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1. Introduction
The Government of Canada and Vietnam have agreed, through an exchange of letters, to implement Phase I 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 Vietnam covers the recognition requirements of testing laboratories and the acceptance of test reports generated by recognized laboratories.
2. Regulatory authority in Vietnam
The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) is the regulatory authority for telecommunications in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
2.1 Standards available for MIC recognition
The list of technical regulations and standards for which the MIC shall accept testing reports from designated Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) is available on the MIC website (in Vietnamese only).
A catalogue of QCVN (National Technical Regulations) is also available on the MIC website (in Vietnamese only).
3. General requirements for Canadian CABs
Canadian CABs must meet the General Requirements for Designation as a Canadian Conformity Assessment Body (CAB).
4. Application requirements and processes for Canadian testing laboratories
Online designation application forms as well as the list 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
Note: A sample test report shall be submitted for all new designation requests. Further, ISO/IEC 17025 scope of accreditation must contain the regulation’s numeric reference and the year of issue (e.g. QCVN 19:20:2010/BTTTT).
Once Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) receives an application and confirms its completeness, ISED will forward a designation request to MIC, 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 Scope(s) of Accreditation and Accreditation Certificate(s) through DES-LAB Application for Designation or Recognition of a Canadian Testing Laboratory.
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-Vietnam MRA, please contact MRA Admin.