CFIA : Changes to the Import Permit Application Process

(CFIA)

The new application form was designed to facilitate the application process for industry, allowing them to have multiple options when filling it out, and providing clear and concise instructions on how to submit a complete form to avoid delays.

While measures like these are taken to provide optimal customer service to our importers/clients, please keep in mind that our mandate is first and foremost safeguarding Canada’s plant resource base. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) delivers programs to ensure the protection of plant health, and it is our role to preserve the integrity of these programs.

In order to continue to operate within our current legislative framework (Plant Protection Act and Plant Protection Regulations), we ask that all applications be:

• signed by the applicant prior to submission. All incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant for revision.

• followed by an original hard copy via mail/courier within a reasonable time if initially submitted by fax or email.

This is in line with Subsection 10(2) of the Plant Protection Regulations: “Where a document referred to in subsection (1) is furnished in electronic form, an original hard copy of the document shall be furnished to the Minister or an inspector within a reasonable period after the document is furnished in electronic form.”

Please click here for a revised version of the application form.

The CFIA is working on having a full online application system using a secure method of receiving and sending confidential information (i.e., confidential business information, credit card numbers, etc). Until this system is fully developed, we must take all necessary measures to preserve the integrity of the permitting process.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact:

Melissa Rodrigue
Import Permit Office • Phone: 613-221-4312