Visiting Pilots
Flying a Drone in Canada as a Foreign Pilot
The process changed. You now need a Canadian pilot certificate, not just a ground school certificate and an SFOC.
Updated August 2026. An earlier version of this article said the Canadian pilot exams could only be taken by Canadians, and that visitors should instead take a 20-hour ground school and apply for an SFOC. Transport Canada’s current guidance is different, and this article has been rewritten to match it. If you were working from the old advice, read on.
Canada is home to some of the most beautiful locations on the planet, and it is no surprise that visitors want to bring a drone. Before you launch, though, be clear on what Transport Canada requires — because the requirements for foreign pilots are not what they were a few years ago.
You Need a Canadian Pilot Certificate
Transport Canada is explicit on this point. As a foreign pilot flying a drone weighing 250 grams or more in Canada, you need a Canadian drone pilot certificate — even if you are authorised to fly drones in your home country.
There are no special certification procedures for foreign pilots, and no credit is given for qualifications earned elsewhere. Your Part 107, your national licence, your years of experience: none of it substitutes. You sit the same exams as a Canadian pilot, and you can.
Which certificate depends on the flying you plan. Our guides to the Basic certificate and the Advanced certificate walk through each. If your flying will take you near people or into controlled airspace, you need Advanced, which includes an in-person flight review conducted in Canada.
You May Also Need a Foreign SFOC-RPAS
The pilot certificate is one requirement; a Foreign Special Flight Operations Certificate may be a second one on top of it. Broadly, you will need a Foreign SFOC-RPAS to fly a foreign-owned drone of 250 grams or more for non-commercial purposes, to fly at an advertised event, to conduct commercial air service work, or to operate beyond what the Basic, Advanced and Level 1 Complex categories permit.
There are exceptions worth knowing. You do not need a Foreign SFOC-RPAS if you hold a Canadian pilot certificate and are flying a Canadian-registered drone for non-commercial purposes, or if you are working as an employee of a Canadian RPAS Operator Certificate holder. Transport Canada also applies a simplified process for recreational and non-commercial foreign pilots, who do not need to complete the compliance checklist.
Microdrones are simpler. If you are flying a drone under 250 grams, you do not need a Foreign SFOC-RPAS — the exception being advertised events, which do require one. You still must not create a hazard to other airspace users or to people on the ground.
Ground School Is Still Worth Your Time
Ground school is no longer a substitute for certification, but it remains the practical way to pass the exams. Canadian airspace, Canadian weather and Canadian regulations are what the exam tests, and none of them are covered by training you did at home.
Our course for foreign pilots is all online and can be completed from anywhere before you travel.
Plan the Flight Review Before You Arrive
If you need the Advanced certificate, the flight review is in person and happens in Canada, so it needs to be in your itinerary rather than an afterthought. It assesses your knowledge, your documentation and your flying. To arrange one with us, get in touch.
Planning a trip with your drone?
Start the foreign pilot course and arrive ready to fly legally.