CPSC eFiling is now mandatory: what importers of consumer products need to file
Facts verified 2026-07-29
Since July 8, 2026, imports of CPSC-regulated products are required to include electronically filed certificate data at customs entry. CPSC has told customs filers it is not asking CBP to reject entries over missing data at this stage, so this is a compliance window rather than a hard gate. Goods entered from a foreign trade zone follow on January 8, 2027.
What changed on July 8, 2026
Before this date, certificates of compliance were documents you kept on file and produced on request. Now the certificate data itself is filed electronically through CBP's ACE system as part of the customs entry, usually by your customs broker. This applies to domestically manufactured products and general imports of CPSC-regulated products.
The practical effect: compliance stopped being a paper question that came up only during an inspection. Certificate data is now expected on every entry, and CPSC states it uses the filed data to risk-score shipments.
How hard is enforcement right now
In a notice to customs filers dated July 8, 2026 (CBP CSMS #69177694), CPSC clarified that it is not asking CBP to reject entries that are missing CPSC message-set data, and that filing software is not required to block such entries. Advisory messages are encouraged instead.
Read that as sequencing, not exemption. The legal obligation is in force; what is deferred is automatic rejection at the border. Brokers can still require the data as a condition of filing, the filed data feeds CPSC's risk targeting, and nothing in the notice changes Amazon's separate document checks on children's products. Windows like this exist so importers can get certificates in order before enforcement tightens.
Who has to act
The filing obligation follows the entry, so it lands on whoever acts as importer of record.
A US company importing from overseas suppliers files through its broker. The work is collecting valid certificate data from each supplier before the goods ship, not after.
A non-US seller shipping directly to Amazon FBA is often the importer of record through a broker or freight forwarder. Many sellers in this position have never seen their own certificates because the factory "handled it". That arrangement now breaks at the border rather than at an audit years later.
A buyer purchasing DDP from an overseas supplier should confirm who is actually listed as importer on the entry documents. The name on that line carries the filing obligation.
What the certificate data rests on
For children's products, the certificate must be based on testing by a CPSC-accepted third-party laboratory against the safety rules that apply to the product. CPSC maintains a public database of accepted laboratories.
A certificate citing a laboratory that is not on that list, or that has lost its acceptance, does not meet the requirement. Checking the laboratory's current status before relying on a certificate is now a basic step, not an extra precaution.
What to do this month
Ask your broker whether your entries since July 8 have included the certificate data, and what they need from you going forward.
Pull the certificates for every product you currently import and check the issuing laboratory against the CPSC accepted-laboratory database. For products without a valid certificate, use the current window: testing before the next shipment is cheaper than scrambling after enforcement tightens or a platform review lands.
This is a preparation checklist, not legal advice. The classification of your product, the rules that apply to it, and the filing itself are matters for your broker and, where needed, qualified counsel.
Sources and verification dates
This page is grounded in the primary materials below, verified on 2026-07-29. Rules change, so open the source and confirm the current version before acting.
Continue checking
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