What you will know
Decide whether the aircraft you are about to fly must be registered, get it registered, display its number, and keep the registration current — including the seven-day duties that follow a change. AIM 3.1.1
Registration is the first rule in this Part that attaches to the aircraft rather than to the flight. Where you fly and how you fly it are separate questions.
Before this lesson
- You know the aircraft's operating weight, because that single number is the test. CAR 900.13
- You are at least 14 years old if you are going to be the registered owner. CAR 900.15
- You know whether the operation is under a special flight operations certificate — RPAS, because that is the one route that avoids registration. CAR 900.13
How it works
1. Weigh the aircraft: 250 g is the line
No person shall operate a remotely piloted aircraft system that includes a remotely piloted aircraft having an operating weight of 250 g (0.55 pounds) or more unless that aircraft is registered. CAR 900.13
Read the nouns carefully, because they are not interchangeable:
- the threshold is on the remotely piloted aircraft;
- what gets registered is also the aircraft — not the system as a whole, and not you.
The prohibition is on operating. An unregistered aircraft may be owned, stored and sold; it is the flight that is unlawful. CAR 900.13
2. Know the one exception
The only route in 900.13 that permits operating an aircraft that is not registered is an operation conducted in accordance with a special flight operations certificate — RPAS issued under section 903.03. CAR 900.13
The exception is not about weight, private use or recreational flying. It is the SFOC, and nothing else. CAR 900.13
3. Check that you are qualified to be the registered owner
A person is qualified to be the registered owner if they are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada; a corporation or entity incorporated or formed under the laws of Canada or a province; or a government in Canada, or an agent or mandatary of one. CAR 900.15
An individual must also be at least 14 years of age, which is a qualification of its own. CAR 900.15
Note whose qualifications these are. Section 900.15 qualifies the owner; sections 901.55 and 901.64 qualify the pilot. A corporation can own the aircraft and a person can fly it. CAR 901.55
4. Apply with the information the Minister needs
On receipt of an application the Minister shall register the aircraft if the applicant is qualified to be its owner, and the application has to carry: for an individual — name and address, date of birth, and whether they are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident; for a corporation or entity — its legal name and address, the name and title of the person making the application, and its business number if any; for a government — the name of the government body and the name and title of the person applying. CAR 900.16
The register the Minister keeps records the name and address of the registered owner, the registration number, and any other particulars the Minister determines are necessary. CAR 900.17
5. Put the number where it can be seen
No pilot shall operate a remotely piloted aircraft system unless the registration number is clearly visible on the aircraft. CAR 900.14 Std 921.06
"Clearly visible" is the whole requirement: the section names no size, colour or position. What it does do is tie the number you display to the registration number issued with your registration. CAR 900.14
6. Keep the certificate reachable in flight
No pilot shall operate a remotely piloted aircraft system unless the certificate of registration is easily accessible to the pilot for the duration of the operation. CAR 900.20
"Easily accessible" is a standard you can test before you launch: if producing the certificate would mean landing and walking to a vehicle, it was not accessible during the operation. CAR 900.20
7. Diarise the seven-day duties
Two duties share a clock, and both belong to the registered owner rather than to the pilot.
