Review Time

The length of time for a product to complete the review process varies according to the type of product and the completeness of the application. OMRI's median review time is currently three months. 

Generally, OMRI reviews all new product applications in the order in which they are received. It is currently taking longer than usual for reviews to begin the initial administrative part of the review (known as the pre-review). Once the pre-review is complete, a product then moves to a queue awaiting compliance review. At this point, products that require more generalized knowledge (such as NOP Crops products) may be picked up fairly quickly, but reviews that require specialized knowledge (COR, Livestock and Processing products) may wait longer for a qualified staff person.

In order to help applicants understand what to expect, OMRI updates the table below monthly with information about expected wait times.

Table last updated 2 December 2024

*Certain reviews (Livestock and Processing reviews, or reviews to the Canadian organic standards) require specialized knowledge, and may wait longer for staff to begin the review

During each step of the review process, the Review Program Specialist or Product Review Coordinator assigned to your file will contact you if any additional information is needed in order to continue the review. OMRI's Review Process FAQ has more information about the steps of the review. 

OMRI strives to review applications in the order in which they are received. We cannot guarantee the length of time it will take to review an application, but we will make every effort to advance the review as quickly as possible. The single most important factor in determining how long the review will take is whether the application is submitted with all of the required information.