Drone Safety Assurance Declarations: Choosing a Drone for Advanced Operations

For advanced operations, holding the right certificate isn’t enough. The drone itself must meet Transport Canada’s safety assurance standard for the kind of flight you want to do. This is confirmed through a declaration, usually made by the manufacturer.

What a safety assurance declaration is

A declaration is a statement to Transport Canada that a specific drone model meets the technical requirements for certain operations, such as flying in controlled airspace, near people or over people. Transport Canada maintains a list of declared drones and the operations each one is declared for.

Typical operations requiring a declaration

How to check your drone

1. Look up the model in Transport Canada’s list of drones that meet safety assurance requirements.
2. Check which operations the model is declared for — a drone may be declared for controlled airspace but not for flights over people.
3. Make sure your drone matches the declared configuration (same model, firmware assumptions, approved accessories).

Custom-built and modified drones

Homebuilt drones and heavily modified models usually have no manufacturer declaration. In some cases the builder can make a declaration, which means taking on the testing and documentation responsibilities. Otherwise, the drone is limited to basic operations.

Responsibilities of the pilot

• Fly only within the operations the drone is declared for.
• Maintain the drone according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Don’t fit accessories that change its weight or behaviour outside the declared configuration.
• Keep maintenance records — see record keeping.

Related guides

• Advanced pilot certificate
• Flying near people
• Controlled airspace and NAV Drone
• How to choose your first drone