Which pilot certificate do I need, and how do I keep it?

Know which of the three pilot certificates the flight in front of you requires, what issuing it takes, and what keeps it usable — recency, the records that prove it, and what has to be within reach while you fly.

A certificate and recency are two different conditions. Holding one and satisfying the other are not the same thing, and the exam tests both.

• You know your age relative to all three thresholds: 14, 16 and 18. CAR 901.55 CAR 901.64 CAR 901.90
• You know that a flight review is a separate event from an examination, and that only two of the three certificates require one at issue. CAR 901.64
• You know which of the three certificates you hold — the names are specific and the sections use them precisely.

No person shall operate a remotely piloted aircraft system under this Division unless they are at least 14 years of age and hold one of the three certificates — the basic operations certificate, the advanced operations certificate, or the level 1 complex operations certificate. CAR 901.54

There is one exception, and it is narrow: the requirement does not apply when the operation is conducted under the direct supervision of a person who is permitted to operate such a system under this Division, Division V or Division VI. CAR 901.54

"Direct supervision" is not remote advice. The person supervising has to be able to supervise.

The Minister issues the basic operations certificate if the applicant demonstrates that they are at least 14 and have successfully completed the examination "Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems — Basic Operations", in accordance with TP 15263. CAR 901.55

Read what is not there. There is no flight review, no ground-school hours and no minimum experience in 901.55. Those requirements belong to the other two routes, so do not assume the three are one ladder with a longer rung each time. CAR 901.64 CAR 901.90

Before the certificates themselves, the rule that makes them matter: no person shall operate a remotely piloted aircraft system under Division V unless the person is at least 16 years of age and holds either an advanced operations certificate or a level 1 complex operations certificate — and, as in the basic division, the requirement lifts when the operation is conducted under the direct supervision of someone permitted to operate under that Division or Division VI. CAR 901.63

The distinction is worth holding on to: 901.63 is the requirement to OPERATE, while 901.64 and 901.90 are the requirements to be ISSUED a certificate. A question can ask either one, and they have different conditions — being 16 appears in both, the examination and the flight review appear in the issuance rules. CAR 901.63 CAR 901.64

Level 1 complex operations carry the same shape one division up: no person shall operate under Division VI unless they are at least 18 and hold a level 1 complex operations certificate — and the exception is narrower than the advanced one, because it applies only to training conducted under the direct supervision of someone who is 18 or older and permitted under that Division. Comparing the two is the point: same construction, different age, and an exception that is about instruction rather than general supervision. CAR 901.89 CAR 901.63

For the advanced operations certificate the applicant must be at least 16; must have completed the examination "Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems — Advanced Operations"; and must have, within 12 months before the date of application, successfully completed a flight review under section 921.02 of Standard 921. CAR 901.64

That 12-month window is a condition of issue. It is not the recency rule — recency is a separate 24-month requirement that applies after you hold the certificate, and it is step 5.

The level 1 complex operations certificate has five conditions, and they run in order: at least 18; the advanced operations examination; 20 hours of ground school delivered by a training provider referred to in section 901.182 and covering the TP 15530 subjects; after that instruction, the "Level 1 Complex Operations" examination; and, within 12 months before the date of application, a flight review under section 921.07 of Standard 921, conducted by a person qualified to act as a flight reviewer under subsection 901.175(2). CAR 901.90

The order matters: the level 1 complex examination is taken after the ground school, not before it. CAR 901.90

No holder of any of the three certificates shall operate under this Division unless, within the 24 months preceding the flight, the holder has either been issued one of the three certificates, or successfully completed any one of the following:

• any of the examinations referred to in paragraph 901.55(b), 901.64(b) or 901.90(d);
• any of the flight reviews referred to in paragraph 901.64(c) or 901.90(e); or
• any of the recurrent training activities set out in section 921.04 of Standard 921. CAR 901.56

Two consequences follow from "any of". First, one activity is enough — you do not need one of each. Second, the examinations are listed across all three certificates, so completing an examination for a different certificate also satisfies this requirement. CAR 901.56

The recurrent training activities are not left to the imagination. Standard 921 names them: attendance at a safety seminar endorsed by Transport Canada Civil Aviation; completion of an RPAS recurrent training programme designed to update RPA pilot knowledge, covering human factors, environmental factors, route planning, operations near aerodromes and airports, and the applicable regulations, rules and procedures; or a Transport Canada-endorsed self-paced study programme. Std 921.04

Sections 901.65 and 901.91 restate the same rule for advanced operations and level 1 complex operations. CAR 901.65 CAR 901.91

The holder must keep a record of all the activities relied on — including the dates on which they were completed — for at least 24 months after the day they were completed. CAR 901.56

The record is the holder's to keep, and its period matches the recency window. If you cannot show the date, you cannot show recency.

