Certification
Getting Your Drone Licence in Canada
Which certificate you need, what each exam involves, and how to prepare for it.
People say “drone licence”; Transport Canada issues a pilot certificate. Either way, if your drone weighs 250 grams or more you need one before you fly, and you need to register the aircraft as well.
Which certificate depends on where and how you intend to fly. Since 4 November 2025 there are three levels rather than two.
The Three Certificates
Basic Operations — uncontrolled airspace, away from bystanders, never over them. The Small Basic exam is 35 questions in 90 minutes with a 65% pass mark, open from age 14. No flight review.
Advanced Operations — controlled airspace with authorisation, flight near and over people with the right aircraft declaration, and since November 2025, medium drones between 25 kg and 150 kg within visual line of sight. The Small Advanced exam is 50 questions in 60 minutes with an 80% pass mark, open from age 16, followed by an in-person flight review.
Level 1 Complex Operations — lower-risk beyond-visual-line-of-sight work, introduced 4 November 2025. Age 18 and up. It builds on Advanced and requires ground school through a flight school, its own exam, and its own flight review. Complex operations are flown under an RPAS Operator Certificate.
Registration first. Any drone of 250 g or more must be registered with Transport Canada and marked with its registration number. Registration costs $10, having risen from $5 on 1 April 2025.
What a Basic Certificate Actually Permits
A Basic certificate lets you fly in uncontrolled airspace, more than 5.6 km (3 nautical miles) from certified airports and 1.9 km (1 nautical mile) from certified heliports, staying at least 30 metres horizontally from anyone not involved in the operation and never flying over them.
Read as a list that sounds generous. Mapped against where people actually live it is considerably tighter — our article on where you can fly with a Basic certificate runs the numbers across Canadian cities and is worth reading before you choose.
Our Basic Online Bundle covers ground school and exam preparation together, which is the combination most people need to pass first time.
When You Need Advanced
If your flying involves cities, clients or people, Advanced is what you actually need. It permits controlled airspace with authorisation from NAV CANADA, operations near and over bystanders with a properly declared aircraft, and heavier medium drones in visual line of sight.
Our Advanced Pilot Bundle runs about 20 hours of on-demand ground school, plus exam preparation and the in-person flight review. The review is the step people underestimate: a reviewer assesses your flying, your documentation and your procedures, so have your standard operating procedures in order before you book.
Rules That Apply Whichever Certificate You Hold
Keep the aircraft within visual line of sight at all times. Stay below 122 metres (400 feet) above ground level. Stay clear of other aircraft, of advertised events, and of emergency operations such as fire-fighting or police activity. Carry your certificate and proof of registration whenever you fly — enforcement officers can ask to see both.
Your certificate does not expire, but you must keep your knowledge current through a recency activity, which our recency seminar satisfies.
Ready to get your certificate?
Browse Coastal Drone courses and go into the exam prepared.