What to Know When Starting Registration

Ready to register a new stuffed article for sale in the United States? This simple guide will walk you through the steps you need to take in order to keep your product compliant as you go to market.

Step 1: Gather All Required Company Information

The registration process goes smoother and quicker if you have certain information on hand. Before you start the process, please have the following information ready:

• Manufacturer information:

  • Full legal business name
  • Address of the facility where the products are being physically manufactured (cannot be a headquarters address)
  • International Tax ID or FEIN
  • Owner/Officer contact information

• Importer information:

  • Full legal business name
  • Address that will be used on the law labels of the products (no restrictions or requirements if store front/ headquarters/ etc.)
  • International Tax ID or FEIN
  • Owner/Officer contact information

You should also have an idea of the type of license you may need. There are three types of licenses, explained here:

• Manufacturer: Your facility is the location where the stuffed article is physically manufactured for sales in the U.S.
• Importer/Wholesaler/Distributor/Retailer (I/W/D/R): Your company sells products that are made at another facility, and you import/distribute/sell those products in the U.S.

  • Your manufacturer must already have a Uniform Registry Number (URN).

• Joint Registration: Your company sells products that are made at another facility, and you import/distribute/sell those products in the U.S. You want an exclusive Uniform Registry Number (URN) with your manufacturer that your companies will co-own.

Learn more about each license type and their benefits here.

Step 2: Prepare for Costs

As with any product, there are costs associated with bringing stuffed articles to market in the U.S. The amount you should be prepared to pay depends on a few factors, including:

• The type of registration you are pursuing: Manufacturer, I/W/D/R, or Joint 
• The type of product you’re bringing to market: bedding and furniture, quilted clothing, or stuffed toy
• Your preferred level of support from GRS: Guaranteed Compliance, License Management, GlobalTrak, or self-management

Get ahead of sticker shock with GRS’ free cost estimator. Just plug in the information you know, and get a rough idea of your potential costs.*

*Please note that this is an estimate and not your final fee. This figure should not be construed as a quote for GRS’ services. It does not account for Pennsylvania or Ohio testing or product-specific registration among other considerations. A quote from GRS will provide the exact costs for your specific product type(s).

Step 3: Allow Ample Time

There are several steps to registration, and each one of them takes time.

The first step is obtaining a Uniform Registry Number (URN). Depending on your product type, getting your URN may take slightly more than a week or more than a month:

• Stuffed bedding and furniture: 3-10 business days on average
• Quilted clothing: 7-10 business days
• Stuffed toy: 40+ business days on average

In addition to obtaining your URN, you must also be registered in every U.S. state that regulates the sale of stuffed articles, and have all license copies issued.

In total, registration takes 8-10 weeks from start to finish on average. You can see a more detailed timeline on the page linked below.

Step 4: Expect Revisions

Even if everything has gone smoothly with registration and obtaining your URN, be prepared for law label revisions based on product tests, state filling terminology, and tolerance requirements/restrictions.

Product Testing

Two states require mandatory testing before stuffed articles can be legally sold. Most testing takes 1-2 weeks to complete and for the state to issue a report.

If testing reveals that your product’s filling materials and percentages are different from those listed on your product’s law label, your product will require a law label revision. For this reason, we strongly recommend not printing and affixing your law labels until all testing is completed.

Pennsylvania only requires testing for stuffed toys. Learn more about Pennsylvania’s thorough testing, and how to expedite the time-consuming process in our guide.

Ohio requires testing for all regulated products: bedding and furniture, stuffed toys, and other miscellaneous filled products. Learn more about Ohio’s testing requirements over on our guide.

Pennsylvania Variances

The state of Pennsylvania only allows certain terms to be printed on law labels. If you want to print a term that is not on their preapproved list, you must submit a petition for a Pennsylvania variance.

This is a process that requires approval from PA’s Industrial Board, which meets once a month. See our Pennsylvania variance guide to know what to expect, and how to prepare for a successful petition.

Lean on GRS to Simplify Registration

Registrations, URNs, licenses, testing, variances—it’s a lot to handle on your own. For more than 20 years, Global Registration Services has streamlined registration for manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers of all sizes.

Together, we can ensure that your stuffed articles are set up from success from day one. Get in touch and request your personalized quote for registration.