Advisory Circular (AC) No. 573-002

Subject: Aircraft Certification Authority Based on Foreign Qualifications

Issuing Office: Civil Aviation, Standards
Document No.: AC 573-002
File Classification No.: Z 5000-34
Issue No.: 04
RDIMS No.: 21248458 – V3
Effective Date: 2025-12-31

Table of contents

1.0 Introduction

  1. (1) This Advisory Circular (AC) is provided for information and guidance purposes. It describes an example of an acceptable means, but not the only means, of demonstrating compliance with regulations and standards. This AC on its own does not change, create, amend or permit deviations from regulatory requirements, nor does it establish minimum standards.

1.1 Purpose

  1. (1) This AC provides information and guidance for Approved Maintenance Organizations (AMO) to incorporate procedures in their Maintenance Policy Manual (MPM) to authorize a person who is not the holder of an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) licence issued under Subpart 403 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) to sign a maintenance release following the performance of aircraft maintenance activities outside of Canada.
  2. (2) This AC also provides what the Minister has determined to be equivalent qualifications held by a foreign aircraft maintenance licence holder to those required to hold an AME licence pursuant to section 571.11(2)(a)(ii) of the CARs.

1.2 Applicability

  1. (1) This document is applicable to an appropriately rated Aircraft AMO conducting aircraft maintenance outside Canada and Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) Regional personnel responsible for approving AMO MPM procedures for the performance of maintenance outside of Canada.
  2. (2) When the AMO’s MPM procedures have been approved by TCCA, the AMO may issue the Aircraft Certification Authority (ACA) in accordance with their approved MPM. No individual approval by TCCA will be required for the issuance of ACA.
  3. (3) While the information outlined in this AC is considered guidance, an AMO who chooses to utilize this AC as a means to demonstrate compliance must do so in its entirety.
  4. (4) The information in this document does not apply to the issuance of an AME licence or ACA for the purposes of singing a maintenance release for maintenance performed within Canada.

1.3 Description of Changes

  1. (1) The removal of the limitations to line station maintenance.
  2. (2) Updated definitions in Section 2.0.
  3. (3) Updated conditions and limitations for determining equivalent qualifications in Section 4.0.
  4. (4) Updated training requirements and procedures for the issuance of ACA in Section 5.0.

2.0 References and requirements

2.1 Reference Documents

  1. (1) It is intended that the following reference materials be used in conjunction with this document:
    1. (a) Aeronautics Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. A-2)
    2. (b) Part IV, Subpart 3 of the CARs — Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Licenses and Ratings;
    3. (c) Part V, Subpart 71 of the CARs — Aircraft Maintenance Requirements;
    4. (d) Part V, Subpart 73 of the CARs — Approved Maintenance Organizations;
    5. (e) Standard 566 of the CARs, Division II — Approved Training Organizations;
    6. (f) Standard 571 of the CARs — Maintenance; and
    7. (g) Standard 573 of the CARs — Approved Maintenance Organizations.

2.2 Cancelled Documents

  1. (1) By default, it is understood that the publication of a new issue of a document automatically renders any earlier issues of the same document null and void.
  2. (2) IPB 2021-07 Issue 5, dated 2024-12-02, Interim Changes to Limitations for Issuance of Aircraft Certification Authority Based on Foreign Qualifications Made Necessary by Covid-19 Disruptions.

