Toys, small appliances, chargers, apparel and shoes, furniture, cosmetics: what certification do you need for the US, 
EU, 
UK, 
Mexico, 
Brazil and 
Saudi Arabia? in detail
Answer
You cannot split countries into "certificate" and "self-declaration". For each product, check five things separately: testing, conformity assessment, the declaration or certificate issued by the legally responsible party, registration or notification, and labelling. Several can apply at once. For Brazil (INMETRO, ANATEL, ANVISA) and Saudi Arabia (SABER, SFDA), check the authority and steps product by product; US children's products for ages 12 and under need third-party testing plus a CPC; the EU and UK allow self-assessment for many products only where the rules permit. The six tables below are a starting checklist, not a complete customs checklist.
- Applies to
- Exporters and factories in China selling these six consumer-product categories into these six markets, and the buyers who import from them.
Dear friend,
Welcome! This letter sets out what you need to know, plainly and in order.
1. Children's toys
| Country | Requirement | Main compliance steps (third party depends on the procedure) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | ASTM F963 (mandatory via 16 CFR 1250; the exact April 20, 2024 manufacture-date boundary is to be checked in §1250.2); children's toys for ages 12 and under need third-party testing at an accepted lab, and the US importer or domestic manufacturer issues the CPC. F963 toy scope and CPC age scope differ | Third-party testing + CPC (ages 12 and under) | |
| EU | Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC + CE; new Regulation (EU) 2025/2509 is published and applies from August 1, 2030, old directive until then | Manufacturer self-assessment where permitted; otherwise EU-type examination by a notified body, then DoC (Article 19 text to be checked) | |
| Great Britain | Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, UKCA or CE; Northern  Ireland follows EU rules, check separately | Self-assessment where the Regulations permit; otherwise type examination by an approved body | |
| Mexico | NOM-015-SCFI-2007 toy commercial labelling | Labelling confirmed; safety, chemical (NOM-252) and import steps to be confirmed | |
| Brazil | Portaria Inmetro 302/2021 mandatory toy certification + INMETRO registration | Third-party assessment | |
| Saudi Arabia | Saudi toy technical regulation (GCC-based), conformity via the SABER platform | Third-party assessment |
2. Small plug-in appliances
| Country | Requirement | Main compliance steps (third party depends on the procedure) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | Check whether FCC Part 15 applies, any exemption, and which authorisation route; DOE efficiency for some types; UL safety certification is mostly a retailer requirement (to be confirmed) | FCC route by device type; UL to be confirmed | |
| EU | Low Voltage 2014/35/EU + EMC 2014/30/EU + RoHS 2011/65/EU, CE | Usually manufacturer self-assessment + DoC | |
| Great Britain | Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regs 2016 + EMC Regs 2016, UKCA/CE | Usually manufacturer self-assessment + DoC | |
| Mexico | NOM-003-SCFI-2014 electrical product safety | Mandatory | |
| Brazil | Portaria Inmetro 148/2022 household appliance conformity | Third-party assessment for products in scope | |
| Saudi Arabia | Low-voltage equipment technical regulation + appliance conformity list | Third-party assessment |
3. Phone accessories and chargers
| Country | Requirement | Main compliance steps (third party depends on the procedure) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | Chargers/external power supplies: check the FCC procedure for the specific device (often SDoC, to be confirmed per product); DOE efficiency rules for external power supplies | FCC procedure per product; EPS efficiency | |
| EU | Charger itself: LVD + EMC (CE); with radio: RED 2014/53/EU. The USB-C common charger rule covers the devices being charged, not the charger itself | Usually manufacturer self-assessment + DoC | |
| Great Britain | Electrical safety + EMC; with radio: Radio Equipment Regulations 2017 | Usually manufacturer self-assessment + DoC | |
| Mexico | To be confirmed (candidates NOM-001-SCFI-2018, NOM-029-ENER-2017; IFT for radio) | To be confirmed | — |
| Brazil | Phone chargers need ANATEL certification (Homologação); new technical rules mandatory from October 14, 2024 | Third-party assessment | |
| Saudi Arabia | ICT devices technical regulation (incl. charger requirements); whether a CST equipment licence is also needed is confirmed product by product | Per product; CST licence to be confirmed |
4. Apparel and footwear
| Country | Requirement | Main compliance steps (third party depends on the procedure) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | Fibre labelling 16 CFR 303 (FTC) + clothing flammability 16 CFR 1610 (CPSC); children's clothing also needs lead limits and a CPC | Labelling/standards mandatory; CPC for children's | |
| EU | Textile labelling (EU) 1007/2011; footwear labelling 94/11/EC; GPSR (EU) 2023/988; REACH | Labelling/safety mandatory; no CE for ordinary non-protective apparel and footwear; protective clothing and footwear have specific rules | |
