How to Complain to the Canadian Transportation Agency About Air Travel in Canada
Complain to the Canadian Transportation Agency about air travel: contact the airline first, file the CTA complaint, and follow the 90-day decision process.
How to Start Applying for a Canadian Travel Number (CTN) in Canada
Apply for a Canadian Travel Number in Canada: who it helps, the two identification documents, the GCKey sign-in, the 3-to-6-week processing time, and how to use the number when booking a flight.
Applies in: CA
The Canadian Travel Number (CTN) is a unique number assigned by the Passenger Protect Program to a traveller booking flights to, from, or within Canada. Public Safety Canada runs the program under the Secure Air Travel Act, and the CTN exists for one narrow purpose: helping a traveller whose name is the same as, or similar to, the name of someone on the Secure Air Travel Act list avoid being flagged by mistake at check-in. It is free, it is voluntary, and it is not a travel document. Read the limits on this page before you apply, because a CTN will not fix most reasons a trip gets delayed.
Check first whether a CTN fits the delay
Start with the cause, not the form. If you are not sure why you were delayed or denied boarding on a recent trip, Public Safety Canada says the first step is to call your air carrier, which may hold more information about why you were delayed. Have your travel identification and ticket numbers ready when you call.
A CTN prevents delays at the airport only for travellers who have a similar name to someone on the Secure Air Travel Act list, sometimes called Canada's "No Fly List." The Do I need a CTN page lists the signs that point toward a name-match problem: you could not check in online, you could not print a boarding pass at the airport kiosk, or an airline customer service agent asked you to step aside and wait while they called someone before handing over your boarding pass. Those are signs, not proof. They mean a CTN may help.
The same page lists the cases where a CTN will not help. It will not help if you were not allowed to board the plane, if you were not travelling to, from, or within Canada, if your name is similar to or on another country's security list, or if the issue sits with immigration, customs, or airline customer service. A CTN also will not help with expired, incomplete, or inaccurate travel documents, with amendments to travel records, or with biometric record issues. Flight delays and cancellations, extra security screening, and delays entering Canada are named on that page as unrelated problems, each with its own place to raise it. If your delay falls in any of those groups, applying for a CTN spends effort on the wrong fix.
Do not treat a CTN as a substitute for sorting out the underlying problem. If you were denied boarding and received a letter from the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness explaining a right to request recourse, that letter points to a separate process for removal from the Secure Air Travel Act list. Recourse is distinct from a CTN application, and the Passenger Protect pages describe it as a separate route. This guide does not describe the recourse steps, because that process sits outside the CTN application official pages for it.
Gather the identification documents
Before opening the application, gather the identification documents and follow the instructions to scan or photograph them. You will be asked to upload the images while filling out the application.
Public Safety Canada requires two identification documents per person applying. Each must be acceptable for travel and valid for at least six months after the application is submitted. Provide clear colour copies or photos of the identification you use when travelling, showing front and back. Where the document is a passport, include the biometric and signature pages as well as the middle binding pages. If you have a valid passport, Public Safety Canada strongly recommends including a copy of it with the application. For the full list of acceptable identification, see the Travel Documents page.
If you are applying on behalf of a child or children aged 15 or younger, include a copy of a proof of parentage document, such as a birth certificate. The age rule for submitting is strict: you must be 16 years of age or older to submit an application, and a parent or a legal guardian or tutor may submit on behalf of a child aged 15 or younger. Keep that split separate from a different age rule later in this guide, about confirming that a child is not on the list.
Create a CTN account and submit the application
The CTN application uses GCKey and Government Sign-in by Interac for authentication. When the application launches, you will be asked to sign in using one of those two methods. Remember which method you used, and keep your username and password handy, because every return visit to your account requires the same sign-in.
Once signed in, create your CTN account by providing the requested information and accepting the privacy disclaimer. With the account, you can prepare and submit an application for yourself, for your child or children, or for both. Your information saves every time you click "next" and move to the following screen, and you can pause the application and restart it later by returning to the CTN account login page. The application will be saved and can be accessed at any time.
Applying for a CTN is free. If you are not able to apply online, contact the Passenger Protect Inquiries Office about how you can apply by mail. Do not send identification documents to an address you found somewhere other than the official contact page linked in Sources.
