EU product compliance
Toy Safety
Toy Safety: from the Toy Safety Directive to the new Toy Safety Regulation
Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC, to be replaced by Toy Safety Regulation (EU) 2025/2509
EU toy safety rules cover products designed or intended for play by children under 14. Toys must be safe, tested and documented before they are placed on the market. The current Directive will be replaced by the new Toy Safety Regulation, which applies from 1 August 2030 and brings stricter chemical rules and a digital product passport for every toy.
Who it applies to
Manufacturers, importers and distributors of toys placed on the EU market, including toys sold online. Importers must check that the manufacturer has carried out the conformity assessment and that the toy carries the required marking, documents and warnings.
- Toys & Kids
Key dates
20 Jul 2011
Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC applies (its chemical requirements from 20 Jul 2013)
12 Dec 2025
Toy Safety Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 published
1 Jan 2026
Toy Safety Regulation enters into force
1 Aug 2030
Toy Safety Regulation applies, replacing the Directive
What the law requires
- Toys must meet essential safety requirements (physical and mechanical, flammability, chemical, electrical, hygiene and radioactivity), usually demonstrated with the EN 71 standards
- Manufacturers carry out a safety assessment, keep technical documentation for 10 years, draw up an EU declaration of conformity and affix the CE marking
- Toys must carry the required warnings, such as age restrictions, and traceability information: a type or batch number and the manufacturer’s and importer’s name and address
- From 1 August 2030: stricter chemical rules, including bans on endocrine disruptors, intentionally used PFAS and ten bisphenols, and a digital product passport replacing the paper declaration of conformity
How VERAEN will help
- EN 71 test reports collected from suppliers and checked for completeness and validity
- Declarations of conformity, technical documentation and warnings kept together per toy, ready for inspections
- Chemical data shared with the REACH module, with toy-specific limits applied
- Preparation for the toy digital product passport from the data already collected
Official sources
Last reviewed: November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.
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