AFSL Program

PARTICIPATION IN THE AFSL PROGRAMS

Participation in the AFSL program is voluntary.  U.S. importers must sign an agreement with AFSL that obligates them to have all fireworks shipped to them tested by AFSL.  Fireworks that fail to comply with the AFSL standards may not be imported by the participant under the terms of the agreement. China shippers also must sign an agreement to ship only AFSL tested fireworks to participating U.S. importers. 

PRODUCT CERTIFICATION

Before a shipment is certified, it is tested by an independent, internationally recognized testing laboratory under contract to AFSL. The laboratory randomly selects samples from the shipment and tests them for compliance with the AFSL standards.  

If the sample meets all requirements, an AFSL certification sticker is applied to each shipping carton in the tested lot. The stickers have high-security features built in to prevent duplication and tampering.  They are tightly controlled by AFSL to ensure that they are applied to properly certified merchandise only. 

Fireworks manufactured or assembled in the United States also may be certified at the request of the U.S. manufacturer.

Fireworks certified under the Display Fireworks program must be manufactured by a factory that successfully has completed a factory audit and received an AFSL Factory Registration Number.  In addition, the certification process for Display Fireworks includes supervision of the loading of the fireworks into shipping containers. 

FUNDING

The testing and certification program is funded by a fee charged to the U.S. importer for each case of fireworks tested and approved for shipment to the U.S. importer.  Fees are collected by the shipper when payment for the merchandise is collected.