How to choose an ISED certification body and test laboratory
ISED publishes the only lists that matter: certification bodies recognized to certify for Canada (Canadian CBs and foreign CBs recognized under mutual recognition arrangements, each with a CAB identifier, a scope of recognition and a recognition expiry date) and wireless device testing laboratories recognized to test to Canadian requirements. Choose a CB whose scope covers every RSS your product needs and whose recognition runs past your launch, and a lab on ISED's list for the same standards. We are the Canadian Representative, not a lab or a CB, so nothing here recommends a particular one.
The three parties, once more
The laboratory measures the product against the applicable Radio Standards Specifications and writes the test report. The certification body reviews the report and the application, issues the certificate with the IC certification number, and lists the product in the REL. The Canadian Representative is the applicant's contact in Canada for ISED enquiries and audit samples for the life of the product. Many companies do the first two under one roof; a few also offer the third. The comparison is in representative vs certification body vs test lab.
Where the lists are
ISED's conformity-assessment-bodies page links to each list. The certification bodies list, as displayed in September 2026, runs to about three dozen organizations: roughly half in the United States, a handful in Canada, and the rest in Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria and Singapore. Each entry shows the organization's name, address and company number, a CAB identifier, a scope of recognition listing the standards it may certify to, and a recognition status with an expiry date. Foreign bodies appear because of the mutual recognition arrangements Canada has with the United States, the European Union and others; a US FCB on the list can issue an ISED certificate exactly as a Canadian CB can.
The wireless device testing laboratories list covers labs recognized to test to Canadian radio requirements, and a separate terminal equipment testing laboratories list covers CS-03. ISED's Canadian certification bodies page is the reverse view, Canadian CBs recognized by foreign partners, and is the one to read if you are certifying a Canadian product for export.
What to check before you sign
Scope. The CB's scope of recognition must include every RSS your product will be certified to. A CB recognized for RSS-247 but not for the cellular RSS you also need cannot issue a single certificate covering both. The same applies to the lab's recognized test scope.
Recognition expiry. The status column shows when the recognition lapses unless renewed. A CB whose recognition expires in the middle of your programme is usually renewed, but ask.
Whether the lab and CB are the same company. It is common and permitted for a lab's certification arm to certify its own reports. It shortens the chain. It also means one relationship holds both roles, so if you later change labs you are changing CBs too, with the certificate and its REL listing staying with the original CB.
How the CB handles the Canadian Representative letter. Some CBs accept the representative's own letter; some require their own declaration form. Ask at quotation, and ask for the form, so the letter is ready before the report is. The fields every CB wants are in attestation letter required fields.
Timelines and permissive changes. Ask how long the review takes once the report is complete, and what a Class I or Class II permissive change costs later, because the CB that issued the certificate is the one that files changes against it.
Multi-regime products. A product with a radio, a network port and digital circuitry falls under RSP-100, DC-01 and ICES-003 at once. Confirm the lab can test to all three and the CB can certify the radio portion; terminal equipment is registered with ISED directly rather than certified. See DC-01 terminal equipment and ICES-003 SDoC.
What the lists will not tell you
Price, queue length, and how a CB behaves when a report is marginal. Those come from the quotation and from asking other manufacturers in your sector. Nor will the lists tell you who a good Canadian Representative is, because ISED keeps no list of representatives; the requirement is that one be named on the application, and the choosing is yours. Our view on how to choose is in how to hire a Canadian Representative.
Sources. ISED, Conformity assessment bodies and the linked lists of certification bodies and testing laboratories, as displayed September 2026; counts are approximate and change as recognitions are added and expire. ISED, REC-CB, Recognition Procedure and Requirements for Certification Bodies. RSP-100, Issue 12.
Where is ISED's list of certification bodies?
On ISED's conformity assessment bodies pages: the "Certification Bodies" list shows every CB, Canadian and foreign, recognized to certify equipment to Canadian requirements, with scope and expiry.
Can a US certification body issue an ISED certificate?
Yes, if it is a foreign certification body recognized by ISED under the Canada–US mutual recognition arrangement and its scope covers the standards involved. It appears on the same ISED list as Canadian CBs.
Does ISED publish a list of Canadian Representatives?
No. RSP-100 requires that a representative be identified on the application; it does not accredit or list them. Choose on continuity, a real Canadian address and willingness to handle audit samples.
Do I have to use a Canadian lab?
No. Any laboratory on ISED's wireless device testing laboratories list, in any country, is recognized to test to Canadian requirements for the standards in its scope.
Can my test lab also be my certification body?
Often, yes, where the lab has a recognized certification arm. Check both the lab's and the CB's scope for your standards.