G-Mark for Children's Toys in the Gulf Market
Toys for children under 14 must comply with the GCC Technical Regulation on Children's Toys, BD-131704-01, and carry the G-Mark to enter Gulf markets. Before placing a toy on the market the manufacturer must analyse seven hazard categories and mark the warnings in Arabic.
Which toys does the GCC regulation cover?
All toys intended for play by children under 14 years of age must comply with the GCC Technical Regulation on Children’s Toys (BD-131704-01).
To enter these markets, importers, distributors and manufacturers need the G-Mark on their products, the Gulf conformity mark, indicating that the product conforms to health, safety and environmental requirements.
The scheme runs across the seven GSO member states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The list differs from the GCC: Yemen is a member of the GCC Standardization Organization, which it joined in 2010, without being a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council. A product cleared for G-Mark is cleared for all seven.
What must happen before a toy goes on the market?
Two obligations sit on the manufacturer up front.
A hazard analysis covering, for the specific toy:
- Chemical
- Physical
- Mechanical
- Electrical
- Flammability
- Hygiene
- Radioactivity
Together with an assessment of the potential exposure to each of those hazards. Identifying a hazard is not sufficient; the regulation wants to know how likely a child is to meet it.
Warnings in Arabic, marked on the packaging in a clearly visible, easily legible manner.
Toy categories in scope
- Functional toy
- Aquatic toy
- Activity toy
- Chemical toy
- Cosmetic kit
- Gustative game
- Olfactory board game
- Design speed
Which toys are excluded?
- Playground equipment intended for public use
- Automatic playing machines intended for public use, coin-operated or not
- Toy vehicles equipped with combustion engines
- Toy steam engines
- Slings and catapults
The three-step route
- The manufacturer or importer applies to a Notified Body.
- Toys are tested against the GCC Technical Regulation on Children’s Toys by an approved laboratory, and certified by a Notified Body.
- On successful assessment, the manufacturer or importer receives a certificate and may apply the G-Mark to the product, the packaging, or both.
Sources
- GCC Technical Regulation on Children’s Toys, BD-131704-01
- GSO, GCC Standardization Organization, G-Mark conformity scheme
Frequently asked questions
Which hazards must be analysed before market entry?
Seven: chemical, physical, mechanical, electrical, flammability, hygiene and radioactivity hazards that the toy may present, together with an assessment of the potential exposure to each. This analysis is a precondition of placing the toy on the market, not a step in testing.
Which toys are excluded from the regulation?
Playground equipment intended for public use; automatic playing machines intended for public use, whether coin-operated or not; toy vehicles with combustion engines; toy steam engines; and slings and catapults.
What does the G-Mark indicate?
That the product conforms to the health, safety and environmental requirements of the GCC. It is the conformity quality mark importers, distributors and manufacturers need to enter the markets of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Not sure which of these applies to your product? Send it and we will tell you
Related articles
Halal, Kosher and National Standards in the GCC
Halal opens the market and national certification makes the product legal. Neither substitutes for the other, and customs checks both.
TR CU 007: Approvals for Children's and Teens' Goods
Three approval forms, three clothing layers and an age threshold that moves the answer. Which products certify, which declare, and what falls outside.
Electrical Equipment Compliance Across the Gulf and MENA
MOIAT, SABER, G-Mark and ESMA are separate schemes with one shared goal. Which products need approval, what the labs test, and what goes in the technical file.
