Before you sign up for My CFIA
All My CFIA users must create a Contact Profile to request services for business or personal use:
Once you have created a Contact Profile, you can sign up for business use:
- How to sign up for business use
- What you need to have ready when you sign up
- Assigning contacts in My CFIA
- My CFIA Notifications
- Create a single or multiple party profiles
- Special considerations for other Government Departments
- Special considerations for food business
- You're ready to sign up for business use
- Related links
How to sign up for a Contact Profile
Everyone who uses My CFIA must create a Contact Profile, whether they need to request services for business or personal use. A Contact Profile identifies you in the system and allows others to give you access to their Party Profile. A Contact Profile also allows you to request services for personal use, such as requesting an import permit for a pet.
If you'd like to request services on behalf of a business or for personal use, you must proceed with the following:
- go to the sign in page
- choose a secure sign-in method (sign-in partner or GCKey)
- create a contact profile by providing your name and email
You are ready to start using My CFIA for personal use. To sign up for business use, you must continue by following the next steps on this page.
How to sign up for business use
Once you've created a Contact Profile, you can create a Party Profile that you can use to request services on behalf of a business. Before you sign up to use My CFIA for your business, you'll need to have some information and documentation available. You'll also need to make some decisions about how to you want to set up your profile.
What you need to have ready when you sign up
Before you sign up, make sure you have the following information ready:
- Business number:
- Sole proprietorships, corporations or partnerships can use their 9-digit business number issued by the Canada Revenue Agency. To obtain a business number please visit the CRA website for more information.
- Legal business name: You need to enter your Legal Business Name when signing up for My CFIA. This may differ from your operating name. The CFIA will use your legal business name to validate your My CFIA account, which must happen before an SFC licence or other permission can be issued to your business. You can find your legal business name on any federal or provincial document of business registration, certificates of incorporation or partnership, and official tax documents such as your T2 Corporation Income Tax Return.
- Proof of authority form: This form provides the name of your business' profile authority and must be submitted when you sign up. The form must be signed by a current owner, partner, director or company officer of the business associated to the profile. The name of the signing authority must also appear on a valid proof of business document associated to that business. Internet Explorer or Safari should be used when accessing CFIA forms. These forms are not optimized for other browsers, such as Google Chrome
- Office addresses: The address where records of regulated activities are kept. This address must be provided in the profile.
- Billing addresses: The address where the CFIA will send invoices and/or billing communications.
- Physical addresses: The addresses of all establishments.
- Billing account number: If you have a CFIA billing account number, you can enter it into My CFIA. You can leave this field empty if you will be paying by credit card.
Why are we asking for proof of authority and business number?
To ensure those seeking services on behalf of a company are authorized to do so, the proof of authority form and your business number will be used by the agency for validation.
The proof of authority form ensures that the person enrolling as the profile authority has been authorized to claim that role. This is done by having the form signed by a current owner, partner, director, or company officer of the business.
Assigning contacts in My CFIA
When creating a party profile, you will be required to designate one or more individuals in the roles described below. You may need to consult within your company before deciding which individuals to assign to these roles.
- Profile authority: Accountable for all information, records, requests, and users assigned to a party profile. The profile authority may be accountable for more than one party profile (for example, a broker) and may also act as profile manager. This contact will need to sign up for My CFIA.
- Profile manager: Authorized by the profile authority to create and manage the profile, invite other users, and to conduct business online with the CFIA on behalf of the business. This contact will need to sign up for My CFIA.
- Party contact(s): Can submit service requests on behalf of the business but cannot edit party profile information. Party contacts can be added at any point in time by the profile authority or profile manager and are not necessary when you sign up. This contact will need to sign up for My CFIA.
- Emergency contact: The individual that the CFIA should call first if something requires attention outside of normal business hours. This contact does not need to be signed up with My CFIA.
- Regulatory contact: An individual whom the CFIA may contact to arrange inspection activities, provide inspection findings or work with on inspection-related issues during regular business hours. This contact does not need to be signed up with My CFIA.
The same individual can be designated in more than one role. For example, the profile manager can also be the profile authority and the emergency contact.
