Anyone who wants to engage in direct sales in Nova Scotia on behalf of a company which is properly licensed to make such sales, where the first person-to-person contact is made by the salesperson outside of a retail outlet. This includes home parties, telephone solicitations, door-to-door sales and sales by a multi-level distributor.

Sales companies that only sell products under $100 in value, do not require salespersons to obtain individual licenses. Salespersons should contact the company for licensing requirements.

Note: Hearing Aid Salespersons are treated as direct sellers in Nova Scotia, but please see separate Hearing Aid Salesperson entry for application details.

Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations

You can get a form to apply for this permit by:
       (1) downloading a form from our website; 
       (2) visiting any Access Nova Scotia Centre; or 
       (3) calling or writing the office listed above.  

You can return a form by: 

(1) sending it in to the office listed above; or 
(2) Taking it to any Access Nova Scotia Centre.  Note: if you come in person, and everything is in order, usually you can be immediately issued a temporary permit good for up to 30 days. [Note: payment is by cash, Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit card, or cheque (or money order) made out to the Minister of Finance. See Price, below...] 

Information you will need to fill out the application form:

Your prospective employer's name, address and NS Registry of Joint Stock Companies number. Details are required if you have
	ever been licensed under any provincial or federal statute had a licence refused, suspended or revoked been involved in a personal or corporate bankruptcy unpaid judgements outstanding been convicted of a offence under the law and not been pardoned
Your employment history for the past three years.

You can get a Licensing Guide from any Access Nova Scotia Centre or from the Business Licensing Section listed above.

The completed application is submitted to the Department, along with the applicable fee (see Price below).

Applications must be signed by an official of the company sponsoring  you.  (See Direct Seller Company Permit) .

The application process includes background checks.

If all requirements are met and the application is approved, the permit will be mailed to the company for which you will be working.

The permit is normally processed within 2 to 3 weeks, once all the items which must accompany the application have been received, and all requirements are met.

For salespeople, temporary permits are available and can be issued immediately to the person who presents a completed application in person at any Access Nova Scotia Centre, subject to certain terms and conditions.

This permit is valid to the end of the term of the employer/sponsor's annual permit. It can be renewed; the department will send out a renewal notice, but it is NOT sent to the individual permit holder, instead, it is included in the notice which is sent to the licensed company for whom the individual works.

Permit:  $46.26 per year

NOTE: The permit that is granted to a salesperson expires at the same time as the business licence granted to the sponsoring company in the first year of licensing.  This means that an initial permit may be granted for a period of less than one year.  The fee is pro-rated quarterly within the licensing year of each company.  It will be necessary to contact the Business Licensing Section to determine the fee amount. 

Payment:

(1) If you send in the form, please pay by cheque or money order made out to the Minister of Finance.  

(2) If you take the form to an Access Nova Scotia Centre, payment is by cash or cheque (or money order) made out to the Minister of Finance.  No debit or credit cards are accepted at this time.

None

Who is regulated under the Direct Sellers' Regulation Act?
Companies engaged in direct sales activities and their salespeople.

What is regulated?
1.  The direct sales method of selling, which includes going door-to-door, making telephone solicitation, sales from a hotel or motel or home parties.

Exemptions from obtaining a Direct Seller Company Permit include:

1. goods / services, the sale of which is regulated provincially or federally;
   
2. food or drink for humans / animals;
   
3. newspapers;
   
4. crown agencies;
   
5. business-to-business transactions by a merchant having a retail store; or,
   
6. sales by a charitable organization.

Exemptions from obtaining a Direct Seller Salesperson Permit include:

1. if goods sold by the company, etc.;
   
2. if the company has been granted an exemption for salesperson licensing by the Department.

NOTE: If the direct sales company is exempt from obtaining a permit there is no requirement for salespersons to hold a permit.

2. The contract used by direct sales companies, and the cancellation period available for consumers.

Direct Sellers' Regulation Act, Statutes of Nova Scotia, 1999, Chapter 8