for SI 562 and notes that the mark duty applies to local production only.

SII describes SI 562 as based on the European standard EN 71. The database records Part 1 as adopted with additional national changes and Parts 2, 3, 7, 8 and 14 as adopted with only the obligatory changes. An EN 71 report is therefore not automatically an SI 562 report: ask which route your report supports. The general toy safety certification guide explains the document types.

Which of the three routes can a China-made toy use?

Directive 2009/48/EC on the safety of toys is on the Ministry's list of adopted European regulations, with an entry date of 1 February 2025. For toys intended for children under 3 the route applies only if the importer also holds a manufacturer's declaration and a technical documents file, or a conformity approval under section 12. The database also requires the toy to be marked as Israeli law requires, apart from the marking duties inside the standard, and an electrical toy must meet the Electricity Law.

The database marks every SI 562 part as open to the European or international route, but it does not say which international standard is accepted. The Ministry pages describing the European route do not limit it to EU-made goods and ask for lawful marketing in the EU or a manufacturer's declaration. A toy made in China with proper EU conformity documents may therefore fit, which is the question to put to SII or a customs agent before you order.

Who is responsible for toy conformity: importer, factory or laboratory?

The duties in the Ministry of Economy's pages are addressed to the importer and the seller, who hold the declarations and the product file. A product file contains the product details (name, model names, country of manufacture, manufacturer or supplier with address and contacts), the distribution channels, a photo of the product and its label as sold in Israel, the sales invoice, the transport document and the import declaration, plus the conformity documents of the route. The pages describe no transfer of these duties to a foreign factory.

• At shipment control the importer must show the product file. Without it the importer must release goods with a model approval and a shipment approval instead of a code.
• An importer who is classed as having breached trust loses the declarative route and must apply through a recognised laboratory.
• Section 9(a2) of the Standards Law obliges a seller to report to the Commissioner a suspected non-conforming product or one that caused or may cause harm.
• The Standards Commissioner's importer registry was cancelled by the reform in force from 1 July 2024, so there is no registration step before importing.

How do you check a toy test report from a Chinese laboratory?

1. Same goods. Official guidance says the certificates and documents must carry the goods' details and description so the goods can be identified uniquely. Match the model name, item number and photographs to the carton and label.
2. Still valid. A test certificate stays valid while the goods and the standard are unchanged. Ask what changed since the test: materials, colours, component sources.
3. Valid edition. Part 3 has two editions in force at the same time until 8 February 2027. The report must name an edition that is valid on the import date.
4. All relevant parts. Part 1 (mechanical), Part 2 (flammability) and Part 3 (chemical elements) apply broadly. Parts 7, 8 and 14 apply to finger paints, activity toys and trampolines.
5. Accredited laboratory. The Ministry of Economy points importers to a guide by the head of the national laboratory accreditation authority on checking whether a foreign laboratory is accredited by a body that signed the ILAC arrangement. A Ministry of Communications notice of 5 February 2026 says a certificate may carry the ILAC logo or a statement that the tests were accredited, with a link to the accreditation certificate on the accreditation body's website. The notice adds that ILAC stops operating in April 2026 and that its mark stays in use for a three-year transition.
6. Scope. The accreditation scope should include the test method used.
7. Full report. Ask for the full report with dates and signatures, not a one-page summary.

If a report fails any check, ask the factory for a retest on the final production sample. The Ministry lists recognised laboratories for imported goods: three entries, including SII, in June 2026. To check the factory behind a report, see the supplier verification guide.

What about labelling and Hebrew marking?

Three points are verified. The product file includes a photo of the product and label as it will be sold in Israel. The European route requires marking as Israeli law demands, apart from the marking duties inside the standard. The Commissioner's instructions add that the Consumer Protection Order on marking of goods may impose marking requirements beyond the standards.

SII's consumer advice lists what a buyer should find on a toy pack: the importer's name and address, the age range, the country of manufacture and usage warnings, and for children under 3 no detachable small parts. These are recommendations, not the legal text.

Whether Hebrew text is mandatory on toy packaging or warnings could not be confirmed on the official pages opened. Do not print a final carton in China until SII or your customs agent has confirmed the marking for your toy.

What do duty, VAT and documents look like for a toy shipment?

The Tax Authority's customs book showed, on 2026-10-16, customs item 9503000000 (toys, scale models, puzzles, wheeled toys) with the general customs rate and the purchase tax both tax free. The same entry lists the toy conditions: release confirmation to SI 562 for "other toys for children" and for children's toys with a wireless remote control, standard 1888 with 562 for children's tricycles, standard 900 or 62368 for toys powered from the mains, and a Ministry of Communications approval for toys or adult hobby products with a wireless remote-control component. Bows and arrow-shooting outdoor games need a licence from the Ministry of Economy.

VAT is charged on the import of goods and is listed at 18% since 1 January 2025. Products such as consoles or electronic learning devices fall under other customs items, so classify each one. The process and the VAT arithmetic are in the guide on how to import from China to Israel.

What is the 2026 American track for toys, and does it help China-made toys?

Here is exactly what the Ministry of Economy's pages say. On 4 February 2026 the Knesset passed the bill "What is good for the United States is good for Israel" in first reading. On 22 June 2026 the Economic Committee approved it for the final readings and described it as allowing the import and marketing of products manufactured in the United States or Israel that meet US requirements. On 17 July 2026 the Knesset approved it in the second and third readings. The first stage, expected at the beginning of 2027, includes children's and baby products and toys. A memorandum of November 2025 states the route applies "as long as the products were manufactured in Israel or in the United States".

On those pages the route is for products manufactured in the United States or Israel, and it has not started. It is therefore not a route for toys made in China, and nothing on the pages opened extends it. The final law text and the implementing orders were not opened, so confirm before you plan around it.

What is a safe sequence: classify, sample, test, label, ship?

1. 1. Classify and read the standard entryFind the customs item and the import group of each SI 562 part for your toy.
2. 2. Choose the route and tell the factoryName the route and the documents it must supply before you pay a deposit.
3. 3. Order a pre-production sampleSamples not intended for marketing, up to 5 units of a model, enter under release code 64. Test the sample under the route you chose.
4. 4. Fix the label and packSend the label, carton and manual photos to your customs agent and SII before printing.
5. 5. Test the production sampleThe report must name the model that will ship and a valid edition of the standard.
6. 6. Ship, release, keep the fileYour customs agent enters code 60 or 65 on the declaration. Keep the product file for shipment control.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading