National Do Not Call List Canada: Registration, Exemptions, and Complaints

Canada's National Do Not Call List lets anyone register a phone number for free, permanently, to stop most telemarketing calls, though charities, political parties, pollsters, newspapers, and businesses with an existing relationship remain allowed to call under specific rules.

Information last verified on 2026-09-24. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This article covers Canada's National Do Not Call List (DNCL), created under sections 41 to 41.7 of the Telecommunications Act (federal), and administered by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The DNCL is federal law and applies the same way in every province and territory; there is no province by province variation to track. This article does not cover email or text message marketing, which falls under a separate statute, Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation; see CASL: Canada's Anti-Spam Law on Consent, Unsubscribe Rules, and Penalties for that topic. It also does not cover the law on recording a phone call yourself, a different legal question; see Recording Phone Calls in Canada. For an overview of Canadian privacy law generally, see Canada Privacy Law.

How to Register on the National Do Not Call List

Registration happens directly at lnnte-dncl.gc.ca, the DNCL's own website. The registry's frequently asked questions page confirms registration is both permanent and free:

"Once you register your number, it stays on the National DNCL permanently, and there is no need to re-register."

"the National DNCL is a free service to all Canadians, and only you can register your phone number."

Registering does not stop calls the instant a number is added. The same page explains the transition period:

"When you register, your phone number is immediately added to the National DNCL. Telemarketers have 31 days to update their own lists, and you may receive calls within those first 31 days."

That 31 day figure runs both ways. Telemarketers who are not otherwise exempt must access the National DNCL and refresh their own copy of it at least every 31 days while continuing to make calls, so a number's protection depends on telemarketers keeping their own lists current, not just on the registration existing.

Who Is Exempt From the Do Not Call List

Section 41.7(1) of the Telecommunications Act lists calls a Do Not Call List order does not reach:

"(a) made by or on behalf of a registered charity...; (b) made to a person (i) with whom the person making the telecommunication...has an existing business relationship, and (ii) who has not made a do not call request...; (c) made by or on behalf of a political party that is a registered party...; (d) made by or on behalf of a nomination contestant, leadership contestant or candidate...; (e) made by or on behalf of an association of members of a political party...for an electoral district; (f) made for the sole purpose of collecting information for a survey of members of the public; or (g) made for the sole purpose of soliciting a subscription for a newspaper of general circulation." (s. 41.7(1))

Two further routes come from the CRTC's Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules rather than section 41.7. A telemarketer may call a number on the list if the consumer has given express consent to be called by that telemarketer or its client, and the rules state that "The National DNCL Rules do not apply to a telemarketing telecommunication made to a business consumer."

Being exempt from the list does not mean an exempt caller can do anything it wants. Section 41.7(3) requires every exempt caller, other than a survey caller, to make this statement:

"at the beginning of the telecommunication, identify the purpose of the telecommunication and the person or organization on whose behalf the telecommunication is made." (s. 41.7(3))

And section 41.7(4) requires every exempt caller to keep its own internal do not call list, honouring individual opt out requests even though the national list does not bind it. Section 41.7(5) disapplies both of these duties for a call made for the sole purpose of collecting information for a survey of members of the public. Exempt callers that telemarket, such as a charity soliciting donations, must also still register with the National DNCL operator, as described under Calling Hours below.

Existing Business Relationship: The 18 Month and 6 Month Windows

Paragraph 41.7(1)(b) exempts a caller with an existing business relationship with the person called. Section 41.7(2) defines that relationship:

"a business relationship that has been formed by a voluntary two-way communication...arising from (a) the purchase of services or the purchase, lease or rental of products, within the eighteen-month period immediately preceding the date of the telecommunication...; (b) an inquiry or application, within the six-month period immediately preceding the date of the telecommunication...; or (c) any other written contract...that is currently in existence or that expired within the eighteen-month period..." (s. 41.7(2))

So a completed purchase, lease, rental, or written contract keeps the exemption alive for 18 months, while a bare inquiry or application keeps it alive for only 6 months. These figures belong to the Do Not Call List specifically. Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation uses a different pair of windows for its own implied consent rule, 2 years and 6 months, for electronic messages; the two schemes should never be treated as interchangeable. See CASL: Canada's Anti-Spam Law for that separate statute's timing rules.

Calling Hours

Telemarketers must respect calling curfews set by the CRTC. The CRTC's telemarketing rules page for telemarketer obligations states:

"Calling curfews: Telemarketing calls can only be made between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on weekends."

The Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules add that "The hours refer to those of the consumer receiving the telemarketing telecommunication," and more restrictive hours set by provincial legislation governing an activity apply to calls made for that activity.

The same page sets out several other duties for telemarketers: they must register with the National Do Not Call List before making unsolicited telemarketing calls, even calls that are exempt from the do not call rules; a telemarketer making non exempt calls must both register with and subscribe to the list; the version of the list a telemarketer uses for compliance must be no more than 31 days old; a telemarketer must clearly identify itself when calling and must provide its contact information on request; and if a consumer asks a telemarketer not to call again, the telemarketer must add that number to its own internal do not call list within 14 days and keep it there for 3 years and 14 days. That 14 day duty binds the telemarketer; it is not a deadline for a consumer complaint.

Automatic Dialing Announcing Devices and Robocalls

An automatic dialing announcing device, or ADAD, is used to make what most people call robocalls. The CRTC's rules require express consent before any ADAD solicitation call, with no exception for exempt callers:

"Telemarketers may make solicitation calls using an ADAD only if the consumer has given their express consent prior to the telemarketing call."

