Apply for or manage an aviation medical certificate

How to apply

From: Transport Canada

Find out how to:

Request an initial medical certificate

To obtain a medical certificate:

  1. Contact a Civil Aviation Medical Examiner (CAME) to make an appointment for a medical exam. Only a physician designated by Transport Canada as a CAME may perform a medical exam (unless you‘re outside of Canada). To find a physician near you, search our list of approved Civil Aviation Medical Examiners.

    The CAME will charge a fee for the medical exam and will give you information on the cost. Transport Canada doesn’t set these fees.

    Bring the following documents to your medical exam or be prepared to answer questions related to:

    • photo ID

    • list of medications with dosage and frequency

    • copy of lens prescription

    • name and phone number of your family doctor

    • current pilot permit or licence number, if you have one

    • for pilots, your total record of pilot flight time over last 12 months

    • information about your past medical history, including past medical tests, diagnoses, and treatments, dates of any medical examination reports, audiograms and electrocardiograms previously submitted for licensing purposes

    • information about your family medical history

  2. Attend the medical exam. During the medical exam, the CAME will assess your medical fitness on a medical examination report and send the document to Transport Canada

    • The CAME must tell Transport Canada if they think you’re medically unfit or if your medical examination is incomplete

  3. After the medical exam, Transport Canada will review and assess the medical examination report

    • If more tests are needed, you’ll be contacted by Transport Canada with information on the required next steps

    • Once any additional test are completed, the results must be given to a CAME to send to Transport Canada

      • If you don’t complete the tests needed, you won’t be able to get a medical certificate

  4. Transport Canada will notify you of your medical fitness

    • If you’re deemed medically fit, your medical certificate will be issued in the form of a label and mailed to you. Any restrictions, like “valid only when wearing required glasses,” will be printed on the certificate

      • Place this label in your aviation document booklet. This is your proof of medical fitness for aviation

      • Aviation students will be given a standalone medical certificate as they aren’t issued an aviation document booklet

    • If Transport Canada is not able to certify you as medically fit, you may request a description of your assessment, along with what appeal options are available to you.

  5. Pay using the online invoice payment form once you’ve received your invoice, if applicable

    • You’ll need the customer number, invoice number and payment amount

    • This fee is separate from the medical exam fee

Medical exams outside of Canada

Pilots, air traffic controllers and flight engineers living outside Canada may receive their medical examination from:

  • a Civil Aviation Medical Examiner (accredited by Transport Canada)

  • an Aviation Medical Examiner in their country of residence (for International Civil Aviation Organization Member States)

  • Flight Surgeons

The examiner will charge a fee for the medical exam and will give you information on the cost. We don’t set these fees.

Applying for a Medical Category 4 Certificate

You can apply for a Category 4 certificate by:

How to submit a Category 4 Medical Declaration Form

To qualify to complete a Category 4 Medical Declaration Form, you must:

  • confirm that you’ve never suffered from any of the medical conditions listed in Part B on the Category 4 application form. If you’ve suffered from one or more of the medical conditions, you must get a medical examination from a CAME

  • have Part B countersigned by a family physician if you’re applying for a student pilot permit – aeroplane application or a pilot permit - recreational application

How to apply:

  1. Fill out the Category 4 Medical Declaration Form

  2. If you’re applying for a student pilot permit - aeroplane or a pilot permit - recreational, visit a family physician to have Part B of the form countersigned

  3. Send the Category 4 Medical Declaration Form by email to any Transport Canada Centre

    In the subject line of your email, follow this naming format: enter “Category 4 Medical Declaration Form + last name + file number (if known)”

  4. Pay using the online invoice payment form once you’ve received your invoice, if applicable

    • You’ll need the customer number, invoice number and payment amount

    • You’ll be invoiced once the medical label has been processed and issued

Request a renewal of a medical certificate

The validity period of a medical certificate depends on your age and the type of licence or permit you hold or are applying for. Medical exams are required as often as every 6 months (for professional pilots 40 and over) or as seldom as every 5 years (for private or balloon pilots under 40).

All medical validity periods are listed in Standard 424 Appendix II - Limitations and Restrictions which may appear on a Permit, Licence or Medical Certificate.

If you want to renew a Category 4 Medical Certificate, you must submit your request within 60 days of expiry to make sure there’s enough time to get a new medical certificate before your old medical certificate expires.

How to renew your medical certificate

There are 2 ways to renew your medical certificate:

  • by in-person exam, or

  • by telemedicine

Telemedicine renewals are carried out by telephone, audio-conferencing or video-conferencing to remotely determine your medical fitness for aviation. Not everyone is eligible to renew by telemedicine.

