Public Health Agency of Canada
www.publichealth.gc.ca
Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity
Registration, Permits and Inspection Operations
Licensing Program and Importation Permits
IMPORTANT CHANGES
As of April 1st 2013, some programs at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Office of Biohazard Containment and Safety were transferred to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). That is, issuance of import permits for human and most terrestrial animal pathogens, as well as requests for CL2 compliance letters and High Biocontainment certification of laboratories handling these types of pathogens will be offered through a single office located within the PRD at PHAC. For more information, please do not hesitate to contact our office by phone at 613-957-1779 or by email: for permits and compliance letter questions permit-permis@phac-aspc.gc.ca; for biosafety questions biosafety_biosécurité@phac-aspc.gc.ca; and for high biocontainment certifications and questions biocon@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
The Licensing Program receives, validates, and reviews importation applications for regulated human pathogens and toxins.
Application Process
- Submission of an Application for permit to import pathogen(s) (PDF Document - 236 KB - 1 page) (Updated) to PRD by mail or by facsimile.
- Reception and Administrative Validation. The Licensing Program examines the application for administrative completeness and notifies the applicant of completeness (and assigned file number) or deficiency of its application by facsimile.
- Scientific Processing. The Licensing Program:
- examines the information contained in the permit application,
- determines whether the applicant’s facility meets the appropriate operational practices and physical requirements as set out in the Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines (3rd Ed., 2004), and
- sets the appropriate import permit conditions.
- Review and Approval.
- Issuance of the importation permit to the applicant by facsimile.
Additional Information and Forms
- What You Should Know About Importing Human Pathogens into Canada
- Application for permit to import pathogen(s) (PDF Document - 236 KB - 1 page) (Updated)
- CL2 Checklist (PDF Document - 790 KB - 16 Page)
- CL2 Checklist, Appendix A - Non-human Primates (Word Document - 155 KB) (instruction how to download below)
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