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Importing and exporting cannabis

Guide for cannabis licence holders under the Cannabis Regulations on how to apply for an import or export permit in the Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System (CTLS).

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About this guide

This document provides guidance to licence holders based on the Cannabis Act (the Act) and Cannabis Regulations (the Regulations). You will find information on:

Who this guide is for

Use the content in this guide to apply for an import or export permit for:

This guide doesn't cover industrial hemp licences.

Foreword and disclaimer

Foreword

The Act sets out that a licence holder must file an import or export permit application in the form and manner set by the Minister of Health. The application must include all the information required. This guide to importing and exporting cannabis sets out:

Under the Act, Health Canada may require more information to process your permit application. If you don't submit the information requested, the Minister may refuse to consider your application.

Disclaimer

Read these pages along with the Act and the Regulations. If there are differences between these pages and the legislation, the legislation is correct. If there are differences between the CTLS and these pages, these pages are correct.

Health Canada's CTLS is a secure web portal and a single point of access for permit application submissions. You may access the CTLS directly at Health Canada's secure web portal. You should become familiar with this system and refer to the CTLS getting started guide for more information.

What can be imported or exported

Health Canada will only issue import and export permits for medical or scientific purposes.

You may apply for a permit to import or export any type of cannabis:

Note: Items listed in Schedule 2 of the Cannabis Act are not cannabis and do not require a permit to be imported or exported.

Before issuing a permit, we consider if:

Import and export of cannabis by licence holders under the Cannabis Regulations

Process for permit application

The following steps outline what you need to do to get an import or export permit. A permit is required for each shipment, so you'll need to go through these steps for each permit application.

Important: Certain licence holders need to pay a fee to apply for an import or export permit. Payment doesn't guarantee Health Canada will issue your permit. Fees are non-refundable. You need to pay the fee before we start to process your permit application. Import or export application fees apply to:

  • micro-cultivation, nursery and standard cultivation licences
  • micro-processing and standard processing licences
  • sale for medical purposes licences

Step 1: Prepare your information

You need a permit for each shipment, whether it consists of 1 or more cannabis type (class of product). This permit can only be used once.

Before applying, you must know the following information about your shipment:

Important: When applying for an export permit, the need for a foreign import permit is determined based on whether the cannabis is controlled by the importing country. Contact the appropriate foreign authority to confirm their requirements.

Step 2: Create a permit application

Important: Only the responsible person or alternate responsible person may submit a permit application in the CTLS.

All applications are reviewed by Health Canada against the application requirements outlined in this guide. Permits may be issued once you meet all applicable requirements.

To create an import or export permit application, follow these steps:

  1. In the CTLS, select "Licensing" using the left-hand navigation bar.
  2. Select "Licence applications".
  3. Select "New licence application".
  4. Select "Import/Export permit" as the licence class.

Make sure you fill out all the mandatory fields for each section of the application. We may require more information based on the cannabis class (type) being imported or exported.

Required information

Licence holder

Under "Submitted by/Requested by", specify the CTLS Account ID of the responsible person or alternate responsible person for your licence.

Under "Licence ID", select the cannabis licence under which you're applying for a permit.

Mailing address and site details

The information is filled automatically from your licence profile. Simply verify that it's correct. If the information is wrong, email import-export-cannabis-importation-exportation@hc-sc.gc.ca.

Transit details

Submit information on:

Shipment details

Note: You may submit import and export permit applications for up to 5 unique products in 1 request. If you have more than 5 products, include your supporting documents in the "Supporting documents" section. The document should be named "Additional shipment details – APP #" and include all mandatory information listed below.

Table 1. Mandatory fields based on cannabis type (class)
Product class details Plants Seeds Dried cannabis Fresh cannabis Extracts Edible Topicals Drugs containing cannabis Synthesized phyto-cannabinoids Pollen
Product form Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required
Producer Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required
Brand name Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required
Package or container type Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required
Number of units Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required
Volume per unit Not required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required
Total volume Not required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required
Concentration and percentage of THC and CBD Not required Not required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Not required
Total quantity of THC and CBD Not required Not required Required Required Required Required Required Required Required Not required

Mandatory fields are identified for all cannabis types/classes. Depending on the cannabis type/class, you'll need to submit more information. Table 1 summarizes the fields that are mandatory based on the cannabis type/class selected.

