In January 2026, the CPSC finalized a rule mandating the electronic filing (eFiling) of Certificate information for regulated, imported consumer products. The rule sets forth new compliance requirements aimed at improving product inspections, targeting high-risk imports, and expediting clearance for compliant products.
Reporting through US Customs and Border Protection’s ACE system will begin on July 8th, 2026.
We don’t expect this new rule and requirement to affect books that we ship to the US, but we do want to ensure that our customers are aware of this change.
For most publishers, there will be little or no impact.
The requirements depend on the intended audience of the book:
- Books for adult readers – no changes
These books are not affected by the new CPSC requirements.
- Books for children ages 12 and under – these books must include a tracking label
- Books for children ages 3 and under – these books require:
- third-party lab testing to confirm compliance
- a certificate of compliance
- additional time and cost prior to shipping
For books shipped to the US that are intended for children 12 years of age or younger:
The CPSC requires that all children’s products bear distinguishing marks (generally referred to as “tracking labels”) that:
- Are visible and legible
- Are permanently affixed to the product and its packaging, to the extent practicable
- Provide certain identifying information
The tracking label requirement mandates that the following items of information be shown on the children’s product and its packaging (to the extent practicable):
- Manufacturer/importer or private labeler name
- Location and date of production
- Detailed information on the manufacturing process (e.g., batch or run number) or other identifying characteristics
We are able to satisfy this requirement by having the publisher include the following information on the copyright page of the book:
- “Manufactured by Friesens Corporation, in Altona, Manitoba, Canada”
- “Manufactured in <<month, year>>”
- “Order number <<order number>>”
For books shipped to the US that are intended for children 3 years of age or younger:
If the books that will be shipped to the US are intended for children 3 years of age or younger:
- Third-party testing must be completed
- A Certificate of Compliance must be provided
- Documentation must be submitted (eFiled) before the books cross the border
If this applies to the books that you are publishing, please let us know … so that we can initiate the testing process.
Typical processing time for testing is about 2 weeks, and we will need the test results from the lab prior to shipping the books from Altona.
Key Points (from our customs broker)
- Start Date: CPSC eFiling through CBP’s ACE system begins July 8, 2026.
- What’s Changing: Certificate of Compliance data must be submitted electronically at time of entry.
- Who’s Responsible: The Importer of Record must ensure data is accurate and available.
- Risk of Non-Compliance: Incomplete or incorrect data can cause CBP holds, exams, rejections, or delays.
- One Certificate Per Product: Materially different products require separate certificates.
- Two Filing Methods: Product Registry (fewer data points) or Complete Dataset (full data required).
- Certificate: General Certificate of Conformity/Compliance.
