Home / Children’s Product Certificates for importers

Last reviewed: September 2026 · Copy link

Children’s Product Certificates for importers

Importers are the certifying party for children’s products brought into the United States: the factory cannot issue the CPC for you, and Customs can require the certificate (and, since July 2026, its electronic data) at entry. Your duties: third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted lab, issuing the CPC citing the tested rules, keeping records five years, and having everything ready when Customs or a marketplace asks.
On this page
The importer’s five dutiesThe supplier-document trap

Use the free generator right here

No account, no upload: the certificate is built in your browser and saved to your local vault.

Loading tool…

The importer’s five duties

  • Place third-party testing with a CPSC-accepted laboratory before the first import of each product.
  • Issue the CPC as the certifying party, accurate to the test report.
  • eFile the certificate data with CBP where the product is in scope (mandatory since July 8, 2026).
  • Keep the certificate and records for at least five years.
  • Re-certify when the product, sourcing, or production changes.

The supplier-document trap

Factories often hand over test reports from other customers, reports for similar products, or reports without the importer’s details. Treating those as your certification is the single most common import-compliance failure: the report must cover your product from your production run. Verify the lab, verify the product match, then generate your own certificate from the verified data.

Questions people ask

Can my customs broker file the CPC for me?

Brokers file the certificate data in the eFiling system, but the certification statement is yours: you remain the certifying party responsible for its accuracy.

Does Customs actually check CPCs at entry?

CBP and the CPSC run joint targeting, and covered shipments can be held for certificate review. Have the PDF and its data ready, which the vault workflow is designed for.

I buy from a US-based distributor. Who certifies?

If you are the importer of record, you certify. If a domestic distributor imports first and you buy domestically, their certification should cover you: ask for the CPC and report either way.

Related guides

Amazon CPC requirements for children’s products

Exactly what Amazon requires for children’s product listings: a valid CPC, CPSC-accepted lab testing, the annu…

How to get a CPC certificate, step by step

How to get a Children’s Product Certificate: confirm the rules, test at a CPSC-accepted lab, then issue the CP…

CPSIA testing requirements, in plain English

Which CPSIA/CPSC testing rules apply to your children’s product, what third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted l…