ISED Canadian Representative: frequently asked questions
An ISED Canadian Representative is the Canada-based person or company a foreign applicant must name under RSP-100 section 4.1 (formerly an Industry Canada or "IC" requirement) before its radio equipment can be certified for Canada. We act in that role for US$499 per certified product, paid once, covering the appointment for as long as the product is offered on the Canadian market, and issue the signed attestation letter the same business day after payment. The answers below are short, with links to the full guide where one exists; regulatory statements are taken from RSP-100, Issue 12.
The requirement
What is an ISED Canadian Representative?
The person or company located in Canada that a non-Canadian applicant identifies on its ISED certification application. You will also see the role called the "Industry Canada representative", "IC representative", "Canadian agent" or "local representative for Canada": ISED was named Industry Canada until 2015, certification numbers are still prefixed "IC", and many labs and engineers still use the older terms. They all mean the same appointment under RSP-100 section 4.1. RSP-100 section 4.1 makes the representative "responsible for responding to all enquiries from ISED regarding the certified product(s), including providing audit samples at no charge to ISED." Full guide: the Canadian Representative requirement in RSP-100.
Is a Canadian Representative required for "IC certification" as well as ISED certification?
Yes; they are the same thing. "IC certification", "Industry Canada certification" and "ISED certification" all refer to radio equipment certification under RSP-100, and the certification number you receive is still called an IC certification number (IC ID). The Canadian Representative requirement applies to all of them.
Is a Canadian Representative required by ISED, or just by certification bodies?
By ISED. The requirement is written into RSP-100 section 4.1: "A Canadian representative is required when the applicant's company address is not within Canada." Certification bodies enforce it because the procedure requires them to, not as a house rule.
Who needs a Canadian Representative?
Any applicant for ISED radio equipment certification whose company address is outside Canada, regardless of product type, and whether the certification is through a Canadian CB or a foreign certification body recognized under a mutual recognition arrangement. A Canadian subsidiary with a real Canadian address can be the applicant and avoid the requirement; a mail drop cannot.
Does the requirement apply to terminal equipment as well as radio apparatus?
Yes. Terminal equipment registered under DC-01 is subject to an equivalent Canadian Representative requirement (DC-01 section 6). Tell us if your product is terminal equipment so the letter cites the right procedure. Guide: DC-01 terminal equipment.
Do I need a Canadian Representative for ICES-003 (SDoC) equipment?
No. ICES-003 equipment is self-declared under ICES-Gen, which has no Canadian Representative provision. If the same product contains a certified radio, the representative is needed for that certification. Guide: ICES-003 SDoC.
What is an ISED company number, and do I need one before ordering the letter?
The company number is the identifier ISED assigns to a registered applicant; it is the first block of every IC certification number. You get one by registering a web account in ISED's Spectrum Management System, and you can look up an existing one with ISED's company name search. We can issue the letter before the number is assigned and reissue it free when it arrives. Full guide: ISED company number.
Do I also need an FCC U.S. agent?
For an FCC certification, yes: 47 CFR 2.911(d)(7) requires every applicant to designate an agent in the United States for service of process. It is a separate appointment under a different law, and we do not provide it. The two roles are compared in FCC U.S. agent vs ISED Canadian Representative.
How do I hire a Canadian Representative?
Confirm your applicant address is outside Canada, choose a representative with a real Canadian place of business that accepts the section 4.1 duties for the life of the product, send it your legal name, address, company number and product details, and give the signed letter to your certification body. Step by step: how to hire a Canadian Representative.
Can my Canadian distributor or importer be the representative?
It can, if it is willing to accept the section 4.1 responsibilities for as long as the product is sold in Canada. Most distributors decline once they read them, because the obligation outlives the distribution agreement. See representative vs certification body vs test lab.
Can my test lab or certification body act as my Canadian Representative?
Some Canadian labs offer it. The questions to ask are whether the lab will still exist and still hold the appointment in eight years, what happens to the appointment if the lab is sold, and whether your product information is protected by any professional duty of confidentiality. A CB generally should not act as representative for an applicant whose product it certifies.
The letter
What is an attestation letter?
A signed letter from the Canadian Representative confirming its identity and Canadian address, identifying the applicant and the product, and accepting the RSP-100 section 4.1 responsibilities. The CB files it with the application. Field-by-field guide: attestation letter required fields.
