New Rule Aims to Better Target Risky Shipments and Protect Consumers
December 18, 2024
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved a Final Rule to implement electronic filing (eFiling) of Certificate information for regulated, imported consumer products and to revise requirements for Certificates of Compliance. The Commission vote was 3-0-2, with all five Commissioners voting to approve the rule; and a majority voting to approve the rule with an amendment extending the general implementation date from 12 months to 18 months.
Under the new rule, requirements impacting most imported consumer products and those produced domestically will take effect 18 months from publication in the Federal Register. A 24-month effective date will apply to consumer products imported into a Foreign Trade Zone1 (FTZ) and subsequently entered for consumption or warehousing.
CPSC’s new eFiling program will apply to all imported consumer products subject to a mandatory safety standard, as set forth in the rule, including de minimis2shipments. The program will require importers of regulated products that require certification3 to electronically file data elements at the time of filing an entry including:
- identification of the finished product;
- party certifying compliance;
- each consumer product safety rule to which the finished product has been certified;
- date and place the finished product was manufactured;
- when and where the finished product was most recently tested for compliance; and
- contact information for the person maintaining test records.
Using this information, CPSC will drive greater efficiencies in product inspections and more effectively target high-risk products being imported into the United States. eFiling will also reduce inspection frequency and hold times for compliant product importers, rewarding firms with a record of compliance and enabling their imports to move more quickly.
“The bipartisan passage of the eFiling rule is one of the most consequential steps CPSC will take to modernize our screening process at ports of entry,” said CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric. “Ensuring that imported products are safe for Americans, especially our kids, is a priority for the agency. eFiling will strengthen CPSC’s ability to target unsafe products and prevent them from entering the country and consumers’ homes.”
The eFiling program was informed by industry testing and feedback through alpha and beta pilots conducted between 2016 and 2024. In addition, CPSC is inviting up to 2,000 additional importers to sign up for the eFiling voluntary stage to develop and test their systems before eFiling becomes mandatory.
Among its provisions, the new rule will require private labelers to certify domestic products unless the manufacturer certifies the product and aligns the agency’s existing certificate rule with other CPSC rules on testing and certification.
Prepare now for eFiling using Comply PRO+.
Comply PRO+ has been part of the eFiling beta program, and if you are an early filer, once approved, you can use Comply PRO+ to automate your filing using our API for the product registry. Since you still need to prepare CPC and GCC certificates until the rule goes live, you can prepare now and generate certificates today and automate this process so that when efiling goes into effect, you will be ready on day one. We have automated the process to collect the data needed to file so that you do not need to add extra steps to your current process, and suppliers can add relevant data with their access to the platform. Learn more about preparing today and streamlining compliance activities by scheduling a demo to see Comply PRO+ and get discounts and a Free additional user.