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If I live in Canada and have an infant car seat approved in Canada, can I legally use that car seat when traveling in the US? I will be traveling by plane and getting a rental car at my US destination.

I see that car seat laws differ by state. How will this affect me?

Edits: The car seat has the CMVSS/NSVAC sticker on it (transport Canada cross border shopping) and does not appear to have a US sticker on it. The car seat's manual states that it meets US FMVSS 213. The car seat in question is the Evenflo Symphony 65 DLX though the question was intended to be more general than this specific seat.

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  • That does provide useful information but the question is intended to be about whether it is legal to use a Canadian car seat in the US. I know that a US car seat can be seized at the border if brought in to Canada, for example. Bringing Consumer Goods Into Canada
    – mbaryu
    Jun 24, 2014 at 23:10
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    Have you carefully read all the labels on your existing seat? It may be approved for use in the US already. Perhaps add a picture of the labels.
    – Kate Gregory
    Jun 25, 2014 at 13:05

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I know this might not be an answer exactly, but I can't leave a comment:

We have taken US car seats to Canada (by car), Mexico and Europe (Denmark) for our kids. We have not have any questioning about them at the border, not even in Canada when the kids were in them. I have not have any one stop and check the seats there. In Denmark we used a private car though, not a rental.

I have been pulled over by the police once with kids in the car seats here in the US, and they didn't as much as look at the car seats, if they were legal or properly installed - they just ticked the minor traffic infraction committed.

I know this is anecdotal, but I think as long as the kid is in a car seat appropriate for the child's age, you will not run into trouble. Be sure to note whether the state you travel to have rules regarding forward vs. rear facing for certain ages, and when the kid can move from a 5-point to a booster.

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  • I don't think that inspection is more likely at an airport - it is not a commercial good transported with intend to sell (I assume other rules come into play). Why would the custom officers care about the intended use for duration? They are not traffic cops, they probably don't even know the certifications needed. Again, anecdotal - I never had anyone look specifically at car seats at customs.
    – Ida
    Jun 26, 2014 at 17:31
  • Point taken - that page seems to cover things that intend to stay in Canada - will they really seize a car seat at the border if I don't bring the manual, in French AND English?
    – Ida
    Jun 26, 2014 at 17:41
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    I have a feeling that this is the best answer we're going to get, but I'll leave it open on the off chance we get more data.
    – mbaryu
    Jun 27, 2014 at 1:38

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