Converting U.S. Pilot Certificates to Canadian Equivalents

As you probably know, you can fly your own Canadian aircraft in the United States and American pilots can fly theirs into Canada, but that only applies to any Canadian registered aircraft. There is a process to obtain a Canadian (TCCA) licence if you already hold an American (FAA) certificate. This applies to private pilot certificates and above. The U.S. sport pilot certificate is not an eligible category for this conversion, and upon conversion you must be current according to the terms of the CARs before you can fly, or fly with passengers.

U.S. pilots will not qualify for a night rating since Canadian pilots must have additional night and instrument training to be allowed to fly at night.

The U.S. pilot does not have to surrender a U.S. certificate to obtain a Canadian equivalent. Pilots must have a current third-class medical or better and pass a written exam but not a flight test. The pilot must have at least 45 hours of flight time. You can find a study guide for U.S. pilots wishing to obtain a Canadian licence on the Transport Canada website.

Also see the details about Advisory Circular (AC) 401-001 and consult AC 401-002 regarding applications for flight crew permits and licences.