My CFIA Notifications
The following table outlines when a My CFIA contact can expect to receive an email notification based on their profile role:
| Profile role | Types of Notification | Reason for Notification |
|---|---|---|
| Profile Manager, Service Request Applicant | Permission issued | When a new permission is issued |
| Profile Manager, Contact Profile being invited | A new contact has been invited to your Party Profile | When an invitation is sent to a new contact allowing them access to the Party Profile |
| Profile Manager, Service Request Applicant | Payment received | When CFIA has received a payment |
| Profile Manager, Profile Authority, Service Request Applicant | Confirmation that a permission will be paid using on-account | When your on-account number will be used to pay for a permission |
| Profile Manager, Profile Authority, Service Request Applicant | A permission is expiring soon | 15 and 30 days before a permission is set to expire |
| Profile Manager, Profile Authority, Service Request Applicant | A permission has expired | A permission has expired |
| Profile Manager, Profile Authority, Service Request Applicant | A permission has been amended | A permission is amended |
| Profile Manager, Profile Authority, Service Request Applicant | A permission has been renewed | A permission is renewed |
| Profile Manager, Party Contacts | Other | Varies but can include information or updates about updated guidance and regulatory information |
Create a single or multiple party profiles
My CFIA provides your business with the flexibility to create single or multiple profiles. It is the responsibility of business owners to decide what will work best for their particular business model.
Watch our videos on applying for an SFC licence using single or multiple My CFIA profiles.
Single party profile
A single party profile is most suited to businesses that want to manage all business interactions with the CFIA through a head office or a single location.
With a single party profile, your business will be able to assign a profile manager and invite other party contacts, such as employees or brokers, to sign on to the profile. All party contacts will be able to view and submit requests on behalf of your business.
Multiple party profiles
Multiple party profiles are most suited to businesses that have multiple establishments, organizational units or business divisions that want to interact with the CFIA independently.
With multiple party profiles, each unit of your business can manage interactions with the CFIA and submit requests independently. Your business will be able to assign a separate profile manager and invite individuals (party contacts) to each party profile. Only the party contacts associated to a specific party profile will be able to view and submit requests on behalf of that party profile.
If you have questions about creating a party profile, call 1-800-442-CFIA (2342).
Special considerations for other Government Departments
Some other government departments or agencies may require CFIA issued permissions and, like businesses, can take advantage of requesting them through My CFIA with a party profile.
Keep in mind
When signing up for a My CFIA account as a federal or provincial government department or agency, you will reach a section titled Business Entity Information at the Party Enrolment – 10% complete stage. In this section, make sure to select "Federal Government Department or Provincial/Territorial Government Department" when selecting the business structure for your party profile. It is also important to ensure that all party contacts in your party profile have government email addresses.
When signing up for an account, you will be asked for a proof of business document. At this stage of the sign up process, you can upload a signed letter by a Procurement or Financial Officer on government letterhead. In the case of federal or some provincial governments, the letter can state that they are exempt from paying the Goods and Services Tax (GST) or the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on purchases of taxable supplies and services. The letter may be similar in form and content to the following:
This is to certify that the property and/or services ordered/purchased hereby are being purchased by
(Name of Provincial/Territorial Government Department)
and are not subject to the GST/HST.
Signature of Procurement or Financial Officer
Finally, when it comes to uploading the proof of authority form, other government departments can use the same form that CFIA regulated businesses use and have it signed and dated by a member of the organization at the Director level or higher.
Special considerations for food business
Your food business may need to meet new requirements including licensing, preventive controls, and traceability when the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations come into force on January 15, 2019.
Keep in mind
Your business can apply for the recommended one licence per establishment regardless of whether you have a single or multiple party profiles.
If you want to have one licence for your entire business, you will need to have one party profile for your entire business. You cannot apply for one licence for your entire business using multiple party profiles.
Before determining the licensing structure (single or multiple) that fits your business needs, consider the following:
- you have to pay a fee for each licence you request
- you have to prepare, maintain and implement a preventive control plan for each licence you hold
- if a CFIA enforcement action, such as suspension or cancellation, is taken on your licence this will impact all activities and food sectors covered by that licence.
- if a multiple licence structure is chosen, an enforcement action taken on one licence could lead to targeted inspections of the other licences, especially in cases where elements of the preventive control plans overlap
- many foreign trading partners require that each establishment where a food commodity is prepared be assigned a unique identification number
- if you prepare food for export, you should only have one licence to prepare food at an establishment
The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations licence will be available when the regulations come into force. Sign up for a My CFIA account now to renew or apply for a current licence, registration or permit.
You're ready to sign up for business use
Now that you have all the information you need, you can sign up for My CFIA:
- choose a secure sign-in method (sign-in partner or GCKey)
- create a contact profile by providing your name and email
- create a party profile
Related links
- Proof of Authority Form (CFIA/ACIA 5805) – PDF (181 kb)
- Get a business number
- Glossary of terms
- Frequently asked questions
- About GCKey
- GCKey tutorial video
- Get started infographic
- Privacy notice statement
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