2.3 Definitions and Abbreviations

  1. (1) The following definitions are used in this document:
    1. (a) Aircraft Certification Authority: means the maintenance release authorization issued by an AMO to a qualified person who meets the requirements of Subparts 571 and 573 of the CARs.
    2. (b) Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Licence: means the licence issued pursuant to Subpart 403 of the CARs.
    3. (c) Maintenance: means the overhaul, repair, required inspection or modification of an aeronautical product, or the removal of a component from or its installation on an aeronautical product, but does not include:
      1. (i) elementary work,
      2. (ii) servicing, or
      3. (iii) work performed on an aircraft by the manufacturer prior to the issuance of whichever of the following documents is issued first:
        1. (A) a certificate of airworthiness
        2. (B) a special certificate of airworthiness, or
        3. (C) an export airworthiness certificate.
    4. (d) Maintenance Release: means a certification made following the maintenance of an aircraft, indicating that the maintenance was performed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the CARs and standards of airworthiness.
  2. (2) The following abbreviations are used in this document:
    1. (a) AC: Advisory Circular;
    2. (b) ACA: Aircraft Certification Authority;
    3. (c) AME: Aircraft Maintenance Engineer;
    4. (d) AMO: Approved Maintenance Organization;
    5. (e) CARs: Canadian Aviation Regulations;
    6. (f) ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organization
    7. (g) MPM: Maintenance Policy Manual;
    8. (h) PMI: Principal Maintenance Inspector; and
    9. (i) TCCA: Transport Canada Civil Aviation.

3.0 Background

  1. (1) Subparagraph 571.11(2)(a)(ii) of the CARs provides that in the case of maintenance performed outside Canada, a person may be authorized to sign a maintenance release if the person holds qualifications that the Minister has deemed equivalent to qualifications that are required to hold an AME Licence.
  2. (2) Before an AMO can authorize a person with equivalent qualifications to sign a maintenance release, an AMO must perform a separate evaluation of the licence holder’s qualifications and training to determine if they meet the policies in their MPM and requirements of the CARs for the purposes of issuance of ACA. The description of the evaluation of policies and procedures are described in their approved MPM to ensure that authorized persons are qualified pursuant to section 573.05 of the CARs.
  3. (3) The following sections provide guidance on establishing qualification equivalency, necessary MPM procedures and describes an acceptable means of evaluating an aircraft type maintenance training course that was not approved by TCCA for the purposes of meeting the requirement in subsection 571.11(4) of the CARs.

4.0 Qualifications determined to be equivalent

  1. (1) For the purposes of issuing ACA under an AMO for the maintenance performed outside of Canada, the Minister has determined that, subject to the conditions and limitations herein, a person who meets the following is considered to have equivalent qualifications pursuant to subparagraph 571.11(2)(a)(ii) of the CARs:
    1. (a) a person holds a valid aircraft maintenance licence issued by an ICAO Contracting State;
    2. (b) the maintenance release privileges of the licence held in (a) are applicable for the ACA privileges being considered;
    3. (c) the holder of the licence in (a) has exercised the maintenance release privileges in (b) of the licence for not less than two years;
    4. (d) the holder of the licence has demonstrated regulatory knowledge of the CARs equivalent to a holder of an AME licence; and
    5. (e) the holder of the licence in (a) meets the recency requirements of section 403.05 of the CARs.

5.0 AMO procedures for the issuance of ACA

  1. (1) Under subsection 573.05(1) of the CARs, no AMO shall authorize a person to sign a maintenance release unless the person meets the applicable requirements of section 571.11 and has successfully completed the training required by section 573.06 of the CARs.
  2. (2) Under section 573.10 of the CARs, the AMO shall have a description of the policies and procedures used to ensure that the persons authorized to sign maintenance releases are qualified and meet the applicable requirements in accordance with section 573.05 of the CARs. These policies and procedures are to include the following conditions, limitations and evaluation procedures in accordance with this AC, which are documented in the AMO’s MPM and approved by TCCA.