Submit the information about:

Click "Save" at the bottom of the page to make the next 2 sections active.

Concentration and percentage w/w (THC and CBD)

For plants, seeds and pollen: You don't need to fill out this section.

Submit the following information in this section:

For specific cannabinoids, submit this additional information:

If your cannabis doesn't contain any THC or CBD, you need to indicate 0.

Total quantity of shipment (THC and CBD)

Submit the total amount of THC and CBD in grams per cannabis class.

If your cannabis doesn't contain any THC or CBC, you need to indicate 0.

Click "Save & Add new".

If you have more than 1 type/class or product in your shipment, repeat the "Shipment details" section for each.

Associated individuals

In this section, you may designate a person as a director or as someone with consent to communicate by using their CTLS account ID. This designation applies only to your current permit application and doesn't affect your licence or any other applications.

Step 3: Submit your application

Make sure your permit application is accurate and reflects your intended activities with cannabis. After submitting, you may only make minor changes without having to withdraw and resubmit your application. Any changes can delay the processing time.

You won't be able to view the details of the application once it's submitted. You may want to keep track of the submitted information.

Changes to your application

Once you submit your application, you can't make further changes in the CTLS. If a change is required, email import-export-cannabis-importation-exportation@hc-sc.gc.ca. Use the subject line "Changes to APP #". Include information on the change you want to make. Health Canada will let you know if it's possible and the next steps.

Withdrawing an application

You may withdraw your permit application at any time during the process.

To withdraw a permit application in the CTLS:

  1. Under "Licensing", select "Licences Applications" in the left-hand navigation bar.
  2. In the "Submitted licence applications" section, select "Withdraw" (red square) under the "Actions" column next to the licence application you would like to withdraw.
  3. Click on "Confirm".

You can't reverse this action. Health Canada won't return or transfer information and documents to a new application.

Step 4: Pay your fee, if applicable

If you have to pay fees, Health Canada will invoice you for the import or export permit fee. You'll need to pay your fees in full and on time.

After you've paid your fees, your permit application status will change to "In progress". At this point, Health Canada begins the review processes.

Payment doesn't guarantee that a permit will be issued. All fees are non-refundable.

Refer to How to pay your fees for more information on the possible payment methods.

For the following licences, the application will automatically move to the review process:

Step 5: Health Canada processes your information

After you've submitted your permit application in the CTLS, Health Canada will process your information as follows.

Review process

After triage, your application status will change to "In progress." At this point, Health Canada begins the review process.

Our service standard for issuing a decision is 30 business days (approximately 6 weeks) after Health Canada processes your payment, if applicable. This doesn't include the time spent waiting for you to respond to our information requests.

Requests for more information

It's your responsibility to meet all the permit application requirements. If what you've submitted in your application is unclear or doesn't show how it meets the requirements, we may ask you to submit more information.

The CTLS status for your permit application will change to "Pending information" during this time.

We will send official communications and requests for more information to the responsible person and alternate responsible person (if applicable) at the email address entered in the CTLS. You generally need to respond within 7 days.

When you respond to a request for more information:

Give specific answers to the questions asked and include as many details as possible. Incomplete answers or information may lead to a delay in processing or a refusal to consider an application.

Health Canada makes a final decision

Once we have reviewed all of your submitted information, we'll make a final decision. If we issue the permit, the responsible person and the alternate responsible person (if applicable) associated with the initial application will be able to download the new permit from their CTLS account.

Refusals

We may refuse to consider an application if you don't send the necessary information in response to a request for more information. We may also refuse your application for the reasons in subsection 62(7) of the Cannabis Act and section 206 and section 215 of the Regulations.

In these cases, we'll send a notice of intent to refuse. It will explain the reasons for refusal and give you a timeframe to respond, after which Health Canada will decide.

