Importing pet accessories from China: what is regulated

Non-food pet accessories, toys, carriers, baskets, bowls, leashes, collars and grooming equipment, fall under the general product safety regulation (EU) 2023/988, known as GPSR, applicable since 13 December 2024. This text covers any consumer product with no dedicated European sector law, which is the case for nearly all pet accessories.

Unlike pet feed, these accessories require no veterinary certificate, no approved establishment, and no processing through the TRACES system. A European company can import them like any other consumer good, subject to the safety, traceability and technical documentation obligations described below.

As soon as a product contains an ingredient of animal origin, meat, fish, animal by-product, or even straw or hay, it leaves the accessories regime and shifts into the much stricter one for products of animal origin. Importing from a third country then falls under the animal health law, regulation (EU) 2016/429, and the official controls regulation (EU) 2017/625: veterinary inspection on entry into the Union, an approved establishment of origin, an accompanying veterinary certificate.

Regulation (EC) 1069/2009, known as the animal by-products regulation, sets out the certification requirements that apply to animal-origin ingredients in a treat or kibble, and the movement of these goods goes through the TRACES system. A range of meat-based kibble is therefore not a standard import project: it requires a supplier already approved for export to the Union and systematic checks at the border post, whereas a toy or a leash bypasses all of this.

GPSR requires a product to be safe in normal use and in foreseeable use even if incorrect, which for a pet includes chewing and pulling. A leash must withstand the tension it is exposed to, a toy must not break easily into pieces that could be swallowed, a bowl must not release harmful substances on contact with water or food.

The text also requires technical documentation kept for at least ten years, identification of the manufacturer and importer on the product or its packaging, and recall procedures in case a defect is found after the product is placed on the market. It also creates direct obligations for online marketplaces, which must identify the seller and remove a reported dangerous product.

A pet toy is not a children's toy under European law: the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC, which targets products intended for children under 14 and requires CE marking and the EN 71 standard, does not apply to pet accessories. There is therefore no specific CE-marking requirement for a chew toy or a rubber ball intended for a dog.

Chemical safety is not absent for all that: the REACH regulation (EC) 1907/2006 governs substances such as phthalates, lead or cadmium present in plastics, rubber, dyes and coatings, whatever the article's final use. In practice, many serious manufacturers voluntarily apply thresholds close to those set for children's toys, as much out of caution as to meet the proof requirements of certain marketplaces.

A GPS collar, a connected bowl or a sensor-equipped fountain that carries a radio, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi chip combines the rules for standard accessories with those for radio equipment. The RED directive (EU) 2014/53 governs all radio equipment in the Union. Since 1 August 2025, delegated regulation (EU) 2022/30 adds mandatory cybersecurity requirements to it: network protection, protection of personal data for devices that collect information, safeguards against fraud for those that process a payment. The EN 18031 series of standards, published in the Official Journal on 30 January 2025, provides a presumption of conformity with these three requirements.

This regime is set to be absorbed into the Cyber Resilience Act, regulation (EU) 2024/2847, which entered into force on 10 December 2024. Two deadlines matter for sourcing launched in 2026: from 11 September 2026, the obligation to report actively exploited vulnerabilities; from 11 December 2027, the full application of the cybersecurity requirements and CE marking under the CRA, with delegated regulation 2022/30 repealed at that point.

As soon as the device includes a battery, the batteries regulation (EU) 2023/1542 also applies, with labelling obligations already in force, and one deadline to remember: from 18 February 2027, portable batteries built into a device will need to be removable and replaceable by the end user using commonly available tools, except for exemptions provided for in the text.

The European pet-care market is estimated at around 81.4 billion dollars in 2025 and 85.6 billion in 2026, with projected annual growth close to 5% through 2034 according to a private market study. These are forward-looking estimates, to be distinguished from the official figure from the FEDIAF federation: 140 million European households own a pet (2024 data, report published in June 2026), for 306 million animals in total.

The connected pet device segment is growing faster, with a European market estimated at 3.37 billion dollars in 2025 and a projection of 22.1 billion by 2035, or projected annual growth close to 21%. A product that combines a physical accessory with a connected function carries all the regulatory obligations described above, but targets a segment where demand is growing the fastest.

Leashes, collars, muzzles and harnesses for dogs are classified under tariff heading 4201, which covers saddlery and harness for any animal; sub-code 4201 00 30 specifically covers these items, with a customs duty of 2.7% for Chinese origin under the general tariff. A plastic bowl, a rubber toy or a fabric basket fall under other headings, specific to their raw material, with different rates.

Each item deserves its own TARIC classification before an order is placed, rather than an assumption based on a similar product: the customs code determines the applicable duty, any anti-dumping measure and the documents to produce at clearance. The same nylon, leather or metal-fitted harness can fall under different sub-headings depending on the dominant material.

Sorva is a brokerage and sourcing house active between Europe and China. For a range of pet accessories, our Chinese-speaking team in Guangzhou verifies suppliers, frames the materials specification, and organises pre-shipment inspection on the sensitive points: chewing, fastenings, electronic sealing.

For a range that includes a connected device, a dedicated compliance study frames the applicable texts before production. In most cases, opening a file costs no fees: Sorva negotiates the goods on the client's behalf and takes a commission on their ex-works value.