"Charities are not exempt. The constraints on ADAD calls also apply to solicitations made by or on behalf of charities."

This is a genuinely separate rule from the Do Not Call List exemptions above. A registered charity may call numbers on the Do Not Call List, but it must still register with the National DNCL operator and needs the called person's express consent before using an automatic dialer to solicit them. An automated call that does not try to sell or solicit, such as a notice, needs no consent under these rules, but it must meet conditions that include opening with a message identifying who the call is on behalf of and its purpose, and keeping to the same calling hours. Automated calls made for public service reasons, such as emergency and administration calls by police and fire departments, schools, and hospitals, are exempt from those conditions.

How to File a Complaint

A complaint about a telemarketing call can be filed online through the National DNCL's website, under the consumer complaint form, or by phone at 1-866-580-3625, with TTY access at 1-888-362-5889, agents available Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. A complaint needs the name or number of the telemarketer, the date of the call, the nature of the complaint, and the complainant's contact information. To complain about a telemarketing fax you received, keep the fax, file the complaint online or by phone, then clearly print the Complaint ID number you receive on the fax and send it to 1-888-362-5329.

The registry's current complaint instructions list no deadline for filing. The 14 day period in the rules is a telemarketer's own duty, once a consumer asks not to be called again, to add that number to its internal do not call list within 14 days, described above; it is not a filing window for a consumer complaint.

Penalties

Violating the CRTC's unsolicited telecommunications rules made under section 41, including the Do Not Call List, robocall, and telemarketing rules, carries its own penalty scheme, separate from the general penalty scheme elsewhere in the Telecommunications Act and separate from CASL's much larger figures. Section 72.01 of the Telecommunications Act sets that penalty:

"in the case of an individual, to an administrative monetary penalty of up to $1,500; or (b) in the case of a corporation, to an administrative monetary penalty of up to $15,000." (s. 72.01)

The CRTC describes this as each violation of the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules leading to "fines of up to $1,500 per violation for an individual and up to $15,000 per violation for a corporation." Under section 72.03, a violation that continues on more than one day is a separate violation for each day, so the total in one enforcement matter can exceed the per violation cap. This figure should not be confused with the Telecommunications Act's separate general administrative penalty scheme for other violations, or with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation's own AMP ceiling of $1,000,000 for an individual and $10,000,000 for any other person; that much larger figure belongs to a different statute covering electronic messages, not telephone calls.

Caller ID Authentication Is Not a Call Blocker

The CRTC has required telecom carriers to implement a caller ID authentication framework called STIR/SHAKEN. The CRTC's own description of it states:

"This framework is called STIR/SHAKEN, which stands for Secure Telephony Identity Revisited/Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs. The STIR/SHAKEN framework enables service providers to certify whether a caller's identity can be trusted by authenticating and verifying the caller ID information for IP-based voice calls."

The same page cautions that the framework is not yet complete: "Presently, not all calls received will be authenticated due to a variety of reasons such as network compatibility." STIR/SHAKEN is an authentication signal for telecom carriers, not a Do Not Call List enforcement mechanism and not a guarantee that a spoofed or unwanted call will be blocked.

Scam Calls Versus Rule Breaking Telemarketing

Not every unwanted call is a Do Not Call List problem. If someone calls offering to register a phone number on the National DNCL for a fee, that call is very likely a scam rather than a legitimate service. The registry's own answer to this exact question is direct:

"No. The National DNCL is a free service to all Canadians, and only you can register your phone number. The phone call you received may have been fraudulent."

The registry directs anyone who receives such a call to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501. As a general matter, the National DNCL and the CRTC handle rule violations by real telemarketers, while the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is the right contact for outright scam calls, such as a fake registration fee request or an impersonation scam.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about Canada's National Do Not Call List under the Telecommunications Act (federal) and the rules of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, current as of September 2026. It is not legal advice. It does not cover email or text message marketing, which is addressed in a separate article on Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation. Consult a lawyer licensed in your province, or contact the CRTC or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, for advice on a specific situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is registering on the National Do Not Call List free?

Yes. Registration is free and permanent, and only the number's own owner can register it. A caller offering to register a number for a fee is very likely a scam and should be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

How soon do telemarketing calls stop after I register?

A number is added to the National DNCL immediately, but telemarketers have 31 days to update their own copy of the list, so calls can still come in during that window. Telemarketers must also refresh their list at least every 31 days on an ongoing basis.

Which callers are exempt from the Do Not Call List?

Registered charities, political parties and candidates, pollsters conducting surveys, newspapers seeking subscriptions, and businesses with an existing business relationship with the person called, under section 41.7 of the Telecommunications Act. Under the CRTC's rules, a telemarketer may also call a registered number with that consumer's express consent, and the list does not apply to calls to a business. Except for survey callers, an exempt caller must state the purpose of the call and the person or organization it is calling on behalf of at the start of the call.

Is there a deadline to file a Do Not Call List complaint?

No deadline appears on the registry's current complaint instructions. The 14 day period in the rules is a telemarketer's own duty to add an opt out request to its internal list within 14 days, not a window for a consumer to file a complaint.

Do charities need consent before using a robocall?

Yes, for fundraising. A robocall that sells or solicits, including a charity's request for donations, requires the called person's prior express consent, and charities are specifically not exempt from that rule. A charity may call numbers on the Do Not Call List, but it must still register with the National DNCL operator.

Does STIR/SHAKEN stop spam and scam calls?

No. STIR/SHAKEN is a caller ID authentication framework that helps telecom carriers flag whether a call's caller ID can be trusted. It does not block calls, and the CRTC's own materials note that not every call is authenticated yet.