No pilot shall operate under this Division unless both of the following are easily accessible to the pilot during the operation: the pilot certificate, and documentation demonstrating that the pilot meets the recency requirements of section 901.56. CAR 901.57

Both. A certificate without proof of recency does not satisfy the section, and neither does the reverse. CAR 901.57

The same rule stands one division up, with a narrower list of certificates. Under Division V, no pilot shall operate unless both are easily accessible during the operation of the system: the advanced operations certificate issued under 901.64 or the level 1 complex operations certificate issued under 901.90, and documentation demonstrating that the pilot meets the recency requirements of section 901.65. CAR 901.66

Two differences from the basic rule are the examinable part. The Division V list omits the basic operations certificate — 901.57 accepts all three, 901.66 accepts two — and the documents must be accessible during the operation, so producing them afterwards is not what the section says. CAR 901.66

A person who fails an examination taken under this Division shall not retake it for 24 hours. CAR 901.59 The same 24-hour wait applies to a failed advanced examination or flight review, CAR 901.68 and to a failed level 1 complex examination or flight review. CAR 901.94

"Successfully completed the examination" is defined in Standard 921, and the numbers there are the examinable part. A mark below the minimum is a failed examination, whatever the certificate application says.

Certificate	Minimum mark
Basic operations	65% on "Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems — Basic Operations" Std 921.01
Advanced operations	80% on "Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems — Advanced Operations" Std 921.02
Flight reviewer rating	80% on "Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems — Flight Reviewers" Std 921.03
Level 1 complex operations	80% on "Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems — Level 1 Complex Operations" Std 921.07

For two of those the examination is only half of it. The advanced certificate also requires a flight review whose exercises include describing the site survey process, demonstrating the ability to plan an operation, and describing the emergency procedures that apply to operating an RPAS. Std 921.02

The Level 1 Complex certificate requires a flight review of its own, including the use of a risk assessment method such as the RPAS Operational Risk Assessment, planning a mission appropriate to that certificate, describing when and how to inform Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board of an incident or accident, performing a take-off, and navigating and avoiding obstacles both by visual reference and by control-station reference only. Std 921.07

There is one more party in the chain. An RPAS training provider that self-declares under section 901.182 must confirm that its programme is taught to the TP 15530 knowledge requirements, that it covers the subjects listed there, and that it is a minimum of 20 hours — and the declaration carries the course name, the instructor-led duration, and the name of the chief ground instructor responsible. Std 921.08

The certificate is one condition. The AIM sets out the others, and they are worth seeing together because the syllabus treats them in three different lessons:

Basic operations are for those intending to operate an RPA in uncontrolled airspace (CAR 901.14); at a distance of 100 ft (30 m) or more from another person, except a crew member or other person involved in the operation (CAR 901.26); and at a distance of three nautical miles or more from the centre of an airport, or one nautical mile or more from the centre of a heliport (CAR 901.47). AIM 3.3.1 AIM 3.3 CAR 901.53

Read as a set, that is the definition of the regime rather than a list of separate limits: airspace, people and aerodromes. Fall outside any one of them and you are no longer describing a Basic operation — which is why the distance and airspace lessons are prerequisites for this one. AIM 3.3.1

And the AIM states the consequence of getting the certificate wrong in the same place: pilots carrying out Basic operations without a pilot certificate — small remotely piloted aircraft may be subject to individual penalties of up to $1,000 and corporate penalties of up to $5,000. AIM 3.3.1

For completeness, the AIM's pilot-requirements page repeats the two facts this lesson rests on: the basic certificate is issued to those at least 14 who have passed the Basic Operations examination, a person under 14 may conduct basic operations under the direct supervision of a basic or advanced certificate holder, and holders must meet the recency requirements within the last 24 months. AIM 3.3.2 AIM 3.3.2

Transport Canada's own guidance puts the supervision route in the plainest terms for people who hold no certificate at all: they can fly, but they must be supervised by someone who has a licence — which is how clubs, camps and youth groups run their sessions. The regulation above is what makes that work; this is the same rule in the language a club organiser would use. TC Flying Your Drone Safely Legally

