Most customs problems with toys are not customs problems. They are compliance problems that surface at customs, which is the worst place to find out about them because the container is already on the water.
For water guns going into the EU, here is what has to be right before the goods leave, and what your broker will ask you for.
First, is it a toy?
The paperwork depends on the answer. A water gun designed for children to play with is a toy, and toys in the EU fall under the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC. That brings the CE marking obligation with it.
This is not optional and it is not something the factory can decide to skip. If the product is a toy, it needs to be assessed against the directive and the harmonised standards under it, and it needs the CE mark before it is placed on the EU market.
The standards behind the CE mark
For water guns the relevant harmonised standards are the EN 71 series, with one addition for anything powered.
- EN 71-1 — mechanical and physical properties. Sharp edges, small parts, the force a projectile can produce, and the integrity of things like fill caps and seals. Water guns live or die here, because they hold liquid under pressure and get dropped.
- EN 71-2 — flammability.
- EN 71-3 — migration of certain elements, which covers the materials a child can touch and, for toys intended to be put in the mouth, what can be ingested.
- EN 62115 — safety of electric toys, for battery-powered blasters.
Conformity with these standards is what supports the CE marking. It is not a certificate a supplier can issue on their own authority — it rests on testing and on a technical file.
What the importer is responsible for
This is the part buyers underestimate. When you import into the EU, you take on obligations as the importer, not just the duty bill.
You need to be satisfied that the manufacturer has carried out the conformity assessment properly. You need the technical documentation and the EC Declaration of Conformity to be available. And the product needs to be labelled correctly, which in practice means the CE mark, the name and address of the manufacturer and the importer, the batch or model reference, and the age warnings the standard requires.
If something is wrong, it is your name on the import entry.
What your broker will ask for
Clearance itself is straightforward if the file is complete. Expect to be asked for the commercial invoice, the packing list, the transport document, the HS classification, the CE documentation and the test reports, and the proof of origin if you are claiming preference.
Duty and import VAT are assessed on the entry. We do not quote rates here because they depend on your classification, the origin and the measures in force on the day — and because your broker, not your supplier, is the right source for them. What we can tell you is what the goods are made of, where they were made and what they weigh, which is what your classification rests on.
Check it before the container sails
Fixing a compliance problem after arrival is expensive, slow and sometimes impossible. Three checks before booking:
Look at the test report. It has to name the exact product and the factory that produced it. A report for a similar item, or from a different production site, is not evidence of anything and will not satisfy a market surveillance authority.
Look at the physical sample. The CE mark should be on the product or its packaging where the rules require it, and the importer details should be correct. Print artwork gets approved on screens and then goes wrong on paper, so check a printed box rather than a PDF.
Look at the labelling for your market. Age warnings have to be in the language or languages your member state requires, and that is decided by where you are selling, not by where the goods land.
Where we fit in
We are the manufacturer. We produce, we pack, and we can supply the test documentation that exists for a given product so your importer or authorised representative can complete the file. What we cannot do is act as your EU importer or tell you what your duty will be.
Our water gun range is here, and bubble toys — which carry the same toy obligations — are under bubble guns and bubble wands.
If you tell us the destination country and the market you sell into, we will tell you which certificates exist for the product you are looking at. WhatsApp: +86 173 4881 6397.