Entering the Canadian Market: Electrical Approval

In Canada, putting electrical products into service depends on obtaining approval from a certification body accepted by the provincial electrical authority. The CSA, cUL and cETL marks provide that acceptance.

The obligation lies with the party placing the product on the market. An unapproved product cannot pass electrical inspection and is not accepted into an installation.

• A test report to the relevant CSA/CAN standard
• The critical component list and its approvals
• A bilingual label and user manual
• Details of the place of manufacture (for follow-up inspection)

1. 01Scope DeterminationIt is determined which legislation and marking scope the product falls under in the target market. This step defines the entire process; getting it wrong wastes all subsequent work.
2. 02Determining Applicable StandardsThe standards accepted by the market and any national deviations are identified. The same IEC standard may apply with different deviations in different markets.
3. 03Establishing the Test PlanIt is assessed which part of existing test reports will be accepted; missing tests are planned. A CB Scheme report, if available, reduces retesting.
4. 04Local Party and RegistrationIf the market requires an established representative, importer or applicant, this party is designated and the necessary registrations are made.
5. 05Tests and Technical FileTests are conducted and the technical file is prepared. Some markets require testing to be performed within their own country.
6. 06Certification or DeclarationDepending on the market's regime, a manufacturer's declaration is drawn up or a certificate is obtained from the authorised body; a factory audit is carried out if required.
7. 07Marking and LabellingThe mark and label are applied according to the market's format and language rules. The language requirement is checked at customs in most markets.
8. 08Shipment and CustomsIf a pre-shipment document is required, it is obtained; the document set to be presented at customs is completed.

• The 'c' prefix indicates Canadian coverage; a US-only listing is not sufficient
• Bilingual (English-French) labelling is expected
• Language requirements in Quebec are separately regulated
• There is a high degree of commonality with US standards but there are national deviations

1. 01Canadian certification and US listingThe standards are largely shared and a single test programme can serve both markets; but the standards of both countries must be written separately in the certificate and the mark used accordingly.
2. 02Certification and field evaluationThere is a field evaluation route for one-off or custom-built equipment; it does not take the place of series production certification and covers only the unit evaluated.
3. 03Safety certification and radio registrationAn electrical safety certificate does not satisfy radio requirements; a product carrying a radio also goes through the federal communications authority's registration route.
4. 04Certification and the bilingual information requirementThe bilingual label and manual requirement cannot be substituted by any certificate; it is checked separately at customs and in the market.

This page describes entry into the Canada market. The scheme itself — its scope, process, validity period and required documents — is covered in detail on the certification page.

This section's content is being prepared. The roadmap specific to your product and target market at the quote stage in writing.