Dear Valued Customer,

Effective July 8, 2026, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will require importers of regulated consumer products to electronically file (eFile) Certificate of Compliance data through U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) at the time of entry. The requirement applies to all imported finished consumer products subject to a CPSC mandatory safety standard, rule, or ban — including children's products requiring a Children's Product Certificate (CPC) and general-use products requiring a General Certificate of Conformity (GCC). Products entered from a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) for consumption or warehousing become subject to the same requirement on January 8, 2027.

Under the Final Rule (16 CFR Part 1110), the Importer of Record (IOR) is designated as the certifier and is responsible for ensuring certificate data is complete, accurate, and transmitted at the time of entry — including for de minimis (Section 321) shipments. Incomplete or inaccurate filings may result in entry delays, increased examinations, cargo holds, or refusal of admission.

Importers and Customs Brokers have two options for transmitting certificate data through the CPSC Partner Government Agency (PGA) message set in ACE:

·        Full PGA Message Set – Submit all seven required certificate of compliance data elements with each entry.

·        Reference (Abbreviated) Message Set – Pre-register certificate data in the CPSC Product Registry and submit three reference data elements at entry (Product ID, Certifier ID, and Reference Number).

When using the Full PGA Message Set, the following seven data elements must be provided for each regulated product:

1.     Product identifier (e.g., Global Trade Item Number)

2.     Each applicable CPSC safety rule certified under 16 CFR Part 1110

3.     Date of manufacture for the finished product

4.     Name and address of the manufacturer, producer, or assembler

5.     Date of most recent test for compliance with applicable CPSC rules

6.     Name and address of the CPSC-accepted compliance testing laboratory

7.     Contact information for the party maintaining records of test results

To prepare, clients should identify all imported products subject to CPSC certification (referencing the CPSC-published HTS list of flagged classifications), determine whether to file using the Full or Reference Message Set, register products in the CPSC Product Registry if using the reference method, and ensure compliance testing is performed by a CPSC-accepted laboratory with complete and validated records on file.

As the U.S. government places greater responsibility on the Importer of Record to provide accurate, upfront compliance data, it is essential to act now to ensure readiness ahead of the July 8, 2026 effective date.

To avoid delays in cargo processing, we strongly recommend coordinating with your OEC Group Customs Broker representative to confirm your data flow, filing method, and ACE eFiling procedures well in advance of the effective date.

For additional information, please contact your customs broker representative or click here.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

OEC Group