# Fast-Track Options for Imports Into Israel

This reference summarises when a shortcut applies and when it does not. It covers the three major reforms that shape the current import regime.

## 1. Food parallel-import reform (2016)

- Separate from SII: food is regulated by the Ministry of Health, not by the Standards Institution.
- The 2016 reform introduced parallel-import models for food and simplified entry paths based on declarations and foreign-lab reports.
- Food remains excluded from the January 2025 EU-regulation catalogue, so CE alone never helps for food. Use the Ministry of Health parallel-import framework instead.
- Check Kol Zchut (https://www.kolzchut.org.il) and the Ministry of Health for the specific product-type rules.

## 2. Electronics and radio reforms (2022)

### Wireless telegraph documentation easement, 7 July 2022

- A compliance certificate (ishur hat'ama) from the Ministry of Communications remains REQUIRED to import a wireless device, under regulation 2(a) of the Wireless Telegraph (Compliance Certificates) Regulations 5781-2021.
- Regulation 5a, added 7 July 2022, lets an EU-conforming device attach an EU conformity document and a radio-characteristics specification instead of the standard document set. This is a documentation easement inside the certificate process, not an exemption from it.
- Scope: the radio portion only. Electrical safety, EMC and the SI 32 plug requirement still follow their respective tracks.

### Electronics import reform, June 2022 onwards

- Opens parallel import routes for electronic products.
- In 2024 the Ministry of Energy published documents implementing energy-efficiency alignment with EU regulations.
- As of 1 July 2024, a declaration-based entry was introduced (importer declares compliance using ILAC-accredited reports); from 7 July 2024, the Ministry of Economy stopped processing exemptions and switched to random surveillance.
- Use: imports of electronic devices with accredited EU or international test reports.

## 3. EU-regulation recognition reform ("What's Good for Europe is Good for Israel", Amendment 19)

- Optional import route: importers may file based on compliance with an EU regulation/directive that has been adopted into the Israeli Standards Law, instead of an Israeli lab file. Filing is declaratory through the customs broker on the Sha'ar Olami system.
- Legal basis: Amendment 19 to the Standards Law. Adoption is phased from 1 January 2025 through 2028. For the first five years (2025-2030) enforcement focuses only on the parts of an adopted directive that correspond to parallel sections of the Israeli standard.
- Scope: published counts of how many Israeli mandatory standards this touches vary widely between sources and none is authoritative. The route launched in January 2025 and has expanded in waves since; the Fifth Appendix is the only authoritative statement of what is adopted and in force on any given date.
- First wave (January 2025): REACH (chemical safety), Low-Voltage Directive (LVD), Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive (EMC), Personal Protective Equipment Regulation (PPE).
- Phased additions: every Fifth Appendix entry has its own commencement date and its own conditions. Do NOT describe adoption in "waves". The dates as in force:

| From | Adopted instruments |
|---|---|
| Amendment 19's commencement | REACH; Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU (low-voltage electrical cables deferred to 1 January 2027); EMC Directive 2014/30/EU; Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU; ecodesign 2009/125/EC; energy labelling 2017/1369 |
| 1 February 2025 | Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC; General Product Safety Regulation 2023/988 |
| 1 March 2025 | Food-contact plastics 10/2011; food-contact materials 1935/2004; detergents 648/2004; POPs 2019/1021; textile labelling 1007/2011 |
| 1 July 2025 | CLP 1272/2008; biocidal products; medical devices MDR 2017/745 |
| 18 months from commencement | Batteries 2023/1542 |
| Two years from commencement | Construction products 305/2011 |
| Three years from commencement | Cosmetics 1223/2009 |
| 1 July 2027 | Lifts 2014/33/EU |

- Conditions that bite in practice: the Toy Safety Directive does not apply to toys for children under 3 unless the trader holds a manufacturer declaration and a technical file as defined in section 10e, or a conformity approval under section 12; the GPSR carries the same condition for children's play installations and for soothers, teats, soother holders, bottles and infant feeding utensils; the Low Voltage entry excludes air conditioners using A2 or A3 refrigerant gases other than portable units with 300 g of gas or less; ecodesign and energy labelling do not apply to an energy-consuming appliance in a field regulated under the Energy Sources Law 5750-1989, which leaves Israeli energy efficiency as a live separate requirement.
- Recognised state, for the supplier-declaration easement: the EU member states plus Australia, Iceland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, Canada and Switzerland.
- Confirm coverage per product via the Commissioner's search engine (https://www.gov.il/en/service/search_official_standards), keyed by SI number.
- Exclusions to remember:
  - Food (use the Ministry of Health framework).
  - Motor vehicles (use the IMR regime under the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety).
  - Items under official fire-safety standards (limited exception for portable firefighting equipment).
  - Note: mains electrical equipment is NOT excluded. The Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU (electrical equipment supplied at up to 1,000 volts) is adopted into the Fifth Appendix from Amendment 19's commencement; only low-voltage electrical cables are deferred, to 1 January 2027.

## 4. US standards recognition (Amendment 21, passed July 2026)

Minister Nir Barkat announced the policy direction in March 2025, a draft followed in November 2025, and the Knesset passed the Standards Law (Amendment 21) 5786-2026 in second and third reading on 16 July 2026. The amendment mirrors the Amendment 19 model but for compliance with US federal regulation. It is law but not yet in force: it starts six months after publication, i.e. at the beginning of 2027, and the start date can be deferred. Until then, treat US-only documentation as supporting evidence inside an Israeli filing, not as a route.

The first wave covers baby and children's goods, toys, bottles, drinking accessories, feeding utensils, beds, cribs, strollers, swings, bouncers, bicycles, and detergents. Three conditions decide whether the route helps a given shipment: the product must actually be manufactured in the United States (or in Israel), the route excludes food, motor vehicles, cosmetics and fire-safety products, and the importer must follow US recall and manufacturer notices and report to the Commissioner of Standardization. Consult the Commissioner of Standardization pages on the Ministry of Economy site for the current list of eligible categories before relying on it.

## How to choose a fast track

- Always start by listing the mandatory SI standards that could apply to the product.
- Check whether those standards map to an EU regulation adopted into the Standards Law (use the Commissioner's SI-number search engine).
- Confirm the product is not in an excluded category. Under section 9(a)(1) of the Standards Law that means food, motor vehicles, and goods under an official fire-safety standard, except portable extinguishing equipment not permanently fixed, extinguishing agents, and standalone smoke detectors.
- If both checks pass, use the EU-regulation route. Otherwise fall back to type approval, declaration-based entry, or an easement plan as appropriate.

## Residual risk on every shortcut

All fast tracks are subject to random surveillance. A failed sample can trigger market withdrawal, fines, and notification obligations to the Commissioner of Standardization. Keep every test report, declaration, and Maslol Plus submission indexed and retrievable for at least the product's marketing lifetime.