You must renew in-person if:

  • you’re a new applicant

  • the validity period of your medical certificate ended before March 17, 2020

  • your last 2 renewals were completed by telemedicine, or

  • you’ve been asked by a Civil Aviation Medical Examiner (CAME) or Transport Canada to do an in-person exam

To renew by in-person exam

  1. Contact a CAME and make an appointment for a medical exam. Only a physician designated as a CAME can perform an official medical exam. To find a physician near you, search our list of approved Civil Aviation Medical Examiners

  2. Attend the medical exam. During the exam, the CAME will assess your medical fitness on a medical examination report

    • If medically fit for renewal, the CAME will stamp and date your aviation document booklet or your paper medical certificate

    • Your CAME will charge a fee for the exam and will give you details of the cost. We don’t set these fees.

  3. After your exam, the CAME will send your medical exam report to us

    • The CAME must inform us if you‘re considered medically unfit or if your medical exam is incomplete

  4. We will review and assess the report

    • If medically unfit, you’ll receive an email with instructions on where to get the information describing your assessment along with information on how to appeal the decision. For licence holders, a follow-up email will explain the impact on your licence

    • If more tests are needed, you’ll receive an email with instructions on where to get the information describing the additional tests needed

      • If you don’t complete the tests needed, your certificate will be suspended

  5. Pay using the online invoice payment form once you’ve received your invoice, if applicable

    • You’ll need the customer number, invoice number and payment amount

    • This fee is separate from the medical exam fee

Note: You won’t be issued a label for your Aviation Document Booklet.

To renew by telemedicine

  1. Contact your CAME and make an appointment if you’re eligible for telemedicine. If they aren’t offering telemedicine, find a Civil Aviation Medical Examiner offering Telemedicine

    • Your CAME will charge a fee for a telemedicine assessment and will give you details of the cost. We don’t set these fees

  2. Attend your appointment. The CAME will assess your medical fitness

    • As long as clinically appropriate, routine testing (including electrocardiogram, urine testing, audiogram, and vision testing) won’t be required

    • If you were previously notified by letter that a special medical report (such as family physician reports, specialist reports, blood sugar logs, lab results, special tests, etc.) is required as a condition of your renewal, the CAME will need to review the reports and submit them along with the Medical Examination Report

  3. If you’re deemed fit for renewal, your CAME will complete and send you a “Civil Aviation - Fit Certification”. It’s your responsibility to keep a copy with your medical certificate or Aviation Document Booklet. This is your proof that you’re medically fit for aviation. Electronic versions are acceptable

  4. Pay using the online invoice payment form once you’ve received your invoice, if applicable

    • You’ll need the customer number, invoice number and payment amount

    • This fee is separate from the telemedicine assessment fee

If the CAME determines that a telemedicine assessment isn’t enough, they’ll need to complete an in-person physical exam on you including routine tests like electrocardiogram, urinalysis, audiogram, and vision testing. If you’re deemed fit for renewal, the CAME will stamp and sign your medical certificate.

Extend the validity period of a medical certificate

You can apply to extend the validity period of your medical certificate for up to 60 days from the expiry date, if:

  • the request for extension is made at least 10 days before the expiry date, and

  • you prove that it’s not possible for you to complete a medical exam within 90 days before the expiry date

To apply:

  1. Pay using the online payment system

    • Have your Canadian licence, permit or file number ready

    • Select “Extension”

    • We can’t start processing your application until we receive your payment

  2. Email your request to your closest Transport Canada Centre including:

    • the reason for the extension

    • payment reference number or copy of the payment receipt

Once we receive your information, we will issue the temporary medical certificate with the extended validity period in PDF format and will send it to you by email. You’ll need to print, sign and carry the certificate along with your Aviation Document Booklet.

Note: You won’t be issued a label for your Aviation Document Booklet.

Request a temporary medical certificate

To apply for a temporary medical certificate:

  1. Pay using the online payment system

    • Have your Canadian licence, permit or file number ready

    • Select “Temporary licence, permit or medical certificate”

    • We can’t start processing your application until we receive your payment

  2. Complete the Application for Re-Issue of a Civil Aviation Licensing Document (Form 26-0738)

  3. Email the form to your closest Transport Canada Centre and include the payment reference number or copy of the payment receipt

Once all the information is received, we’ll issue the temporary medical certificate in PDF format and will send it to you by email. You must print and sign the temporary certificate and carry it along with your Aviation Document Booklet.

Note: You won’t be issued a label for your Aviation Document Booklet.

Replace a lost or destroyed medical certificate

To replace a lost or destroyed medical certificate:

  1. Pay using the online payment system

    • Have your Canadian licence, permit or file number ready

    • Select “The replacement of a Canadian Aviation Document”

    • We can’t start processing your application until we receive your payment

  2. Complete the Application for Re-Issue of a Civil Aviation Licensing Document (Form 26-0738)

  3. Email the form to your closest Transport Canada Centre and include the payment reference number, or copy of the payment receipt

Information on replacing your lost or destroyed Aviation Document Booklet.

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