How quickly can I get the letter?
The same business day after payment is confirmed (Ottawa time). Card payments clear immediately; wires take one to three banking days.
Do I need a separate letter for each product?
One letter per IC certification number. All models, HVINs and PMNs certified under that number are covered by the same letter. A new certification number needs a new letter. See one representative letter per IC ID.
What is a product family for this purpose?
A group of models certified under a single IC certification number, typically sharing the same radio hardware with variations in enclosure, firmware or non-radio features. If ISED and your CB accept them under one certificate, one representative letter covers them all.
Can you revise an existing letter?
Yes: added models, changed company names, corrected addresses and new HVINs are routine. Use the revision form. Revisions are free, with no time limit and no cap on how many you request, for as long as the appointment lasts. A new IC certification number is a new certification at US$499.
Can you sign my certification body's own representative form instead?
Yes, at no additional cost. Several CBs and FCBs prefer their own template.
Does a Canadian Representative letter expire?
Ours does not. Some providers issue letters with a one-year or multi-year validity and invoice again at renewal; RSP-100 section 4.1 itself sets no term, it requires the appointment to last for as long as the product is offered in Canada. Our letter states the appointment on that basis, with no expiry date and no renewal. If your certification body asks for a fresh copy years later, we reissue it free.
How can a certification body verify your letter? Is a QR code required?
By email, phone or the verification page; we confirm within one business day. No QR code, seal or blockchain device is required: RSP-100 prescribes no form for the letter beyond identifying the representative on the application. Our letters carry the firm's legal name, Ottawa address and the signatory, a Law Society of Ontario licensee who can be looked up in the Law Society's public directory.
Duration and obligations
How long does the appointment last?
For as long as the product is offered on the Canadian market. RSP-100 requires the applicant to keep a valid Application and Agreement for Certification Services in place for that whole period, and that agreement must identify a Canadian representative, so the appointment is written to match it. The US$499 fee is paid once and there is no renewal date. Full treatment: how long must a Canadian Representative be appointed.
What happens if ISED contacts you about my product?
We acknowledge, notify your designated contact the same business day, and relay your response. We do not make technical statements about the product without your instructions.
Who provides an audit sample, and who pays?
The applicant provides it and pays for the unit and shipping; RSP-100 section 4.1 says samples are provided to ISED "at no charge to ISED," and section 12.2 puts the cost on the certificate holder. We coordinate the logistics. Guide: ISED audit samples: who provides, who pays.
What if I change my Canadian Representative?
You notify your CB, which updates the certification record; the new representative issues a fresh letter. Guide: changing your Canadian Representative.
What if my company is acquired or renamed?
Tell us and your CB. A name change under the same legal entity is a letter revision. A transfer of the certificate to a new entity is a CB process (RSP-100 section 10 and the transfer provisions), and the new holder needs its own representative letter.
Pricing and payment
What does it cost?
US$499 per certified product, paid once, covering the appointment for as long as the product is offered on the Canadian market. There are no other fees for the appointment. The optional label and manual review is US$249 per certification. See pricing.
How do I pay?
Card via Stripe, or wire transfer. Purchase orders accepted, and several certifications can go on one invoice.
Do you charge when ISED asks a question or requests a sample?
No. That is part of the appointment.
Can you review my label and user manual before I print?
Yes, as an optional add-on at US$249 per IC certification number. We check the IC label, e-label or QR code, the English and French user-manual notices, the ICES-003 marking and the match with your REL listing against RSS-Gen Issue 6 and ICES-Gen, and send written comments with one re-check included. It is a review of the documents you supply. It is not testing or certification, and your certification body has the final word. See label and manual review.
About the provider
Who is the Canadian Representative, legally?
Smutylo Law+, an Ottawa law firm whose principal, Koby Smutylo, is a member of the Law Society of Ontario (called 2001). The firm has held the role for foreign manufacturers since 2010. About.
Do you work with manufacturers in my country?
Yes. Most of our clients are in China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and India, and we accept applicants from anywhere outside Canada. Country-specific notes on payment, time zones and CB workflows are in the countries section.
Are you affiliated with ISED?
No. ISEDRepresentative.com is an independent professional service and is not affiliated with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, any certification body or any laboratory.