WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that the Commission’s eFiling program is now in effect, requiring importers of regulated consumer products to submit compliance certificates electronically before products enter U.S. commerce.
The eFiling program enables CPSC to identify and target high-risk imported products more efficiently while reducing unnecessary inspections and delays for compliant importers. By allowing the agency to focus enforcement resources where they are most needed, eFiling helps keep unsafe products out of the U.S. marketplace while facilitating legitimate trade.
Today's implementation represents one of the most significant modernization efforts in CPSC's import surveillance program since the agency was established, providing CPSC with certificate information before products enter U.S. commerce. The program also supports closer coordination between CPSC and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, reinforcing a whole-of-government approach to protecting American consumers at the border.
“America faces an unprecedented surge in imported consumer products entering through increasingly complex global supply chains, including millions of direct-to-consumer shipments that often bypass traditional retail distribution. CPSC faces significant enforcement challenges, particularly where products originate from countries that do not comply with U.S. safety laws. eFiling brings CPSC's import surveillance and targeting capabilities into the 21st century, enabling the agency to identify and interdict high-risk shipments earlier, keeping unsafe foreign-made products out of American homes, and leveling the playing field for American manufacturers and importers that follow the rules,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman.
“Let me be clear: eFiling does not apply to domestic manufacturers, including small businesses manufacturing in the United States. It creates no new testing, certification, or compliance obligations. Importers are already required by law to create and maintain this information. eFiling simply modernizes how the data is transmitted to CPSC,” he said.
The eFiling program is the culmination of more than a decade of development, including extensive industry testing through alpha and beta pilots conducted between 2016 and 2024, followed by a voluntary implementation period that allowed importers to develop and test their systems before today's effective date.
Requirements applicable to consumer products imported into Foreign Trade Zones and later entered for consumption or warehousing will take effect on January 8, 2027.
More detailed information on the eFiling program is available at the links below:
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