Language selection

Search

Food export certification

On this page

Introduction

An export certificate is a type of official assurance, providing an importing country with confirmation from the Canadian government – in this case, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) – that your product or commodity meets certain standards and requirements.

Not all countries or all products require them.

The CFIA issues export certificates only for products still in Canada. Products no longer in Canada are not eligible for certification because the CFIA is unable to attest to the compliance of the food to any requirements.

If required, the export certificate accompanies a consignment to its destination country, confirming the consignment's compliance with specific standards and requirements. An approved export certificate is provided to the appropriate border agency of the destination country – in either electronic or paper form – to help clear your product into that country.

Certification is almost exclusively done for products exported for commercial purposes. However, certain countries require an export certificate for product destined for personal consumption, for example, fish caught while sport fishing in Canada. For more information on this please see the Food-specific requirements.

Types of export certificates

Health or sanitary certificates (negotiated)

Health or sanitary certificates are government to government certificates that include information about the product, its health status and the consignor.

The information on an export certificate varies, depending on the product or commodity and the destination country, but it may include:

Inspection certificates (Canadian)

Inspection certificates are developed by Canada to attest that the product complies with Canadian standards, for example: certificates of origin and hygiene, product grading certificates, standard meat product certificates, etc. Consignments for countries or products with no known requirements may be issued inspection certificates, but these consignments are at commercial risk. The importer in the destination country can tell you if an inspection certificate is required.

Note

Commercial risk means acceptance by the exporter that the CFIA certificate is given in good faith based on the exporter's written assurances that all due enquiries have been made and that there is no known impediment to entry of the product into the country concerned. These products must meet all Canadian requirements.

Certificates of free sale

A certificate of free sale attests that, in accordance with the Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA) and Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), the products are required to:

The importer in the destination country is able to tell you if a certificate of free sale is required.

Radiation certificates

The radiation certificate (Certificate of Inspection Radiation Content) is a government to government certificate attesting to the safe level of radiation in the exported food.

As of May 1, 2019 the CFIA will be the only authority in Canada to issue radiation certificates for food exports. The CFIA will issue radiation certificates when required by the importing country.

The Certificate of Inspection Radiation Content will also attest that food commodities produced in Canada:

It is the responsibility of the Canadian exporter to find out from the destination country if a radiation certificate is required.

Certification requirements

You are responsible to identify and implement the Canadian regulatory requirements and the foreign country import requirements that apply to your product. The CFIA supports industry by publishing known and negotiated requirements in the Export requirements library.

Reporting export requirements to CFIA

If you become aware of new or changed export requirements for any countries, you are encouraged to inform your local inspection office (see Area and Regional Offices) so that the CFIA can verify the requirements and determine if the Canadian industry is able to meet those requirements and enter into negotiations if required.

Eligibility

Export certifications will be issued to you if you meet the general requirements for export, and you are on any necessary export eligibility lists (see Export registers and lists). Exporters must be able to demonstrate that they have control measures in place to ensure the foods they export meet all applicable Canadian and importing country requirements, and that their procedures result in accurate export documents.

When requesting an export certificate or other export permission, exporters must provide the inspector with accurate and complete information and supporting documents, if required. Exporters must maintain documentation on file to support the information that is entered on the export certificate request form and the export certificate. At any time, CFIA inspectors may request the exporter's documents in order to verify that the information submitted is factual, accurate, and complete.

Examples of supporting documents:

Applying for certificates online (e-Cert)

Many export certificates are processed through the CFIA's electronic certification; you can access this system through My CFIA. Exporters, verifiers, CFIA staff and others in the export chain use this online system to ensure that products are eligible for certification and to issue certificates. For a list of export certificates available through My CFIA can be found on the My CFIA Online Services page.

When you apply for certificates electronically, the system will identify if you are eligible for certificates for certain products and countries, and what notification of shipments, inspections, fees and additional supporting documents are required.

Fees and charges can apply for requesting export certificates and any related inspection activities.

Paper-based certification

If you do not wish to apply online, please contact your local inspection office (see Area and Regional Offices) for assistance.

In addition, some certificates are still issued through paper-based systems. If you cannot find the certificate for a product and country requirement in e-Cert, please contact your local inspection office.

Applying for replacement certificates

The CFIA may issue a replacement certificate for food exports, depending on the circumstances. Most commonly, administrative errors, a change of consignee, or a lost or damaged certificate are the reasons replacement certificates are requested.

Date modified: