Transport rules by firearm class
These are the federal rules about lawfully possessing and moving a firearm. They are separate from airport screening and from your airline's rules, and all three apply to the same trip.
Three sets of rules stack, and they say different things
A Canadian flying with a firearm has to satisfy three separate regimes at once. No official page merges them, and the strictest requirement in each row is the one that governs.
Do not stop at "unloaded"
Under the Firearms Act, transporting a non-restricted firearm requires only that it be unloaded — no lock, no case. That is not enough at an airport: aviation security separately requires a locked hard-sided container, and your airline may require more again. Satisfy the strictest of the three.
- Licence
- Classes
- Non-restricted
- Restricted
- Authorization to Transport
- Rules that are changing
- Unanswered questions
Your licence
The RCMP states that the Possession and Acquisition Licence is the only licence available to new applicants aged 18 or older, requires the Canadian Firearms Safety Course, and is renewed every five years.
What the source saysThe Possession and Acquisition Licence ( PAL ) is the only licence available to new applicants aged 18 or older. You must pass the Canadian Firearms Safety Course before you can apply for a PAL . PALs are renewed every 5 years.
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 25 October 2024
The RCMP states that Firearms Acquisition Certificates issued under the former law are expired and that a PAL must now be obtained.
What the source saysFirearms Acquisition Certificates ( FAC ) issued under the former law were considered to be licences. They are expired; you must now get a PAL .
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 25 October 2024
The three classes
Classification decides almost everything else, and a firearm's class can have changed since you bought it. Check your make and model against the RCMP's Firearms Reference Table rather than relying on what it was classed as when you acquired it.
The RCMP states that firearms in Canada fall into three classes: non-restricted, restricted and prohibited.
What the source saysFirearms in Canada fall into three different classes: non-restricted restricted prohibited
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 8 June 2026
The RCMP states that the non-restricted class includes any firearm that is neither restricted nor prohibited, and that most common rifles and shotguns are non-restricted with exceptions.
What the source saysThis class includes any firearm that is neither restricted nor prohibited. Most common rifles and shotguns are non-restricted, but there are exceptions.
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 8 June 2026
The RCMP lists what the restricted class includes, covering non-prohibited handguns and certain short-barrelled or semi-automatic centre-fire firearms.
What the source saysHandguns that are not prohibited firearms Firearms that: are not prohibited firearms have a barrel less than 470 mm in length are capable of discharging centre-fire ammunition in a semi-automatic manner Firearms designed or adapted to be fired when reduced to a length of less than 660 mm by folding, telescoping or otherwise Firearms of any other kind prescribed to be restricted firearms in the Regulations
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 8 June 2026
The RCMP states that air guns and other barrelled weapons designed to have a muzzle velocity of 152.4 m/s or less or a muzzle energy of 5.7 joules or less are generally not considered firearms for the purposes of the Firearms Act and the Criminal Code.
What the source saysair guns and other barreled weapons designed to have: a muzzle velocity of 152.4 meters per second or less a muzzle energy of 5.7 joules or less
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 8 June 2026
Non-restricted firearms
The common case for hunters, and the simplest: a valid licence, and the firearm unloaded. No Authorization to Transport is needed to move it yourself.
The RCMP states that an Authorization to Transport is not needed for non-restricted firearms that you transport yourself.
What the source saysYou do not need an Authorization to Transport for non-restricted firearms that you transport yourself.
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 25 October 2024
The RCMP states that non-restricted firearms must be unloaded during transportation.
What the source saysNon-restricted firearms must be unloaded during transportation.
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 12 November 2024
Section 10(1) states that an individual may transport a non-restricted firearm only if it is unloaded, except that a muzzle-loading firearm transported between hunting sites must instead have its firing cap or flint removed.
What the source says10 (1) An individual may transport a non-restricted firearm only if (a) except in the case of a muzzle-loading firearm that is being transported between hunting sites, it is unloaded; and (b) in the case of a muzzle-loading firearm that is being transported between hunting sites, its firing cap or flint is removed.
Source: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 15 October 2026
Regulation currency: current to 2026-09-30, last amended 2012-11
The regulations define "unloaded" as meaning no propellant, projectile or cartridge that can be discharged from the firearm is in the breech or firing chamber, nor in a cartridge magazine attached to or inserted into the firearm.
What the source saysunloaded , in respect of a firearm, means that any propellant, projectile or cartridge that can be discharged from the firearm is not contained in the breech or firing chamber of the firearm nor in the cartridge magazine attached to or inserted into the firearm.
Source: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 15 October 2026
Regulation currency: current to 2026-09-30, last amended 2012-11
Restricted firearms
The case must be opaque, and only this rule says so
The regulations require a restricted firearm to be locked in a sturdy, non-transparent container. No aviation security source mentions opacity at all, so a clear-sided locked case can pass screening and still breach the regulation. If your case has a window, this is the rule that catches it.
The RCMP states that restricted and prohibited firearms must be unloaded, have secure locking devices attached, be locked in a sturdy non-transparent container, have bolts or bolt carriers removed from automatic firearms if removable, and that an Authorization to Transport must be obtained.
What the source saysUnload the firearms; and Attach secure locking devices to the firearms; and Lock the firearms in a sturdy, non-transparent container; and Remove the bolts or bolt carriers from any automatic firearms (if removable). Obtain an Authorization to Transport (call 1-800-731-4000).
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 12 November 2024
Section 11 states that an individual may transport a restricted firearm only if it is unloaded, rendered inoperable by a secure locking device, and in a locked opaque container strong enough that it cannot readily be broken into or accidentally opened during transportation.
What the source says11 An individual may transport a restricted firearm only if (a) it is unloaded; (b) it is rendered inoperable by means of a secure locking device; (c) it is in a locked container that is made of an opaque material and is of such strength, construction and nature that it cannot readily be broken open or into or accidentally opened during transportation; and (d) if it is in a container described in paragraph (c) that is in an unattended vehicle, (i) when the vehicle is equipped with a trunk or similar compartment that can be securely locked, the container is in that trunk or compartment and the trunk or compartment is securely locked, and (ii) when the vehicle is not equipped with a trunk or similar compartment that can be securely locked, the vehicle, or the part of the vehicle that contains the container, is securely locked and the container is not visible from outside the vehicle.
Source: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 15 October 2026
Regulation currency: current to 2026-09-30, last amended 2012-11
The regulations define a "secure locking device" as a device that can only be opened or released by an electronic, magnetic or mechanical key or by a combination, and that prevents the firearm from being discharged when applied.
What the source sayssecure locking device means a device (a) that can only be opened or released by the use of an electronic, magnetic or mechanical key or by setting the device in accordance with an alphabetical or numerical combination; and (b) that, when applied to a firearm, prevents the firearm from being discharged.
Source: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 15 October 2026
Regulation currency: current to 2026-09-30, last amended 2012-11
Authorization to Transport
Since 7 July 2021 the automatic authorization is narrower. Read the rule and both carve-outs below and apply them to your own trip — FlyerArms does not tell you whether you need one, because the answer depends on where you are going and where you live. Note that a flight to a range in another province falls outside the in-province carve-out.
The RCMP states that changes in force on July 7, 2021 require licensed owners of registered firearms to obtain an Authorization to Transport from the provincial or territorial Chief Firearms Officer to transport a restricted or prohibited firearm anywhere other than an approved club or range in their province of residence, or the firearm's place of storage after purchase.
What the source saysChanges to automatic Authorizations to Transport restricted and prohibited firearms were brought into force on July 7, 2021. This change now requires licenced owners of registered firearms to obtain an Authorizations to Transport from the provincial or territorial Chief Firearms Officer ( CFO ) in order to transport a restricted or prohibited firearm to any place other than to: an approved shooting club or shooting range within the owner's province of residence, or to the firearm's place of storage after purchase.
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 25 October 2024
ANSWERS "does the ATT attach to the licence?" - partly. Before July 7, 2021 a broad ATT was issued automatically as a condition of the licence. Since then the automatic authorisation is narrowed to two destinations: a club/range WITHIN THE OWNER'S PROVINCE OF RESIDENCE, and the place of storage after purchase. "licenced" and "Authorizations" (plural) are the source's own spelling/grammar, reproduced verbatim. CONSEQUENCE FOR FLYING, and this is the single most important inference on the site: a flight to a range in ANOTHER province is outside the in-province carve-out, so a separate ATT is needed. The site should state the rule and the two carve-outs verbatim and let the reader apply them, rather than asserting "you always need an ATT to fly".
The RCMP states that an Authorization to Transport must be obtained from the provincial or territorial Chief Firearms Officer if you own a restricted or prohibited firearm and are moving to a new address, or if you are transporting a restricted or prohibited firearm within Canada.
What the source saysYou need to obtain an Authorization to Transport from the provincial or territorial Chief Firearms Officer: if you own a restricted or prohibited firearm and are moving to a new address if you are transporting a restricted or prohibited firearm within Canada
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 25 October 2024
Note the tension with the entry above: this list says "transporting a restricted or prohibited firearm within Canada" without repeating the two carve-outs stated two paragraphs earlier on the same page. Read together, the carve-outs still apply. The site should quote both passages rather than either alone.
The RCMP states the purposes for which an individual may be licensed to acquire or possess a restricted firearm: target shooting, a collection, or under an Authorization to Carry.
What the source saysYou may be licensed to acquire or possess a restricted firearm: target practice or target shooting competitions to form part of a collection; or if you have been granted an Authorization to Carry a restricted firearm (or a prohibited handgun) either to protect your life or the lives of others, or for use in connection with your lawful profession or occupation
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 8 June 2026
Relevant to the checklist: a restricted firearm flown to a destination range is being transported for a permitted purpose, and the ATT regime below is keyed to those purposes.
The RCMP states that to apply for an Authorization to Transport you must hold a valid Canadian firearms licence permitting that class of firearm, and may apply online through Individual Web Services, by phone at 1-800-731-4000, or by mailing form RCMP 5490.
What the source saysTo apply for an Authorization to Transport, you must have a valid Canadian firearms licence that permits you to have that class of firearm; apply for an Authorization to Transport online by accessing the Individual Web Services ; call the Canadian Firearms Program ( CFP ) at 1-800-731-4000; or send an Application for an Authorization to Transport Restricted Firearms and Prohibited Firearms ( RCMP 5490) to the Canadian Firearms Program of the province/territory where the firearm is located.
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 25 October 2024
FORM NUMBER VERIFIED, NOT GUESSED: RCMP 5490 is confirmed on two separate official pages - here, and in the forms index at https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/firearms-forms-and-reports where it is titled "Application for an Authorization to Transport Restricted Firearms and Prohibited Firearms".
The RCMP states to contact the Chief Firearms Officer of the province where the firearm is located, or of the entry point of the firearm into Canada.
What the source saysContact a Chief Firearms Officer of: the province where the firearm is located, or the entry point of the firearm into Canada
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 25 October 2024
The RCMP states that individuals with restricted or prohibited firearms may have conditions attached to their licences for certain transportation purposes, and to contact the Canadian Firearms Program to confirm whether those conditions are attached.
What the source saysApply online for an Authorization to Transport Restricted or Prohibited Firearms. Individuals with restricted or prohibited firearms may have conditions attached to their licences for certain transportation purposes. To confirm if these conditions are attached to your licence or to apply by phone, contact the Canadian Firearms Program at 1-800-731-4000 (within Canada and the United States) and 1-506-624-6626 (outside of Canada and the United States).
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 27 July 2026
DIRECTLY ANSWERS THE TASK QUESTION "whether it attaches to the licence". Official answer: it MAY, for certain transportation purposes, and the RCMP's own instruction is to phone and confirm rather than assume. The site should reproduce that instruction verbatim and give the phone numbers, because a reader cannot determine their own answer from any published page. This is also the most recently modified RCMP page in this set.
The RCMP states that a borrower of a restricted or prohibited firearm must apply for and be granted an Authorization to Transport before legally transporting it to the place of temporary storage, and that the registration certificate must be lent as well.
What the source saysIf you lend a restricted or prohibited firearm under the second scenario, you must lend the registration certificate as well. The borrower must apply for, and be granted, an Authorization to Transport the firearm before they may legally transport the restricted or prohibited firearm to the place where they will be temporarily storing it.
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 8 June 2026
Edge case worth a line in the checklist: flying with a borrowed restricted firearm needs the borrower's own ATT plus the lent registration certificate.
The RCMP states that an Authorization to Transport is not needed for any firearms that a licensed carrier ships on your behalf, and that the rest of the guidance applies when you transport the firearms personally.
What the source saysYou do not need an Authorization to Transport ( ATT ) for any firearms that a licensed carrier ships on your behalf. If you are transporting the firearms personally, the following information applies.
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 25 October 2024
Potentially important and genuinely ambiguous for air travel: an airline carrying your checked firearm is not obviously "a licensed carrier shipping on your behalf" (that phrase refers to Firearms Act carrier licences). No official page resolves which limb a checked-baggage flight falls under. Flagged as an open question - the site should treat a passenger flying with their own checked firearm as transporting it personally, which is the conservative reading.
Ammunition
This is a storage rule, not permission for a flight
The RCMP says ammunition may share the firearm's locked container. That is about storing it. Airlines commonly require the opposite, and two of the five covered carriers forbid ammunition in the same container entirely. Follow your airline's packing rule.
The RCMP states to store ammunition separately or lock it up, and that it can be stored in the same locked container as the firearms.
What the source saysStore the ammunition separately or lock it up. It can be stored in the same locked container as the firearms.
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 12 November 2024
This is a STORAGE rule, not a transport rule, and airlines commonly require ammunition to be packed separately from the firearm. Do not present the RCMP's "same locked container is fine" as permission on a flight; the airline rule governs. Flagged in SUMMARY.md.
Rules that are changing
The amnesty orders have no published end date
The amnesty orders do not have a fixed end date. Each one runs until the 90th day after Supreme Court of Canada appeals 41858, 41859, 41860 and 41861 are terminated — by discontinuance, judgment or dismissal — and if they end on different days, the clock runs from the latest of them. No decision had been released when this page was last checked. FlyerArms publishes no expiry date because there is none to publish, and it does not calculate one. Newly prohibited firearms may only be transported as the amnesty order provides.
The RCMP states that the March 7, 2025 amendments reclassified certain named firearms and their variants as prohibited, in addition to firearms prohibited on December 5, 2024 and May 1, 2020.
What the source saysOn March 7, 2025, the Government of Canada amended the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited or Restricted (commonly referred to as the "Classification Regulations"). The amendments have the effect of reclassifying certain named firearms and their variants as prohibited. This is in addition to firearms prohibited on December 5, 2024 , and May 1, 2020 .
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 30 October 2026
Three separate prohibition rounds with their own RCMP notice pages, all linked from https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms. The RCMP states the Firearms Reference Table has been updated to reflect the March 7, 2025 classifications.
The RCMP states that, effective immediately, the firearms newly prohibited on March 7, 2025 can no longer be legally used, sold, imported or transferred, and can only be transported as provided in the Amnesty Order.
What the source saysEffective immediately, the newly prohibited firearms can no longer be legally used, sold, imported, or transferred to another individual, and can only be transported as provided in the Amnesty Order.
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 30 October 2026
DIRECTLY AFFECTS TRANSPORT and therefore the site. A firearm that was non-restricted when the owner bought it may now be prohibited, in which case transport is limited to what the Amnesty Order permits and ordinary s.10 transport no longer applies. The RCMP also states these firearms may not be used for hunting or sport shooting unless allowed through the amnesty, which removes the usual reason to fly with one. The site should tell readers to check the Firearms Reference Table for their specific make and model rather than rely on the classification they remember.
The RCMP states that the 2020, 2024 and 2025 Amnesty Orders are set to expire 90 days after the Supreme Court of Canada renders its decision on the appeal challenging the 2020 prohibition of assault-style firearms.
What the source saysThe Amnesty Orders (2020, 2024, 2025) are set to expire 90 days after the Supreme Court of Canada renders its decision on the appeal challenging the 2020 prohibition of assault-style firearms. These amnesty orders protect licensed businesses and individual owners from criminal liability.
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 30 October 2026
TRANSITION FLAG, highest priority for the watcher. This page was modified 2026-10-30, two days before verification, which is why it is flagged. The expiry date is not a date at all - it is keyed to an undelivered Supreme Court of Canada decision, so it can start running at any time. The site must not print a hard expiry date for the amnesty, and any page touching reclassified firearms needs a short re-verification interval.
The RCMP states that a national freeze on the sale, purchase or transfer of handguns by individuals within Canada came into force October 21, 2022 and was codified by legislative amendments in force December 15, 2023, while individuals may continue to possess and use handguns registered to them before October 21, 2022.
What the source saysA national freeze on the sale, purchase or transfer of handguns by individuals within Canada, and on bringing newly acquired handguns into Canada was imposed via regulatory changes that came into force on October 21, 2022. It has since been codified through legislative amendments to the Firearms Act that came into force on December 15, 2023 with the passage of the former Bill C-21. Individuals may continue to possess and use handguns that were registered to them before October 21, 2022, and may sell or transfer their registered handguns to exempted individuals or businesses.
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 8 June 2026
ANSWERS THE TASK'S "handgun-related rules affecting transport" PROBE. The freeze is on sale, purchase, transfer and on bringing NEWLY ACQUIRED handguns into Canada. Nothing on this page restricts TRANSPORT of an already-registered handgun - the ATT regime above governs that, unchanged. The site should say so explicitly, because readers conflate the freeze with a travel ban. The freeze IS relevant to the CBSA re-entry question: see cbsa-exit-reentry.yaml.
Prohibited firearms
The sections above are the transport rules for non-restricted and restricted firearms. Prohibited firearms are governed by SOR/98-209 s.12 instead, and a firearm that became prohibited because an Order in Council reclassified it is governed by the Amnesty Order, which replaces s.12 with its own closed list of permitted purposes and conditions. Both are set out on their own pages.
FlyerArms publishes no flight steps for a prohibited firearm, because no official source sets out a route to fly with one, and it does not decide individual cases. For that, the Canadian Firearms Program is the authority.
- Prohibited firearms: SOR/98-209 s.12
- Firearms prohibited by Order in Council: what the Amnesty Order allows
The RCMP states that an individual may be authorized to possess prohibited firearms only if grandfathered under section 12 of the Firearms Act.
What the source saysYou may be authorized via your licence to possess prohibited firearms only if you have been "grandfathered" under section 12 of the Firearms Act .
Source: rcmp.ca Verified 1 November 2026
Official page last modified: 8 June 2026
Questions the official sources do not answer
These are places where FlyerArms deliberately stops. Official sources are silent or ambiguous, so rather than guess, here is who to ask.