| Great Britain | Textile labelling 2012; footwear composition labelling 1995; general product safety 2005 | Labelling mandatory | |
| Mexico | NOM-004-SE-2021 textile and apparel labelling (in force January 14, 2023); footwear NOM-020 to be confirmed | Labelling mandatory | |
| Brazil | Textiles: Portaria Inmetro 118/2021 permanent Portuguese label, no registration; footwear not found | Labelling mandatory | |
| Saudi Arabia | Textile technical regulation v2 (mandatory July 12, 2024); footwear and accessories regulation (mandatory May 25, 2021) | SABER conformity assessment |
5. Furniture
| Country | Requirement | Main compliance steps (third party depends on the procedure) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | Clothing storage tip-over 16 CFR 1261 (STURDY Act); upholstered furniture flammability 16 CFR 1640; composite wood formaldehyde TSCA Title VI (EPA) | Mandatory by product type | |
| EU | For ordinary furniture, start with general product safety (GPSR) and chemicals (REACH); powered, functional or special-use furniture needs a separate check. We found no furniture-specific law, which does not prove there is none | General safety + chemicals | |
| Great Britain | Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 | Mandatory | |
| Mexico | Not checked yet | To be confirmed (not found does not mean no rules) | — |
| Brazil | Known items needing INMETRO certification include school desks and chairs, cribs, one-piece plastic chairs, children's high chairs, spring and foam mattresses; full scope to be checked | Certification for the items listed | |
| Saudi Arabia | The textile regulation may cover some upholstered furniture (composition threshold to be checked); other furniture to be confirmed | To be confirmed |
6. Cosmetics
| Country | Requirement | Main compliance steps (third party depends on the procedure) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | MoCRA: where it applies, facility registration + product listing + safety substantiation; some small businesses and others have statutory exemptions | Registration where it applies; not pre-approval | |
| EU | Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009: EU responsible person + CPNP notification + safety report | Notification mandatory | |
| Great Britain | GB responsible person + SCPN notification | Notification mandatory | |
| Mexico | NOM-141-SSA1/SCFI-2012 pre-packaged cosmetics labelling | Labelling mandatory | |
| Brazil | RDC 907/2024 and later amendments (replacing RDC 752/2022): check notification or registration per product; which categories need registration must be rechecked under the new rule; company needs AFE | Registration / notification | |
| Saudi Arabia | Must be registered in the SFDA system before import and sale; registration is not safety approval | Registration |
What you can do yourself
- Find your category and target country above, read the "Main compliance steps" column, and open the source link.
- List each step: testing, third-party assessment, who issues the declaration or certificate, registration or notification, and labelling. Several may apply at once.
- Where a third party is needed, get quotes from a body recognised by the authority and obtain the certificate or registration before shipping.
- Where self-assessment is allowed, still test to the standard, keep the technical file, and have the party named by the rules issue the declaration. A US CPC and an EU DoC are different documents; do not reuse one template.
- Make the label in the local language and format before shipping.
When to use a licensed professional
- If you are unsure which category or regulation applies, ask a testing and certification body recognised in the target country.
- If goods are detained, recalled or penalised, use a product-compliance lawyer in that country.
Check before you pay, and warning signs
- Ask the certification body to state the exact regulation, test items, sample quantity, fee and certificate validity; check its scope on the authority's website.
- "One certificate works worldwide", "guaranteed pass without testing", or "the mark means it is compliant" are red flags.
Unknowns
- Mexico: chargers, toy heavy metals (NOM-252) and footwear (NOM-020) to be confirmed; furniture not found.
- Brazil: footwear not found; split between ANATEL and INMETRO 148/2022 for chargers to be confirmed.
- Saudi Arabia: furniture scope, and whether all phone accessories need a CST licence, to be checked against the text.
- EU Toy Safety Directive Article 19 (when self-assessment is allowed) was not read this time.
- Small appliances, chargers, apparel and footwear (18 cells): the listed laws need splitting by voltage, function and radio; not all cells were independently checked.
- Brazil cosmetics: registration route per category under RDC 907/2024 to be checked.
- "No federal mandatory safety certification for US small appliances" is not yet confirmed by an official source.
- EUR-Lex and eCFR page dates could not be read this time.
Sources for this letter
CPSC toy safety
European Commission
GOV.UK
Ministry of Economy
INMETRO
SASO
FCC equipment authorization
DOF
INMETRO
DOE external power supplies
SASO regulation (Arabic PDF)
eCFR 16 CFR 303
EUR-Lex
DOF
EPA formaldehyde standards
INMETRO registry
FDA MoCRA
SFDA guidance
Wishing you good business,
The mouwise team
Checked 2026-10-26
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