Canadian Representative for manufacturers in Czechia

Written by Koby Smutylo, lawyer (Law Society of Ontario, called 2001), ISED Canadian Representative since 2010. Last reviewed 5 October 2026.

How certification runs from Czechia

The Canada–European Community mutual recognition agreement does two separable things: it lets recognized European laboratories produce test data ISED accepts, and it lets recognized European bodies issue ISED certificates. Czechia currently has the first and not the second. ISED's recognized laboratory list carries one Czech entry, Ademco CZ s.r.o. at Brno, accredited by the Czech Accreditation Institute; the recognized certification body list carries no Czech entry.

So the test report travels and the certificate is issued abroad — in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands or Austria, or in North America. It is a routine arrangement rather than an obstacle, since the MRA exists so that the measurements need not be repeated. It matters mainly for scheduling, because the issuing body works to another country's calendar.

Where a US programme is already running, the shortest route is usually to let the North American certification body handling the FCC file issue the ISED certificate from the same measurements.

Check ISED's current lists before planning around either. Recognitions carry expiry dates and are renewed on a rolling basis.

Canadian Representative versus the RED authorised representative

Different roles, and the distinction matters for the technical file. The Radio Equipment Directive's Article 11 authorised representative holds the EU declaration of conformity and technical documentation and answers to EU market surveillance authorities. The ISED Canadian Representative answers ISED enquiries about one specific certification and provides audit samples at no charge to ISED, from an address in Canada, and holds none of your technical documentation.

Recording the wrong role on the ISED application is a predictable cause of returns. See the requirement explained.

Practical notes

Entity naming. Use the registered legal form exactly — s.r.o., a.s., spol. s r.o. — matching the CB's application and the commercial register extract. Mismatches cause returns.

Contract and electronics manufacturing. Where you build to a customer's design, the entity named as applicant on the ISED application is the one that needs the representative — not the brand on the box. Settle it early, because the letter names the applicant exactly and a transfer between entities needs a new appointment.

Before you print. The Canadian manual's required notices must appear in English and in French under RSS-Gen section 9.3.1, whatever your domestic market uses. It is the most common finding on a first Canadian filing. Run nine checks before you print, or have us run them: label and manual review, US$249 per IC certification number.

Fee and timing. US$499 per certified product, paid once, for as long as the product is offered on the Canadian market. No renewal, no second invoice, revisions free with no time limit. Card through Stripe clears immediately; wires from Czech banks arrive in one to two banking days. We invoice in US dollars. Prague is six hours ahead of Ottawa, so a Czech morning order is normally issued by the Czech afternoon.

Audit samples. Shipped from Czechia to ISED's laboratory in Canada at the applicant's cost, documented as a regulatory sample; we coordinate. See ISED audit samples.

Can a Czech laboratory's test report be used for Canadian certification?

Yes, where the laboratory is recognized by ISED. ISED's current recognized-laboratory list includes a Czech entry; confirm its status before relying on it.

Is there a Czech certification body that can issue the IC certificate?

Not on ISED's current list. Czech applicants normally use a recognized body elsewhere in the EU or in North America, working from the Czech test data.

Does certifying abroad change who needs the representative?

No. Section 4.1 turns on the applicant's company address, not on where the testing or certification happens.

We build to a customer's design. Who needs the representative?

The entity named as applicant on the ISED application. If that is your company, the appointment is yours; if it is your customer, it is theirs.

Are revisions to the letter chargeable?

No. A corrected name or address, an added model under the same IC number, or a reissued letter is free, with no time limit and no cap on how many you request.