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Guide

What to send Amazon.ca when it says your NPN is missing or invalid

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The short answer

When Amazon.ca says your NPN is missing or invalid, it usually can't match your listing to a licence in Health Canada's database. Check the licence in the LNHPD first. Then make the NPN, product name, licence holder and label match, and appeal with real package photos and the right documents. If you aren't the licence holder, add a letter from the company that is. If your product is a food, say so and show the food label.

Why it happens

Amazon.ca requires a valid NPN, DIN or DIN-HM for every natural health product (NHP) in its Canada store. Each listing must also show the complete packaging, including an image that clearly shows the number. If any piece is missing or doesn't match, the listing can be blocked.

Three patterns come up again and again on the Amazon.ca Seller Forums:

  • Valid NPNs blocked, reinstated, then blocked again. One seller's ASIN was blocked for a missing licence number three times and reinstated each time with the same documents.
  • Foods flagged as NHPs. A seller of vitamin water beverages kept being asked for an NPN. The seller says the drinks are foods, so no NPN exists.
  • Brands that don't hold the licence. A seller sent a letter from the manufacturer that holds the NPN. Amazon still called the NPN invalid.

You can't control Amazon's review queue. You can make your file hard to misread.

Step 1: Check your licence in the LNHPD

Health Canada's Licensed Natural Health Products Database (LNHPD) is the public record of NHP licences. Search it by NPN. Each record shows the product name, the licence holder, the NPN, the ingredients, the dosage form, the recommended use and risk information.

Look at current status. It reads active, discontinued, stop sale, cancelled or suspended. Health Canada says a product whose licence is suspended, cancelled or under stop sale can't be legally sold in Canada. Sort that out with Health Canada before you appeal.

Ignore market status. It's voluntary, "not marketed" is the default, and Health Canada says those products may still be sold.

Save the record as a PDF. It goes in your appeal.

Step 2: Match the NPN, product name, licence holder and label

Amazon compares your listing, your images and the LNHPD record. Make them agree.

  • NPN. Enter the same eight digits in the listing's compliance field.
  • Product name. Use a brand and product name that's on the licence. Under section 12 of the Natural Health Products Regulations, selling under a new brand name is a change the licence holder must report to Health Canada within 60 days.
  • Licence holder. The outer label must name the licence holder, or for imported products, the licence holder or importer.
  • Label. The principal display panel must show the brand name, NPN, dosage form and net amount.

In one forum thread, an Amazon moderator said an appeal failed on images alone. Amazon wanted photos of the real product in its original packaging, not stickers, mock-ups or digital renders, showing the NPN, ingredients and directions in English and French.

Step 3: If you're not the licence holder

Many brands sell products made under a manufacturer's licence. The LNHPD shows that company, not yours. Send:

  1. An authorization letter from the licence holder, signed and dated on its letterhead. It should name your company, list each NPN, product name and ASIN, and confirm you may sell them.
  2. The LNHPD record for each NPN.
  3. A recent supplier invoice from the licence holder or its distributor.
  4. Proof your brand name is on the licence, if you sell under your own brand. Ask the licence holder to file the brand name notification with Health Canada, and include the acknowledgement letter if you have it.

In the forum case above, the letter and invoice weren't enough while the licence record showed only the manufacturer. Check what Health Canada has on file before you rely on a letter.

Step 4: Foods and supplemented foods don't need an NPN

Foods aren't NHPs, so they don't get an NPN. Amazon.ca's policy admits "it can be difficult to distinguish between food products and natural health products." It lists three signs of a food: a compliant nutrition facts table, an ingredient list that doesn't split "medicinal" from "non-medicinal" ingredients, and no claims to modify, correct or restore body function, or to promote or maintain health.

Supplemented foods are prepackaged foods with added vitamins, minerals, amino acids or caffeine, such as drinks, bars, candies and gums. They carry a bilingual supplemented food facts table, plus cautions where required. They don't carry an NPN.

If a food is flagged, send photos of every side of the package showing the facts table, and one sentence naming the product type, for example "non-carbonated beverage with added vitamins, regulated as a supplemented food." Keep health wording out of the listing, and list it in a food category.

How to word the appeal

Keep it short and factual. Here's a simple structure:

ASIN: your listing identifier NPN: XXXXXXXX (active in the LNHPD, record attached) Licence holder: [Company name], as shown on the label and the LNHPD record Our role: Licence holder / Authorized by the licence holder (letter attached) Checked: The NPN is in the compliance field. Images show the real package with the NPN, ingredients and directions in English and French. Attached: LNHPD record, label photos, authorization letter, invoice dated [date] Request: Please reinstate the ASIN.

Send every document the first time. For a food, replace the NPN line with one sentence on why it's a food.

What to do if it's blocked again

  • Open a new case with history. When a seller posted about a repeat block, an Amazon moderator asked for a new case listing all affected ASINs, a clear explanation and earlier case IDs, and offered to escalate.
  • Check for changes. Make sure nobody edited the listing, images or compliance field.
  • Post in the forums. Several sellers got moderator replies by posting their case ID. In one, a moderator confirmed reinstatement had started and asked the seller to allow up to two business days.
  • Keep a file. Store the LNHPD record, letters, photos and case IDs together.

For an example of the evidence and follow-up involved, see our NPN listing case study.

FAQ

Why does Amazon.ca say my NPN is invalid when it's active in the LNHPD?

Usually the name, brand or licence holder on the listing differs from the LNHPD record, or the images don't show the NPN on the real package. Fix the mismatch and appeal with the record attached.

Can I sell a product under someone else's NPN on Amazon.ca?

Yes, with the licence holder's authorization. Send Amazon a signed letter naming your company, the NPNs and the ASINs. If you use your own brand name, the licence holder must notify Health Canada of it.

Do supplemented foods need an NPN on Amazon.ca?

No. Supplemented foods, like drinks or bars with added vitamins or caffeine, are regulated as foods and carry a supplemented food facts table instead.

What photos does Amazon.ca want for an NPN appeal?

Clear photos of every side of the real product in its original packaging. An Amazon moderator has said stickers, mock-ups and digital renders won't pass.

Is an NPN a Health Canada approval?

No. An NPN is a product licence number. Amazon notes that Health Canada authorizes products for sale and doesn't approve or endorse them, so don't write "Health Canada approved."

What if my listing keeps getting blocked?

Open a new case with every earlier case ID, the affected ASINs and a short explanation. If it stalls, post the case ID in the Amazon.ca Seller Forums.

Get help with a blocked listing

BareGold handles Canadian NHP compliance and Amazon account management for small and mid-sized health and personal care brands. Read our NPN guide, our guide to selling supplements on Amazon Canada and how we run Amazon operations.

Get my free Amazon check · Book a call

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check Health Canada and Amazon Seller Central before you act. Last reviewed October 28, 2026.

Sources

Health Canada and Justice Canada

Amazon.ca

Amazon.ca Seller Forums (examples of seller cases and moderator replies)

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