Importer (box and globe)
The standard’s wording, as the sources below reproduce it:
“Indicates the entity importing the medical device into the locale.”
ISO 15223-1:2021, 5.1.8 · ISO 7000-3725
What it means for you
The company named next to the parcel-and-globe is the one that brought the device into the market where you bought it. Under the EU Medical Devices Regulation an importer has its own legal duties, and MedTech Europe says the symbol was developed so importers can meet their labelling duty.
Whether a device is right for you is a question for your pharmacist, nurse or doctor.
- What it looks like
- A small parcel with a curved arrow bending down into a globe, followed by a company name and address.
- Where you see it
- EU and UK packs of devices made outside the region, alongside the manufacturer’s factory mark and often an EC REP.
- Other names
- imported by; EU importer
What it does not tell you
It does not say who made the device or who is responsible for its design — that is the filled factory. It also does not mean the product was changed by the importer; relabelling and repackaging have their own marks.
Often confused with
Indicates the entity distributing the medical device into the locale.
More symbols in “Arrows”
Sources
ISO 15223-1 is a paid standard, so the wording above is quoted as 3 publishers’ public documents reproduce it. Each was fetched and read on the date shown:
- MedTech Europe: Use of Symbols to Indicate Compliance with the MDR, version 3.0 (November 2021) — Section 15 “Importer (3725) & 16. Distributor (3724)”: importers and distributors “have new obligations under the MDR … These symbols were developed to facilitate MDR compliance.” Annex I shows the parcel-and-globe drawing. Checked 2026-09-25.
- Boston Scientific: Symbols Glossary — ISO 15223-1 5.1.8 “Importer — Indicates the entity importing the medical device into the locale.” Image labelled ISO 7000-3725. Checked 2026-09-25.
- BÜHLMANN Laboratories: Symbol glossary, version 03 (release date 2025-02-04) — “Importer — Indicates the entity importing the medical device into the locale. This symbol shall be accompanied by the name and address of the importing entity adjacent to the symbol.” Checked 2026-09-25.
Plain-language parts are in our own words; quotations are the sources’ wording.