How to get a drone licence in Canada
The whole certification pathway, written plainly and given away. Most of what you need to fly legally in Canada costs nothing to learn, and we'd rather you learned it here than guessed.
You need a Transport Canada pilot certificate to fly any drone weighing 250 g or more, and the aircraft has to be registered. Which certificate depends on where you intend to fly: Basic covers uncontrolled airspace more than 30 metres from bystanders and requires only an online exam. Advanced covers controlled airspace, flying near or over people, and medium drones — it requires a harder exam plus an in-person flight review. Certificates don't expire, but you must complete a recurrent training activity every 24 months.
Why this is free
Because most of it should be. The Basic certificate is genuinely straightforward — 35 questions, 90 minutes, 65% to pass — and there is no honest reason to charge someone for information Transport Canada publishes and a competent writer can explain in an afternoon.
The Advanced exam is a different proposition. It draws on meteorology, airspace structure, radiotelephony and theory of flight at a depth that catches out experienced commercial pilots. That's where our 44-page operations guide earns its CA$29, and we'd rather tell you that plainly than dress up the easy parts to make the paid part look necessary.
Five steps, in order.
Follow them in sequence. Skipping ahead — booking a flight review before passing the exam, for instance — doesn't work.
Or skip ahead. If you already know the pathway and just need a number — an altitude, a distance from people, a fine — everything is consolidated on one page.
Work out which certificate you need. Where you intend to fly decides this, not what you intend to photograph. Get it wrong and you'll either over-study or fly unlawfully.
Register your drone. Any RPA of 250 g or more must be registered with Transport Canada and marked with its registration number before it flies. It takes minutes.
Pass the written exam. Basic is 35 questions in 90 minutes at 65%. Advanced is 50 questions in 60 minutes at 80%. Our free Basic course covers all eight TP 15263 subject areas with practice questions.
Complete a flight review — Advanced only. An in-person practical assessment with a recognised reviewer. Basic doesn't require one. You must hold a passing exam grade before booking.
What it all costs. Basic is cheap. Advanced runs CA$250–500 all-in, and ground school — which isn't legally required — is where the money usually goes.
Stay current. Your certificate doesn't expire, but a recurrent training activity is required every 24 months. Most pilots forget this one until it matters.
Common questions
Do I need a licence to fly a drone in Canada?
You need a pilot certificate for any drone weighing 250 g or more, and the drone must be registered. Below 250 g — a microdrone — neither is required. That doesn't mean no rules: you must not operate recklessly or negligently, you must stay clear of emergency sites, restricted airspace is still off-limits, and flying any drone at an advertised event requires a Special Flight Operations Certificate, microdrone included.
How long does the whole process take?
Basic can realistically be done in a few days. Registration is immediate, and a few hours of study covers a 35-question exam with a 65% pass mark. Advanced takes longer — the written exam needs 15 to 30 hours of study for most people, and the flight review has to be scheduled with a reviewer, which depends on their availability and the weather.
Can I fly commercially with a Basic certificate?
Yes — Canadian rules are risk-based, not purpose-based. There's no separate commercial licence. What limits you is where you can fly: with Basic you're confined to uncontrolled airspace, 30 metres from bystanders and never over people. That rules out most urban work, which is why commercial operators generally hold Advanced.
Does my certificate expire?
No, but it goes dormant in practice. You must complete a recurrent training activity within every 24 months to keep exercising your privileges, and carry proof of it. The options are here.
Do I need this if I only fly for fun?
Yes, if the drone weighs 250 g or more. The regulations make no distinction between recreational and commercial flight — a hobbyist with a 900 g camera drone needs the same certificate and registration as someone being paid to fly it.
Once you've got the basics.
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Flying a Drone in Canada as a Foreign Pilot
Your home licence counts for nothing. When you need a Foreign SFOC-RPAS, the 30 and 60 business day timelines, and the sequence that catches visiting pilots out.
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How to Become a Drone Flight Reviewer
Eligibility, the 30-question exam, the flight school requirement nobody expects, and whether the rating is worth having.
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How to Pass the Advanced RPAS Exam
What the 50 questions cover, why experienced pilots fail, and a study sequence that works.
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What to Expect at Your Flight Review
The four phases, and the most common reason candidates have to re-attempt.
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Canadian Drone Rules in 2026
Level 1 Complex, medium drones and EVLOS — the 2025 amendments explained.
Advanced is the hard part.
Everything above gets you through Basic. The Advanced exam pulls from meteorology, airspace, radiotelephony and theory of flight — 44 pages of it, for CA$29.
Get the Canadian drone rules on one page
Every core limit for Basic and Advanced operations — altitudes, distances from people and airports, airspace and the fines for getting it wrong. Printable for the flight bag. We'll also email you when the rules change.
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