Mandatory CPSC eFiling is Here
Key Takeaways
- Starting July 8, 2026, importers of most regulated consumer products must electronically file (eFile) Certificate of Compliance data into CBP’s ACE system at the time of entry, no longer on request.
- At launch, CPSC does not intend to have ACE reject entries or deny admission solely for failure to eFile, only warning messages. But CPSC will still enforce certificate requirements, seek seizure of non-compliant goods, and adjust your risk score.
- A testing exemption or determination does not eliminate the certificate. You must still issue a certificate citing the rule and naming the exemption. This is a trap that catches importers who assume “exempt” means “nothing to file.”
- Products entering a Foreign Trade Zone and later withdrawn for consumption or warehousing get a later effective date: January 8, 2027.
- The eFiling rule changes how certificate data is filed, not which products need a certificate. Certification has been required since 2008.
A Compliance Shift Disguised as a Filing Update
Since 2008, importers and domestic manufacturers of CPSC-regulated consumer products have been required to maintain a Certificate of Compliance: a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) for children’s products, or a General Certificate of Conformity (GCC) for regulated general-use products, and produce it on request. Under […]