Certificate	Minimum age	What issue requires	Recency
Basic operations	14	The basic examination, per TP 15263 CAR 901.55	24 months, any listed activity CAR 901.56
Advanced operations	16	The advanced examination, plus a flight review within 12 months before applying CAR 901.64	24 months CAR 901.65
Level 1 complex operations	18	The advanced examination, 20 hours of ground school, then the level 1 complex examination, plus a flight review within 12 months before applying CAR 901.90	24 months CAR 901.91
Any operation	—	—	Certificate and proof of recency easily accessible CAR 901.57
Advanced operation under Division V	—	—	Both accessible during the operation, and only the advanced or level 1 complex certificate counts CAR 901.66
Basic operations examination	—	Minimum mark 65% Std 921.01	—
Advanced and level 1 complex examinations	—	Minimum mark 80%, each Std 921.02 Std 921.07	—
Flight reviewer examination	—	Minimum mark 80% Std 921.03	—
Self-declared training provider	—	Minimum 20 hours, taught to TP 15530 Std 921.08	—

Warning A certificate is not a licence to fly indefinitely. Recency is a separate condition with a 24-month window, and a holder who has completed none of the listed activities in that window may not operate — whatever is printed on the certificate. CAR 901.56

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
You hold a certificate and assumed you may fly	Recency is a separate 24-month condition	Check which listed activity you completed in the window CAR 901.56
Your flight review was 13 months ago and you are applying for advanced operations	The review must be within 12 months before the date of application	Complete a new flight review before applying CAR 901.64
You failed the examination yesterday and want to retry today	A 24-hour wait applies after a failure	Wait the 24 hours CAR 901.59
You carry the certificate but no proof of recency	901.57 requires both to be easily accessible	Carry the record too CAR 901.57
You hold the basic certificate and are flying an advanced operation	901.66 lists only the advanced and level 1 complex certificates	The advanced or level 1 complex certificate is the one that must be accessible CAR 901.66
You plan to produce the documents after landing	901.66 requires them accessible during the operation	Keep both with the pilot while flying CAR 901.66
You are 15 and want to fly alone	14 is the minimum to operate, but the certificate still has to be held	Hold the basic operations certificate CAR 901.54 CAR 901.55
You are 15 and want the advanced certificate	The advanced minimum is 16	You are not eligible yet CAR 901.64
You flew a Basic operation 20 m from a bystander	Basic requires 30 m or more from anyone not involved	That is not a Basic operation AIM 3.3.1
Your Basic flight was 2 NM from an airport centre	Basic requires three nautical miles or more	Re-plan the site, or change the regime CAR 901.47
You flew without a certificate because the operation was simple	Basic operations still require a certificate	Penalties apply per violation AIM 3.3.1
You scored 75% on the advanced examination	The minimum is 80%	That is a failed examination Std 921.02
Your ground school offers 12 hours	A self-declared programme must be at least 20 hours	Check the provider's declaration Std 921.08
You passed the advanced examination but never did a flight review	The advanced certificate requires both	Complete the flight review Std 921.02

Practise: Examination and flight review standards

Practise: Recency requirements

Practise: Basic operations certificate and recency documents

Practise: Basic operations advanced certificate and recency documents

Practise: Rpa basic certificate issuance

Practise: Raps pilot certificates

Practise: Rpas level1 complex recency

Practise: Rpa advanced certificate issuance

Practise: Basic operations scope

Practise: Licensing basic operations supervision

• CAR 901.54 — Pilot Requirements
• CAR 901.55 — Issuance of Pilot Certificate — Basic Operations
• CAR 901.56 — Recency Requirements
• CAR 901.57 — Access to Certificate and Proof of Recency
• CAR 901.66 — Access to Certificate and Proof of Recency (Division V)
• CAR 901.59 — Retaking of Examination
• CAR 901.64 — Issuance of Pilot Certificate — Advanced Operations
• CAR 901.65 — Recency Requirements
• CAR 901.68 — Retaking of an Examination or Flight Review
• CAR 901.90 — Issuance of Pilot Certificate — Level 1 Complex Operations
• CAR 901.91 — Recency Requirements
• CAR 901.94 — Retaking of an Examination or Flight Review
• Standard 921 s.921.01 — Pilot Certificate — Basic Operations
• Standard 921 s.921.02 — Pilot Certificate — Advanced Operations
• Standard 921 s.921.03 — Flight Reviewer Rating
• Standard 921 s.921.04 — Recency Requirements (recurrent training activities)
• Standard 921 s.921.07 — Pilot Certificate — Level 1 Complex Operations
• Standard 921 s.921.08 — TP 15530 Self-declared RPAS Training Providers Requirements
• AIM RPA 3.3.1 — Basic Operations: General
• AIM RPA 3.3.2 — Basic Operations: Pilot Requirements
• CAR 901.14 — Controlled Airspace
• CAR 901.26 — Horizontal Distance
• CAR 901.47 — Operations at or in the Vicinity of an Aerodrome, Airport or Heliport
• Consolidation: CARs current to 2026-09-21