- A change of name or address — notify the Minister not later than seven days after the change. CAR 900.19
- The events listed in 900.18(1) — notify the Minister within seven days after becoming aware that the aircraft is destroyed; is permanently withdrawn from use; is missing and the search has been terminated; has been missing for 60 days or more; or that legal custody and control of it has been transferred. CAR 900.18
The transfer is the one people miss. Selling the aircraft is notifiable, and the notification is also what cancels the certificate. CAR 900.18
8. Know when the certificate is cancelled without you
The certificate is likewise cancelled when the registered owner dies; when the entity that owns the aircraft is wound up, dissolved or amalgamated with another entity; or when the owner ceases to be qualified under section 900.15. CAR 900.18
That last clause is why step 3 is not paperwork. If you cease to be a qualified owner, the certificate ceases with it. CAR 900.18 CAR 900.15
9. The AIM's registration rules: who, where, and what changes the category
The AIM states the scope in one line — all 250 g and above remotely piloted aircraft in Canada must be registered, and the registration number must be on the aircraft and clearly visible (CARs 900.13 and 900.14) — and then supplies the details the sections leave open. AIM 3.0
Where the number goes. The method of marking is left to the discretion of the owner, but the AIM advises that it should be located on the main body of the aircraft and not on frangible or removable parts such as batteries, motor mounts or payloads. The reason is practical rather than legal: a number on a battery is a number that leaves with the battery. AIM 3.0
Who may own it. The registered owner must be at least 14 years of age and one of: a Canadian citizen or permanent resident; a corporation or entity incorporated or formed under the laws of Canada or a province; or a government in Canada, or an agent or mandatary of one. AIM 3.0
And the foreign-operator rule, which is the exception inside the exception. An SFOC — RPAS is required for a foreign operator or pilot to be able to comply with the registration and marking requirements — but an SFOC is not required for a foreign pilot if they are operating an RPA registered under subsection 900.13(1) by a qualified owner under section 900.15. AIM 3.0
Proof on demand. A pilot of a 250 g or above aircraft must present proof of registration, digital or physical, on request from a peace officer, an immigration officer, or a person delegated by the Minister of Transport such as a Transport Canada inspector (CARs 103.02(2) and 900.20). Failure to register, mark or present proof can result in individual penalties of up to $5,000 and corporate penalties. AIM 3.0
What registration is not. For basic operations no manufacturer declaration is needed, although the aircraft must still be operated in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions (901.31) and must have an issued registration number clearly visible on it (900.13 and 900.14). AIM 3.3.3
And the category can change under you. A micro-RPA is one under 250 g, and the weight of the control station is not factored in — but the weight of the payload is: an optional camera, a lens filter, pegs, propeller guards, stickers and lights all count. A micro-RPA can therefore reach 250 g and fall into the small category, owing registration, marking and pilot certification. Two consequences are asked about directly: AIM 2.0
- if a micro-RPA is modified or fitted with accessories that bring it to or over 250 g — propeller guards are the AIM's own example — it shall be registered and marked, and the pilot must comply with Subpart 1; AIM 2.0
- if it is later demodified back to its original sub-250 g version, the small-RPA registration certificate is not valid any more and the aircraft is a micro-RPA again — and there is no need to deregister it in the Drone Management Portal. AIM 2.0
Pilots of micro-RPAs are not subject to Subpart 1 — no registration, marking or certificate — but they remain bound by the general rules, starting with section 900.06, the prohibition on reckless or negligent operation. AIM 2.0
What it means
Your aircraft may be flown only when the registration position is settled:
| Situation | What applies |
|---|---|
| Operating weight below 250 g | 900.13's prohibition does not apply CAR 900.13 |
| Operating weight 250 g or more | Register the aircraft before you operate it CAR 900.13 |
| Unregistered, operating under an SFOC-RPAS | Permitted by 900.13(2) CAR 900.13 |
| You are 13 and would be the registered owner | Not qualified — the minimum is 14 CAR 900.15 |
| You changed your name or address | Notify within seven days CAR 900.19 |
| You transferred legal custody and control | Notify within seven days; the certificate is cancelled CAR 900.18 |
| Every flight | Number clearly visible, certificate easily accessible CAR 900.14 CAR 900.20 |
Warning The seven days in 900.18(1) run from when you become aware, not from when the event happened — and the duty sits on the registered owner. If the aircraft is registered to a company and you are the pilot, the duty is still the company's. CAR 900.18
Where people go wrong
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The aircraft is registered but you were stopped for no visible number | 900.14 requires the number clearly visible on the aircraft | Mark the aircraft CAR 900.14 |
| You moved last month and told nobody | 900.19 allows seven days | Notify the Minister now CAR 900.19 |
| You sold the aircraft and kept the certificate | A transfer of legal custody and control is a notifiable event | Notify within seven days; the certificate is then cancelled CAR 900.18 |
| You are the pilot and the owner is a corporation | The 900.18 and 900.19 duties belong to the registered owner | Tell the owner; being the pilot does not discharge them CAR 900.18 |
| The certificate is at home | 900.20 requires it to be easily accessible for the operation | Carry it CAR 900.20 |
Test yourself
Sources
— Micro Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)
— Small and Medium Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)
— Small Remote Pilot Aircraft (RPA) Requirement
CAR 900.13 — Registration
CAR 900.14 — Registration Number
CAR 900.15 — Qualifications To Be Registered Owner of Remotely Piloted Aircraft
CAR 900.16 — Registration Requirements
CAR 900.17 — Register of Remotely Piloted Aircraft
CAR 900.18 — Cancellation of Certificate of Registration
CAR 900.19 — Change of Name or Address
CAR 900.20 — Access to Certificate of Registration
Consolidation: CARs current to 2026-09-21