TITLE: CPSC eFiling for Mail Shipments: What Changes on 22 October 2026
What changes for mail shipments on 22 October 2026?
From 22 October 2026, international sellers sending CPSC-regulated consumer products to the United States by mail must follow a new electronic entry process.
The shipment must use CBP’s new Entry Type 13 or a formal entry, and the relevant Certificate of Compliance data must be transmitted through the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).
This change affects ecommerce brands, digital businesses with physical products, fast-growing SMEs, and non-US owners of US entities. Direct-to-consumer sellers shipping by post or courier are firmly in scope.
Key dates to add to your compliance calendar
Use this checklist to prepare your US-bound shipments and filings:
- 8 July 2026: CPSC eFiling became mandatory for most imported, CPSC-regulated consumer products.
- 22 October 2026: CPSC eFiling will also apply to qualifying mail shipments. Covered goods must use Entry Type 13 or a formal entry, with certificate data sent through ACE.
- 15 October 2026: Final extended deadline for calendar-year 2025 Form 5472 filings for eligible foreign-owned, single-member US LLCs that filed Form 7004 on time. There is no second extension.
- 1 July 2027: The suspended $800 de minimis exemption is scheduled for permanent statutory repeal.
Do not treat the October date as a paperwork change that only affects customs brokers. The importer of record remains responsible for accurate and complete compliance data.
Before this change, international postal shipments could use the old postal informal entry process. That process relied on a bond and an Excel spreadsheet rather than a standard electronic entry in ACE.
From 22 October 2026, CPSC-regulated mail shipments will need to follow the new process. CBP’s Entry Type 13 is the electronic informal entry route for eligible mail shipments. Goods that do not qualify for Entry Type 13 may require a formal entry instead.
CPSC’s official guidance for mail shipments confirms that importers and brokers must transmit either a Full or Reference PGA Message Set through ACE.
The requirement applies to regulated products regardless of shipment value. There is no value threshold and no de minimis exemption for CPSC certificate eFiling.
That means you cannot assume that a product is outside the rules because it is:
- Worth less than $800.
- Sent directly to an individual US consumer.
- Shipped by post or courier.
- Fulfilled through a marketplace.
- Part of a small or occasional order.
The marketplace does not carry the importer’s compliance risk. The importer of record does.
Understand the two CPSC eFiling routes
You and your customs broker will generally use one of two filing routes.
1. Full PGA Message Set
With the Full PGA Message Set, you provide the required Certificate of Compliance data to your customs broker. The broker then transmits the information through ACE with the Entry Type 13 or other applicable entry.
This route requires the seller, manufacturer, supplier, or importer to have the necessary information available before the shipment is entered.
2. Reference PGA Message Set
With the Reference PGA Message Set, you first enter the certificate information in the CPSC Product Registry before the goods arrive in the United States.
You then give your customs broker the relevant Certificate Identifiers, including:
- Certifier ID.
- Product ID.
- Version ID.
The broker uses these identifiers to submit the reference data in ACE.
Both routes can work. The important point is that the importer of record must ensure the information is accurate, even when the broker performs the transmission.
Prepare the required certificate data before dispatch
CPSC eFiling is not just a request for a certificate number. The required data covers key product and testing details, including:
- Product identification.
- The certifying party.
- Applicable product safety rules or standards.
- Date and place of manufacture.
- Most recent test date and test location.
- Contact details for the test-record holder.
- Certificate identifiers where the Reference PGA Message Set is used.
Your product may require a Children’s Product Certificate or a General Certificate of Conformity, depending on the applicable safety requirements.
Start with the manufacturer or supplier. Ask them to confirm:
- Whether the product is subject to a CPSC safety rule, ban, standard, or other applicable requirement.
- Whether a current Certificate of Compliance exists.
- Whether the certificate covers the exact product model, batch, and manufacturing location.
- Whether the testing information is current and complete.
- Whether the certificate data can be provided in time for the broker’s ACE transmission.
Do not rely on a generic supplier statement that a product is “certified”. The certificate must relate to the product actually being imported.
Check the HTS code, but do not rely on the list alone
CPSC guidance identifies approximately 600 HTS codes that are likely to require a certificate or that are treated as high risk.
The list is useful for screening your catalogue. It is not exhaustive and does not decide the legal obligation by itself.
A product may require CPSC eFiling even if its HTS code does not appear on the list. Equally, an HTS code on the list does not automatically mean that every product classified under it needs a certificate.
For each product, you should:
- Confirm the correct 10-digit HTS classification.
- Check whether the product falls under a CPSC mandatory standard or prohibition.
- Review the relevant CPSC eFiling and certificate guidance.
- Confirm whether a CPC, GCC, or other compliance document is required.
- Record the decision and supporting information in your product compliance files.
This review is particularly important for ecommerce sellers with large catalogues, product bundles, private-label goods, or frequent supplier changes.
Follow this action plan as a direct-to-consumer seller
If you ship products directly to US consumers, complete these four checks now.
1. Verify your HTS codes
Review every product that may be regulated by CPSC. Confirm the correct HTS code and compare it with the CPSC guidance list.
This will help you identify products likely to be flagged in ACE and reduce avoidable holds.
2. Confirm certificate status with your supplier
Ask the manufacturer or supplier for the current Certificate of Compliance and supporting testing information.
Check the product identity, applicable safety rules, manufacture details, test date, test location, and contact information. Doing this before dispatch prevents missing data from delaying the shipment.
3. Confirm the filing route with your customs broker
Ask your broker whether they will use the Full PGA Message Set or the Reference PGA Message Set.
Also confirm:
- Who creates or maintains the Product Registry record.
- Which party supplies the certificate data.
- When the broker needs the information.
- How corrections or updated certificate versions will be handled.
4. Build the certificate data into your shipping process
Add CPSC certificate checks to your pre-dispatch workflow. Treat missing certificate data in the same way as a missing commercial invoice or shipping label.
Document who is responsible for the certificate, where it is stored, and how it is passed to the broker.
What this means for international sellers
The 22 October 2026 change closes the gap between postal mail shipments and other entry types. CPSC-regulated consumer products sent by mail will now require electronic entry and certificate data in ACE, regardless of value.
For direct-to-consumer sellers, the practical risks are shipment holds, CBP delays, and rework at the border. In most cases, these are avoidable if the certificate data is accurate, complete, and available before the goods leave the origin country.
The importer of record remains responsible throughout. Work with your supplier and customs broker now so that the certificate data, HTS classification, and filing route are confirmed well before 22 October 2026.
