Canadian Representative for manufacturers in the Netherlands

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 the Netherlands

Under the Canada–European Community mutual recognition agreement, a recognized Dutch body can issue the ISED certificate on Dutch test data. ISED's recognized certification body list currently includes Kiwa Nederland B.V. at Apeldoorn, with a broad scope that reaches broadcasting equipment as well as the radio scopes. Its recognized laboratory list carries two Dutch entries, Dekra Certification B.V. at Arnhem and Kiwa Nederland B.V. Both halves of the route are therefore available domestically — which is not true of Italy, Denmark, Poland or Portugal.

The alternative, as everywhere, is to let the North American certification body already handling your FCC file issue the ISED certificate from the same measurements. For a manufacturer whose US programme is live, that is often the shorter path, and nothing is lost by it.

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

These are different roles and the distinction matters for what goes in 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. It holds no part of your technical documentation and is appointed per certification rather than per product placed on the market.

Recording the wrong role on the ISED application is a predictable reason for a certification body to return the file. See the requirement explained.

Practical notes

Entity naming. Use the registered legal form exactly — B.V., N.V., V.O.F. — as it appears on the CB's application and in the KvK register. Mismatches cause returns.

Before you print. Dutch files adapted from an FCC submission usually slip on the same two Canadian items: the manual notices have to appear in English and in French under RSS-Gen section 9.3.1, and the small-device relief is a measurement rather than a judgment — at 2.5 cm or less the ICES marking may go in the manual, and it must then also appear on the packaging. The checklist is nine checks before you print; the label and manual review is 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. Card through Stripe clears immediately; wires from Dutch banks arrive in one to two banking days. SEPA is not available for USD invoices. We invoice in US dollars. Amsterdam is six hours ahead of Ottawa, so a Dutch morning order is normally issued by the Dutch afternoon.

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

Our certification body is Dutch. Do we still need a Canadian Representative?

Yes. Recognition under the Canada–EU MRA is what lets a Dutch body issue the certificate. Section 4.1 turns on the applicant's company address, not the certification body's.

Can we test and certify entirely in the Netherlands?

On ISED's current lists there are two recognized Dutch laboratories and one recognized Dutch certification body, so yes. Confirm both recognitions are current before you build a schedule on it.

Can our B.V. appoint one representative for the whole group?

The appointment names the applicant entity on the ISED application. Where several group companies hold certifications in their own names, each needs the representative for its own. Several certifications for one applicant can go on a single invoice.

Is our RED authorised representative enough?

No. The RED representative holds your EU technical documentation and answers EU market surveillance. The Canadian Representative answers ISED about a specific certification, from a Canadian address.

Are revisions to the letter chargeable?

No. A corrected applicant name or address, an added model under the same IC number, or a reissued letter is free, with no time limit and no cap. A new IC certification number is a separate certification at US$499.