Drone registration in Canada

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of Canada. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.

• Registration requiredConditional
• Weight threshold0.25 kgConditional
• Operator registrationConditional
• Aircraft registrationConditional
• Identifier displayYes
• Renewal or validity periodNot resolved
• Digital registrationYes
• Registration exceptionsConditional
• More than one registration regimeNot resolved

What changes the answer

• location

  Horizontal distance from people at or above 100 ft

• location

  Horizontal distance from people at or above 152.4 m

• location

  Horizontal distance from people at or above 16.4 ft

• location

  Horizontal distance from people at or above 30 m

• location

  Horizontal distance from people at or above 5 m

• location

  Horizontal distance from people at or above 500 ft

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  A-2, s. 7.3 - section overview

  Establishes prohibitions against false representations, record destruction, obstruction, unauthorized RPAS interference, and operating without required Canadian aviation documents, along with the associated criminal and financial penalties.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Access to Certificate of Registration

  The pilot of a remotely piloted aircraft system must ensure that the certificate of registration issued for the remotely piloted aircraft is easily accessible to them for the duration of the operation.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Declaration Required for Medium RPA VLOS Far From People (500 Feet or More)

  No pilot shall operate a medium remotely piloted aircraft system in VLOS at a horizontal distance of 500 feet (152.4 m) or more from any person not involved in the operation, unless a declaration has been made to the Minister.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Declaration Required for Medium RPA VLOS in Controlled Airspace

  No pilot shall operate a medium remotely piloted aircraft system in VLOS in controlled airspace unless a declaration has been made to the Minister.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Declaration Required for Medium RPA VLOS Near People (100 to 500 Feet)

  No pilot shall operate a medium remotely piloted aircraft system in VLOS at a horizontal distance of less than 500 feet (152.4 m) but not less than 100 feet (30 m) from any person not involved in the operation, unless a declaration has been made to the Minister.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Declaration Required for Medium RPA VLOS Very Near People (Under 100 Feet)

  No pilot shall operate a medium remotely piloted aircraft system in VLOS at a horizontal distance of less than 100 feet (30 m) from any person not involved in the operation, unless a declaration has been made to the Minister.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Declaration Required for Small RPA Sheltered Operation in Controlled Airspace

  No pilot shall operate a small remotely piloted aircraft to conduct a sheltered operation in controlled airspace unless a declaration has been made to the Minister.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Declaration Required for Small RPA VLOS Near People (16.4 to 100 Feet)

  No pilot shall operate a small remotely piloted aircraft system in VLOS at a horizontal distance of less than 100 feet (30 m) but not less than 16.4 feet (5 m) from any person not involved in the operation, unless a declaration has been made to the Minister.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• Aeronautics Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. A-2) - enabling, offence and enforcement provisions — Department of Justice CanadaOpen
• Canadian Aviation Regulations (SOR/96-433), Part IX - Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems — Department of Justice CanadaOpen

Known limitations

• Binding law and official guidance disagree on registration.digital_registration_available; the binding position is published.
• 2 dimension(s) of this topic are not expressed in a machine-resolvable way by the published corpus and are reported UNKNOWN, never FALSE.

Other drone rules in Canada

• What is the maximum drone altitude in Canada?Drone flights in Canada are held to a published general height limit of 30.48 m AGL. The limit is not absolute: the published conditions that change it are cited below.
• Can I fly a drone near an airport in Canada?Drone flights near aerodromes in Canada are governed by airspace and aerodrome restrictions: whether permission is needed depends on the airspace, distance or aerodrome type published below.
• Can I fly a drone over people in Canada?Flight over uninvolved people is treated as a higher-risk operation in Canada: it is available only where the published conditions below — class, mass, separation or authorisation — are satisfied.
• Is BVLOS drone flight allowed in Canada?BVLOS in Canada runs through a defined authorisation pathway rather than an open permission: the published conditions below set out what that pathway requires.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in Canada?Whether an operation in Canada needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in Canada?Remote pilot competency in Canada is triggered by the operation and by a published mass threshold of 0.25 kg. Which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the conditions below.

All drone laws in Canada