Canadian Parents should know that U.S. Car Seats will be confiscated at the Canadian-U.S. Border

What Every Canadian Parent Should Know

It is illegal for Canadians to Purchase Child Car Seats in the United States  

Transport Canada is seeing an increase in the number of reports from Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers and from certified child passenger safety technicians that seats purchased in other countries are being privately imported into Canada and are showing up at car seat clinics across Canada.  The use of non-compliant child seats may not only jeopardize children’s safety and pose a serious danger to the public, but it may also result in repercussions such as:

• Confiscation of the seat at the border or after it has entered Canada;
• Fines and/or demerit point penalties;
• Reduced or voided insurance coverage for injury or death; and
• Possible criminal charges and/or civil litigation.

Child or booster seats purchased outside Canada, including those purchased online from non-Canadian vendors, do not comply with Canada's Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Cushions Safety Regulations  (RSSR) and the applicable Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS), and thus do not carry the National Safety Mark. Every country has its respective child seat standards. Canadian regulations are rigorous and differ from those in other countries.

Additionally, if the seat is purchased outside of Canada and a recall notice is issued, the parent or caregiver may not be informed of the recall or have recourse against the manufacturer. 

The bottom line is only Canadian retailers sell Car Seats with the Canadian National Safety Mark on the back of the car seat.