Required: collection agent permit (OPC).
A business paid to collect money owed to someone else must hold a collection agent permit from the Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC), with some exceptions such as lawyers and bailiffs.
Why it matters: An agency holding an OPC permit has posted a bond that can be used to compensate you if a court orders it to pay you for breaking the law. It must also follow specific rules when contacting you.
Businesses currently holding this licence in the official lists: 63.
Official sources: Act respecting the collection of certain debts, s. 1 · Act respecting the collection of certain debts, s. 7 · Act respecting the collection of certain debts, s. 8 · Act respecting the collection of certain debts, s. 20 · Act respecting the collection of certain debts, s. 33 · Act respecting the collection of certain debts, s. 26 · Act respecting the collection of certain debts, s. 6 · Act respecting the collection of certain debts, s. 44.1 · Regulation under the Act respecting the collection of certain debts, s. 12 · Regulation under the Act respecting the collection of certain debts, s. 26 · Regulation under the Act respecting the collection of certain debts, s. 2 · OPC — Agents de recouvrement : Ai-je besoin d'un permis? · OPC — Agents de recouvrement : Fournir un cautionnement · OPC — Une agence de recouvrement, ça fait quoi?
A business collecting its own debt (your supplier, your bank or caisse) doesn't need this licence, nor does a lawyer, notary or bailiff acting in that role. An agency collecting a debt on someone else's behalf must hold it.
Agencies are often listed under a legal or numbered name: try the NEQ too.
Official sources: Act respecting the collection of certain debts, s. 6
The Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC) received 832 consumer complaints about this type of business from October 2025 to September 2026.
Same months three years earlier: 412 (+102%).
These figures are not about any particular business: OPC data does not name businesses. Complaints are unverified allegations, not findings.