Electronic Pesticide Regulatory System (e-PRS)

The Electronic Pesticide Regulatory System (e-PRS) is Health Canada’s electronic platform for managing pesticide regulatory information and transactions. It supports the electronic preparation, submission, processing and management of information related to pesticide registrations and regulatory activities under the Pest Control Products Act.

e-PRS enables applicants and registrants to submit regulatory information electronically and supports the secure exchange of information between industry and Health Canada. 

By leveraging digital technology, e-PRS improves efficiency, strengthens regulatory oversight, and enhances transparency in support of Health Canada’s commitment to protecting human health and the environment.

To access and use the e-PRS, you will need:

• the current version of a modern web browser, such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari, or Mozilla Firefox.
• JavaScript and cookies enabled in your browser settings.

For the best experience, ensure your browser is kept up-to-date.

While many Health Canada guidance and directive documents contain specific instructions for submitting documents related to pesticide registrations, applicants and registrants should first refer to the guidance below for general document compilation and submission.

When preparing a submission package, please ensure that you use the most current versions of all applicable Health Canada forms.

Applicants and Registrants must create an e-Index in PRZ format using the e-Index Builder, which is available as a standalone tool on the Pesticides section the Canada.ca website or integrated within the latest version of the e-PRS Secure Web Portal. All documents must be compiled and submitted electronically with an e-Index.

When submitting the PRZ file, name it according to the application type or the documents being submitted. If a submission number has been assigned, include it in the PRZ file name.

The e-PRS Secure Web Portal, available on the Health Canada website, allows applicants and registrants to securely submit compiled PRZ files electronically to Health Canada. The latest version of the portal provides an efficient way to prepare, submit and track document packages.

Using the portal you can:

• compile or upload your PRZ file directly within the portal
• submit document package up to 1GB in size

If a submission number has already been assigned, select it from the Application list in your Company Workspace to create your submission package.

If documents are being sent through the Secure Web Portal, any fees owed must be paid by credit card.

Applicants and Registrants can send compiled PRZ files by email to the Pesticides Regulatory Directorate (PRD) Central Email (pesticides.docs@hc-sc.gc.ca). If documents are being sent using email, any fees owed must be paid by credit card.

The Central Email has the advantages of accepting PRZ-formatted files, and allows quick transmission of documents, however, the following caveats/restrictions must be taken into account:

• The Central Email is not secure. As such, any files lost or intercepted during transmission from the Applicant or Registrant is not the responsibility of Health Canada.
• The total size of the PRZ package sent via the Central Email cannot exceed 5MB. If it does, then Health Canada will not receive the package and an error message will be sent by email back to the sender. No further notification of the rejected transmission will be sent from Health Canada.
• Specific keywords need to be included in the subject line of the email. A list of these keywords and when to use them is detailed in the section below.

The best method of submitting electronic files related to pest control products to Health Canada is to use the latest version of the e-PRS Secure Web Portal. This secure channel accepts files up to 1GB in size, and Applicants / Registrants can specify clearly what is being sent to Health Canada.

Key Terms in Subject Line

Each email submission must reference only one submission number. Multiple submissions must not be bundled into a single email.

To ensure successful processing, the email subject line must contain the appropriate keyword(s). If an applicable keyword is not included in the subject line, the system will automatically return the email to the sender. These keywords include the following:

• If a new application is being submitted, the application type should be identified in the subject line. Also, please ensure that the keyword 'PRZ' is included in the subject line, to correspond to the PRZ file being submitted. For example: [Pest product name] [Application Type].PRZ
• If a submission number has been assigned, list the submission number within the email subject line and the PRZ file. A list of the terms describing these documents is found in the table below.

Document Type and Applicable Keywords

• Corrected Labels applicable keywords: Label, labels, etiquette, etiquettes, étiquette, étiquettes (if sending proposed labels, please indicate this in the subject line or email)
• Corrected Statement of Product Specifications applicable keywords: specification, specifications, sps, spsf, spécification, spécifications, fdsp, dsp
• Notifications applicable keywords: notify, notification
• Discontinuations applicable keywords: discontinuation
• Incident Reports applicable keywords: Incident, IR
• Other applicable keywords: PRZ

Other Notes

• An automatic acknowledgement will be forwarded to the applicant upon receipt.

• Do not include submission-related information in the email body. Any information related to the submission should be included in an indexed document attached to the PRZ file to ensure it is captured and processed by Health Canada officers.

  If a submission number has already been assigned that is related to the documents being submitted, include that number in the subject line when sending by email.

Additional Notes

Third party submissions: If there is information being submitted by a Third Party, please have the Third Party indicate which document(s) they are submitting in a cover letter, and list that cover letter under Data Numbering Code 0.8.1 in the e-Index Builder. While compiling the document(s) in the e-Index Builder, the Third Party must designate themselves as the Document Owner by entering their company code in the Third Party Owner field. If the code is unknown, refer to Pesticides Guidance Document: Administrative changes in contact information for registered pest control products (registrants and formulators) (see Section 8.0) for instructions on obtaining a company code.

Confidential Business Information Designation and Segregation: Please refer to Pesticides Guidance Document: Guidance and requirements for confidential business information.