NPN Number Canada: What It Is, How to Look It Up and How to Get One
An NPN number in Canada is the eight-digit Natural Product Number that Health Canada assigns to a natural health product once it holds a product licence. You can check any NPN for free in Health Canada’s Licensed Natural Health Products Database.
This guide is for shoppers, retailers, importers and brand owners. It explains what an NPN is, how to look one up, how to read it on a label, what to do when a number is missing, and how to get an NPN for your own product.
Quick Answer: An NPN (Natural Product Number) is the eight-digit licence number printed on a licensed natural health product. To check it, search the number in Health Canada’s Licensed Natural Health Products Database and confirm the product name, the licence holder and a licence status of active. If you sell or import natural health products, each product needs its own NPN before you market it in Canada.
What Is an NPN Number in Canada?
Health Canada requires a product licence for all natural health products sold in Canada before they are marketed. To get one, the applicant sends Health Canada detailed information on the product, such as its medicinal ingredients, source, potency, non-medicinal ingredients and recommended use.
Once the application is assessed and granted market authorization, the product label bears an eight-digit licence number preceded by the letters NPN. A homeopathic medicine carries the letters DIN-HM instead. Health Canada says the number on the label assures consumers that the product has been reviewed and approved by Health Canada for safety and efficacy.
Three numbers are often mixed up, so here is how they differ:
Number | What it covers | Who holds it |
NPN | One licensed natural health product | The product licence holder |
DIN-HM | One licensed homeopathic medicine | The product licence holder |
Site licence | The Canadian sites that manufacture, package, label or import natural health products | The company running those sites |
How Do You Look Up an NPN? (NPN Lookup)
Health Canada’s Licensed Natural Health Products Database is the official NPN lookup. Anyone can use it.
Open the database. Use the Licensed Natural Health Products Database search page on Health Canada’s website.
Pick a search field. You can search by brand name, licence holder, ingredient, medicinal ingredient, non-medicinal ingredient, dosage form, recommended use or purpose, or the NPN or DIN-HM itself.
Choose how to match. The options are contains, begins with, exactly equals and does not contain. For a known number, exactly equals is the cleanest.
Narrow by status if you want. You can filter by licence status (active, discontinued, suspended, stop sale or cancelled) and by market status.
Open the result. Check that the product name and licence holder match the label in your hand.
How Do You Find and Read the NPN on a Label?
Look for the letters NPN, or DIN-HM for a homeopathic product, followed by eight digits. Health Canada’s own example of the format is “NPN 12345678”. The product licence number is one of the items natural health product labels must carry, along with the product name, dose, recommended use and a list of ingredients.
Type exactly what is printed into the database. A single wrong digit returns the wrong product or no product at all.
How Do You Check That a Supplement Is Licensed?
Shoppers: search the NPN or the brand name. Confirm the licence status is active and the product matches what you hold.
Retailers: check each product you stock before you list it. Health Canada states that a product with a suspended or cancelled licence, or under stop sale, cannot be legally sold in Canada.
Importers: check the NPN before you buy inventory. Importing for sale also requires a site licence, which is separate from the product number.
What If a Product Has No NPN or the Number Is Not Found?
Check the digits. Re-enter the number, then try the brand name or the licence holder instead.
Look at the market status carefully. “Not marketed” in the database does not prove a product is off the shelf. Companies report market status voluntarily, and the default is “not marketed”, so a licensed product can carry that label and still be on sale.
Ask the seller. Request the NPN and the licence holder’s name in writing.
Treat a missing number as a warning. A natural health product sold in Canada needs a product licence. If a seller cannot show one, do not buy it for resale, and report the concern to Health Canada.
How Do You Get an NPN for Your Own Product?
The licence holder files a product licence application with Health Canada. In practice the steps run in this order:
Confirm your product is a natural health product. Vitamin and mineral supplements, herbal remedies, traditional medicines, omega fatty acids and probiotics all fall under the rules.
Gather the product details. Health Canada expects the medicinal and non-medicinal ingredients, source, potency, dose and recommended use, with evidence supporting those conditions of use.
File the application. Our step-by-step NPN application guide walks through the process, and our NPN application service prepares and files it for you.
Answer Health Canada’s questions. Review waits while an information request is open.
Print the NPN on the label. Once the licence is granted, the number must appear on the product label.
Line up your site licence and GMP evidence. Companies that manufacture, package, label or import these products need a site licence. A GMP audit before you file helps you find gaps early.
How Long Does It Take to Get an NPN?
Health Canada’s targets depend on the class of application:
Application | Health Canada target | What drives it |
Class I | 60 calendar days | Simplest evidence needs |
Class II | 90 calendar days | More evidence needed |
Class III | 180 calendar days for assessment, plus 210 calendar days for processing | Strongest evidence needs |
These are targets, not guarantees. Read our breakdown of NPN approval timelines for realistic planning.
What Does an NPN Cost?
Check Canada.ca for the current Health Canada fee position before you file, because fees for natural health products have been under review. Your other costs depend on the product: regulatory consulting, label work, testing and GMP evidence for your manufacturer. Ask for a scoped quote rather than relying on averages.
Common Mistakes With NPN Numbers
Treating “not marketed” as “not for sale”. The market status is voluntary, so read the licence status as well.
Mixing up the NPN and the site licence. A product can have an NPN while its company still needs a site licence.
Typing the number wrong. One digit changes the result.
Confusing NPN and DIN-HM. Homeopathic products carry a DIN-HM, and both are searched in the same field.
Selling before the licence is granted. A product needs its product licence before it is marketed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does NPN stand for?
NPN stands for Natural Product Number. It is the eight-digit number, preceded by the letters NPN, on a licensed natural health product.
Where do I look up an NPN number?
Use Health Canada’s Licensed Natural Health Products Database. Search by the number, the brand name or the licence holder, then open the result to see the licence details.
Is an NPN the same as a DIN-HM?
No. Both are product licence numbers, but a DIN-HM identifies a homeopathic medicine. You search for both in the same field of the database.
Does a retailer need an NPN?
Retailers do not apply for licences, but the products they sell must be licensed. Health Canada’s licensing requirements apply to companies that manufacture, package, label or import these products.
Need an NPN for Your Product? Get a Quote
FullScope Compliance helps brand owners and importers with NPN applications, site licensing and GMP audits. Tell us about your product and we will outline the fastest compliant route.
Official sources: Licensed Natural Health Products Database · Product Licensing · Regulation of Natural Health Products
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