5.1 Conditions for the issuance of ACA

  1. (1) The following conditions apply to the issuance of ACA for maintenance performed outside of Canada:
    1. (a) The person holds equivalent qualifications in section 4.0 of this AC;
    2. (b) The person is working under the direct control of the AMO issuing the ACA;
    3. (c) The person completes the required training under the AMOs training program as required by CAR 573.06;
    4. (d) The person successfully completes a closed book Regulatory Requirements examination on the CARs with a minimum passing mark of 70% that is developed and administered by TCCA, or by the AMO, which addresses the Subparts, 571,573, 605 and 706 of the CARs and associated Standards, as they relate to the maintenance responsibilities of the Air Operator, AMO, flight crew, persons performing maintenance and persons signing a maintenance release;
    5. (e) If developed and administered by the AMO, the examination content, and the process to invigilate the examination require TCCA approval from the AMO’s Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI) to ensure content, integrity and control of the examination, as part of the AMO’s MPM;
    6. (f) As applicable, the person has successfully completed aircraft type maintenance training on the applicable transport category aeroplane or turbine-powered helicopter required under subsection 571.11(4) of the CARs that has been:
      1. (i) TCCA approved in accordance with requirements in subsection 571.11(4) of the CARs; or
      2. (ii) Reviewed and found acceptable in accordance with the approved procedures in the AMO’s MPM (see section 5.2).

5.2 Review of non-TCCA approved Aircraft Type Maintenance Training

  1. (1) Where aircraft type maintenance training was successfully completed but was not TCCA approved, the AMO will evaluate the training used as the basis for ACA held by the person against the requirements in subsections 566.18(2) and (3) of Standard 566 of the CARs.
  2. (2) The AMO ensures that the person has completed all aspects of the aircraft type maintenance training that are related to the scope of ACA privileges being granted. This includes the review of the course completion certificate and course curriculum certified as accurate by the organization that provided the training.
  3. (3) As part of the aircraft type maintenance training review, practical “hands-on” training is not required to be part of the training since the person is required to have two years’ experience exercising the privilege of the licence for which ACA is based on the aircraft in accordance with subparagraph (1)(c) of section 4.0 of this AC.
  4. (4) The AMO’s review ensures that the person’s training on the aircraft, engines, structures, systems and procedures concerned is sufficient to meet the training requirement for granting of ACA privileges.
  5. (5) The AMO’s procedures for review of training courses shall be documented in the MPM and approved by TCCA.

  6. (6) The AMO shall maintain records of training course evaluations in accordance with section 573.07 of the CARs.

    Note: Where the aircraft type maintenance training held by the person meets the requirements, the training is only valid for the ACA being granted by the AMO.

5.3 Limitations for the Issuance of ACA – Scope of privileges

  1. (1) The following limitations apply for the issuance of ACA and are annotated to that effect:
    1. (a) The ACA identifies the licence upon which the ACA is based;
    2. (b) The ACA privileges do not exceed the privileges associated with the licence for which it is based;
    3. (c) The ACA privileges may be limited to certain maintenance activities;
    4. (d) The ACA privileges do not include maintenance performed within Canada; and
    5. (e) The person’s licence for which ACA is based on remains valid while exercising the ACA privileges.

6.0 Document history

  1. (1) AC 573-002 Issue 03, RDIMS 1455164 (E), 15519479 (F), dated 2020-04-13 — Aircraft Certifying Authorities Based on Foreign Qualifications.
  2. (2) AC 573-002 Issue 02, RDIMS 14274249 (E), 14274519 (F), dated 2018-07-25 — Aircraft Certifying Authorities Based on Foreign Qualifications.
  3. (3) AC 573-002 Issue 01, RDIMS 3815375 (E), 4144637 (F), dated 2009-01-15 — Aircraft Certifying Authorities Based on Foreign AME Licences.

7.0 Contact Us

For more information, please contact:
Chief, Operational Airworthiness (AARTM)
Phone: 613-952-4386
E-mail: jeff.phipps@tc.gc.ca

We invite suggestions for amendments to this document. Submit your comments to:
Standards Branch Documentation Services
E-mail: AARTDocServices-ServicesdocAART@tc.gc.ca

Original signed by

Jamie-Lee MacDermid
Executive Director, Standards Branch
Civil Aviation

AC 573-002 - Aircraft Certification Authority Based on Foreign Qualifications
(PDF, 300 KB)

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