ISED has incorporated IEC/IEEE 62209-1528 Amendment 1 into Canada’s RF exposure framework, with several Canada-specific exclusions.
At a glance
· Canada ISED has adopted IEC/IEEE 62209-1528 Amendment 1 for SAR assessment.
· The amendment is not adopted in full: Canada retains its own requirements for time-averaged SAR, certain test reductions and devices used next to the ear.
· Manufacturers and test laboratories should review Canadian deviations when planning SAR testing for product certification.
What has Canada ISED changed for SAR testing?
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) announced in Notice 2026-DRS0002 on 21 September 2026 that it is incorporating IEC/IEEE 62209-1528 Amendment 1 into its regulatory framework.
IEC/IEEE 62209-1528 defines measurement procedures for assessing specific absorption rate (SAR) from hand-held and body-mounted wireless communication devices.
For Canadian certification, SAR assessments between 4 MHz and 6 GHz are performed using the latest version of IEC/IEEE 62209-1528 together with the applicable deviations specified by ISED in RSS-102.SAR.MEAS.
Which Amendment 1 provisions are not adopted by Canada?
ISED has specifically excluded several provisions from incorporation.
The main exceptions are:
· Time-period averaged SAR: Clause 7.6 and its sub-clauses are not incorporated. Manufacturers must continue to follow Annex G of RSS-102.SAR.MEAS.
· Certain SAR test reductions: ISED is not accepting the Amendment 1 methods that reduce head-phantom testing based on flat-phantom SAR results under clauses 7.9.3.1 e) and 7.9.3.7.
· Devices used next to the ear during voice calls: Clause 7.11 is not incorporated. Section 5.10 and Annex E of RSS-102.SAR.MEAS continue to apply.
This means Amendment 1 should not be applied independently without checking the Canadian requirements.
Which products can be affected?
The update is relevant to portable wireless products that require SAR assessment for Canadian certification.
This can include products such as smartphones, wearables, tablets and other transmitting devices intended for use close to the head or body, depending on their operating frequencies, use conditions and RF exposure configuration.
For products operating above 6 GHz, Canada uses power density rather than SAR as the applicable RF exposure metric.
What should manufacturers and test laboratories check?
Manufacturers preparing products for the Canadian market should confirm that their SAR test plans reflect both IEC/IEEE 62209-1528 Amendment 1 and ISED’s Canada-specific deviations.
In particular, companies should review:
· whether existing SAR test procedures have been updated for Amendment 1;
· whether any planned test reduction is accepted by ISED;
· the Canadian procedure used for time-averaged SAR;
· requirements for devices operated next to the ear; and
· whether existing test reports remain suitable for the intended Canadian certification submission.
Using the latest international standard does not automatically mean that every procedure within it is accepted for ISED certification.
