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1. Introduction
The Government of Canada and Hong Kong have agreed, through an exchange of letters, to implement Phase I and Phase II of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for Conformity Assessment of Telecommunications Equipment (APEC-TEL MRA).
The MRA between Canada and Hong Kong covers:
- the recognition requirements of testing laboratories and the acceptance of test reports generated by recognized labs; and
- the recognition requirements of certification bodies (CBs) and the acceptance of product certification results issued by recognized CBs.
2. Regulatory authority in Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s regulatory authority is the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA).
2.1 Standards available for OFCA recognition
Please refer to the OFCA’s List of Technical Regulations for Hong Kong, China (Annex I to Phase I and Phase II Procedures).
Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) must be accredited to perform testing and/or certification for at least one technical specification in any of the following three (3) scopes:
4. Application requirements and processes for Canadian CABs
Online designation application forms as well as lists of required documentation can be found for:
- Phase I (Testing Laboratories): in section 7 of DES-LAB, Procedure for Designation and Recognition of Canadian Testing Laboratories
- Phase II (Certification Bodies): in section 5 of DES-CB, Procedure for the Designation of Canadian Certification Bodies (CB)
The following additional documents are required for CBs:- a copy of the product certification scheme, including auditing and surveillance procedures that the CB intends to use during its operation
- a copy of the assessment report or its executive summary prepared by and a confirmation letter issued by the accreditation body
- a copy of contractual arrangements if part or all of the testing activities are subcontracted to accredited testing laboratories
- a completed Checklist for Technical Competence Assessment of Foreign Certification Bodies to show that the CB meets the criteria of recognition (checklist to be completed by the accreditation body)
Once Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) receives an application and confirms its completeness, ISED will forward a designation request to OFCA, who, under the terms of the MRA, has up to 60 days to respond.
Upon recognition by the foreign regulatory authority, ISED will assign a unique CAB ID and issue a recognition letter to the CAB. The recognition letter will state the standards or specifications for which recognition has been granted, and the recognized CAB will be added to ISED’s list of Conformity Assessment Bodies.
For renewals, recognized CABs shall update their recognition expiration date by submitting their renewed or extended ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO/IEC 17065 Scope(s) of Accreditation and Accreditation Certificate(s) through DES-LAB Application for Designation or Recognition of a Canadian Testing Laboratory or DES-CB Application for Designation of a Canadian Certification Body.
5. About the APEC-TEL MRA
The initial signing of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Conformity Assessment of Telecommunications Equipment (APEC-TEL MRA) took place on May 8, 1998. Participation in the APEC-TEL MRA is voluntary and includes two phases: Phase I for mutual acceptance of test reports and Phase II for certification of product approvals.
6. For more information
For more information about the Canada-Hong Kong MRA, please contact MRA Admin.