Canada ISED certification for radio equipment: TAC, IC number and SDoC

Category I, Category II and terminal equipment

The Radiocommunication Act and Radiocommunication Regulations set two categories of radio equipment. Category I equipment is certified: it needs a Technical Acceptance Certificate (TAC) from an ISED-recognized Certification Body and a listing in the Radio Equipment List (REL), and is labelled with its certification number. Examples include broadcast transmitters, push-to-talk radios, cellphones, Wi-Fi devices, baby monitors and Bluetooth devices.

Category II equipment needs no TAC but must still meet the technical standards and carry a label representing the Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (SDoC); the manufacturer keeps the test reports, which ISED may request. Examples are very low power transmitters, standalone receivers and consumer electronics that emit radio frequency unintentionally, such as computers. Terminal equipment that connects to Canadian networks, such as phones and modems, is tested by a recognized laboratory, declared and registered in the Telecommunication Apparatus Register (TAR).

Labelling rules in RSS-Gen

• The certification number is written "IC: XXXXX-YYYYYYYYYYY": a 5-digit company number (CN) and a unique product number (UPN) of up to 11 characters, using only digits and capital letters A-Z.
• The product marketing name (PMN), the hardware version identification number (HVIN) and the certification number on the product must match the REL.
• The label must be permanently affixed or displayed electronically, with indelible and clearly legible text.
• A QR code may be used only if it contains the full label text, not a link, and it must be on the product.
• Devices of 2.5 cm or smaller may carry the label in the user manual instead, and it must also appear on the packaging; for larger devices that cannot be labelled, ask ISED's Certification and Engineering Bureau (CEB).
• Electronic labels must be reachable in no more than three steps from the main menu, and the packaging needs a physical label when the product is imported, distributed or sold.
• A host product with a certified module shows the module's number, for example "Contains IC: XXXXX-YYYYYYYYYYY".

After certification

Once the product is certified, registered or declared, manufacturers, importers and distributors may sell it. They remain responsible for continued conformity when standards are amended, which may require retesting, and must cooperate in investigations of interference or other complaints. Products that cannot fully meet the standards may be approved through a Special Authorization under RSP-102.