Importer resource
If the forms and acronyms are starting to blur together, begin here. This guide shows which product, testing, manufacturing, and certificate details usually need to find their way into the filing conversation.
Reviewed against official CPSC resources · Updated September 5, 2026
Full vs. Reference PGA Message Set
The official filing happens through CPSC and CBP systems. CertifyPreflight helps connect the supporting facts, call attention to unanswered questions, and make the broker conversation easier; it does not transmit a PGA Message Set.
| Official route | How CPSC describes it | Where preparation helps |
|---|---|---|
| Full PGA Message Set | The importer gives the broker the required certificate data, and the broker files that data in the CPSC PGA Message Set through CBP’s ACE system. | CPSC describes this route as useful when an importer has a limited number of regulated products or does not repeatedly import the same product. |
| Reference PGA Message Set | Certificate data is entered in the CPSC Product Registry first. The importer then gives the broker the Certifier ID, Product ID, and Version ID to reference at entry. | CPSC describes this route as useful when the same regulated products and certificates are used for repeated imports. |
Confirm the filing route with your licensed customs broker or authorized filer. Read the official CPSC eFiling FAQ for the current definitions and requirements.
CPSC Product Registry preparation
CPSC describes the Product Registry as a repository for certificate data used with a Reference PGA Message Set. It does not automatically communicate with CBP’s ACE system, so the certificate identifiers still need to reach the broker.
Read the official Product Registry guidance ↗Certificate of compliance preparation
The CPSC’s eFiling materials identify product, citation, manufacturing, testing, laboratory, and record-contact information among the required certificate data elements. CertifyPreflight helps organize those facts and flag what remains unresolved for importer and authorized professional review.
Check the current CPSC document library ↗What eFiling changes
CPSC eFiling is the electronic transmission of certificate data for covered consumer products. It does not eliminate the need for accurate test reports, product records, or a responsible final review.
CertifyPreflight helps prepare the information and reveal gaps. It does not decide legal applicability, replace a laboratory or broker, or submit information to the CPSC.
Plain-language description, model or style, identifiers, and the regulated finished product.
The applicable CPSC rule references and the certificate information associated with the product.
Manufacturer identity plus the place and date or date range of manufacture.
Relevant laboratory or testing-party details, reports, and the place and date of testing.
The person or business that maintains the test reports and other supporting records.
Your broker or filer contact, shipment context, source documents, and every unresolved discrepancy.
A practical preflight
Identify the finished product and where it is in the import process.
Gather the reports, certificates, labels, contacts, and supplier records you already have.
Separate confirmed facts from missing or conflicting information.
Package the sources and open questions for your broker or authorized filer.
Common questions
No. Applicability depends on the product, the rules it is subject to, and the current CPSC requirements. Confirm the current obligation with the CPSC and your authorized broker or filer.
No. CertifyPreflight currently prepares and organizes information for review. The certificate-submission route is disabled.
Start with the product identity, supplier and manufacturer details, applicable test reports, labels or certificates, manufacturing and testing locations and dates, and the person who maintains the supporting records.
The handoff is designed to make sources and unresolved items easier to review. Your broker or authorized filer still decides what is sufficient and what is submitted.
If a carrier or broker request is unclear, translate it into a useful question list before deciding whether you need a paid review.
Source stewardship
Maintained by CertifyPreflight · Last reviewed September 11, 2026
We compare the statements on this preparation guide with public CPSC eFiling materials, link readers to the source, and update the page when those materials change. We do not infer whether a particular product is regulated or replace decisions made by the importer and its authorized professionals.