If we decide to refuse your permit application, we'll send you a notice of refusal and close your application.

If you wish to submit a new permit application, we'll process it. However, you'll have to re-submit all the required information. What you've submitted before won't be transferred to your new application. You'll also have to pay the import or export permit fee again, if applicable.

After getting your permit

Getting started on your import or export

A permit is valid for up to a maximum of 6 months or until the earliest of the date on which the:

Permits allow you to conduct the following to the extent necessary to import or export the shipment of cannabis within your authorized activities.

Important: If you're exporting plants, you'll need a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Modifying your permit

Health Canada requires a reasonable amount of time to review and process modification requests. Submit your permit amendment well in advance to avoid possible shipment delays. Note, only active permits can be modified. Once it has expired, no changes can be made.

You can submit some types of changes to a valid permit through the CTLS. Only your responsible person or their alternate can submit the change request. You can only have 1 active or draft request per permit at a time.

To submit a permit change request in the CTLS:

  1. Under "Licensing", select "Licences" in the left-hand navigation bar.
  2. Beside the permit for which you would like to submit the change request, select "Manage" (blue gear icon) in the "Actions" column.
  3. Click "Create licence change" and select the applicable type of "Licence change":
    • transit details
    • shipment details
    • expiry date extension for an import or export permit
  4. Click "Save and next".

You can edit a draft change request by selecting the "Edit" button.

Once created, the change request will automatically be populated with the information that's currently in the CTLS. You can now edit the information in the section you selected.

For any change request, submit a document containing the reason for the change in the "Supporting documents" section. Review any previously uploaded documents to ensure that all information is correct and up to date.

Transit details

You can modify the:

Shipment details

To modify quantity, submit all updated information:

For exports, you can only modify the quantity and concentrations if the amount is equal to or lower than the accompanying import permit submitted. You can't modify to a higher amount and a new import permit can't be submitted for this type of change.

Expiry date extension for an import or export permit

You can request to modify the expiry date if:

Health Canada will issue permits for a maximum of 6 months.

Your change request needs to be accurate and reflect your intended activities with cannabis. After submitting, you won't be able to view the details of the application once it's submitted. You may want to keep track of the submitted information.

Withdrawing a change request

You can withdraw a change request at any time.

To withdraw a change request in the CTLS:

  1. Under "Licensing", select "Licences" in the left-hand navigation bar.
  2. Beside the permit for which you submitted the change request, select "Manage" (blue gear icon) in the "Actions" column.
  3. In the "Submitted licence changes" section, select "Withdraw" (red square) under the "Actions" column next to the change request you would like to withdraw.
  4. Click on "Confirm".

Reporting requirements

You must confirm shipment details within 15 days of importing or exporting. You may need to submit supporting documentation to provide further information. The person who submitted the original permit application or a report on your licence can submit the confirmation. Once submitted, you won't be able to view, change or withdraw it in the CTLS.

To submit your report in the CTLS:

  1. Under "Reporting", select "Shipment endorsements" in the left-hand navigation bar.
  2. Select "New shipment endorsement" and then the applicable permit.
  3. Review the information and enter the shipment release date. If you need to modify information, click "Edit" (green pencil icon).
  4. Click "Save and continue" to submit.

If you have an outstanding confirmation of shipment, you may not be able to submit a new permit application.

If you have questions or concerns about the shipment detail confirmation, email import-export-cannabis-importation-exportation@hc-sc.gc.ca. Use the subject line "Submitted confirmation for IMP # or EXP #".

If your permit isn't used or expires

If you don't use your permit, you must submit a shipment detail confirmation and enter 0 for all values in the CTLS. You must provide this information within 15 days of the permit expiring. If the permit is expired, the shipment release date is the permit expiration date.

Contact us

For questions about a specific permit application, email import-export-cannabis-importation-exportation@hc-sc.gc.ca. Use the subject line "Questions about APP #".

For all other questions, refer to Cannabis and industrial hemp contact information for licence holders, applicants and industry to find the appropriate email address.

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