Track the application and use the number
You can log in to your CTN account and check the status of your application at any time. The already-applied page names five statuses. Submitted means the application has been received. Under Review means the application is being reviewed. Processed means the review is complete and you will receive your CTN by email. More information required means the office will contact you by email to ask for more information, and the application stays on hold until that information is provided. Suspended, including Suspended (no consent), means consent is required to apply for or use a CTN, and you will receive an email asking for more information.
There is no way to hurry the queue. CTN applications are processed on a first come, first served basis, and the Passenger Protect Inquiries Office will not expedite one for an upcoming trip. When the CTN Office has all the necessary information to process an application, you can expect to receive a CTN within approximately three to six weeks, by email. The office will not give a status update by email or phone; the CTN portal holds the most up-to-date information.
When booking flights to, from, or within Canada, travellers will be offered the option to provide a CTN if the air carrier has transitioned to the new government-controlled centralized screening system. Enter the number in the carrier or travel agency online reservation system, use it at the airport when booking, or add it to a flight you have already booked. Before the flight, centralized screening checks all passengers against the Secure Air Travel Act list. Along with other personal information, including names, dates of birth, and gender, the CTN helps confirm identity during that check, so a legitimate passenger with a similar name to someone on the list is less likely to face a delay tied to the Passenger Protect Program.
If delays continue, or you need a different answer
A CTN reaching you does not end every check-in problem. If you continue to experience delays while using a CTN, Public Safety Canada notes that many reasons unrelated to the Secure Air Travel Act list can cause delays or prevent boarding, and airlines and other countries have their own security lists and rules for screening travellers. Go back to the air carrier first for the reason in the specific case, and use the route that matches that reason.
The Passenger Protect Inquiries Office has sharp limits on what it can confirm. For security and privacy reasons, the Secure Air Travel Act prevents Public Safety Canada and its partners from disclosing whether someone is on, or is not on, the list. That bar covers adults. For a child aged 17 and under who is often delayed when checking in, the office can confirm if the child is not on the list. It cannot confirm if a child is on the list, or whether a child has a similar name to someone on the list, because that disclosure is prohibited by law. Contact the office through the contact page only for questions about the Passenger Protect Program. The office states it will not reply to emails or mail about issues unrelated to the program, such as lost baggage or flight cancellations; those belong with the Canadian Transportation Agency or the carrier.
Finally, keep the CTN separate from NEXUS in your own planning. No page draws a joint comparison between the two programs, and this guide does not invent one. The CTN pages describe the number only in Secure Air Travel Act screening terms. NEXUS is a separate program with a separate application, covered in the NEXUS guide. Applying for one does not apply for the other, and holding one does not replace the other.
Figures cut or left unverified
Some figures and rules are deliberately not stated in this guide, because they could not be verified on a current official Public Safety Canada page. Do not rely on any figure below unless you confirm it on the current Public Safety Canada pages first. A validity period or expiry date for a CTN was not stated, because no official page states one. A renewal process for a CTN was not stated, because no official page describes one. A list of air carriers that accept CTNs was not stated, because no official page publishes one; the already-applied page says travellers will be offered the option where a carrier has transitioned to centralized screening, and its end-of-2022 readiness date was not carried because that date has passed. The full list of acceptable identification documents was not reproduced, because the CTN page points to the Travel Documents page for that list rather than publishing it. The contents of the application form beyond account creation, document upload, and status tracking were not stated, because no official page lists the form fields. Operational notices shown on the CTN portal were not carried, because they describe a current system state rather than a lasting rule. If any of these figures is needed, verify it on the current Public Safety Canada CTN pages before relying on it.
Related guides:
- How to Start Applying for NEXUS in Canada — the separate trusted-traveller program, with its own application, fee, and interview steps.
- How to Start Applying for a Canadian Passport in Canada — the passport application, including guarantor and photo rules and current in-Canada fees.
- How to Start a Travel Agency Business in Canada — the business route, including provincial registration for agencies that sell travel.
Applying for a Canadian Travel Number, in five steps
- Check whether a CTN fits the delayA CTN helps only when a similar name to someone on the Secure Air Travel Act list is causing check-in delays.
- Gather two identification documentsTwo IDs per person, valid for at least six months after you submit. A valid passport is strongly recommended.
- Sign in and create a CTN accountUse GCKey or Government Sign-in by Interac, then provide the requested information and accept the privacy disclaimer.
- Submit and track the applicationApplying is free. Expect about three to six weeks once the CTN Office has all the information it needs.
- Enter the number when you bookAdd the CTN in the carrier or travel agency reservation system, at the airport, or to a flight already booked.
Questions people ask
Do I need a Canadian Travel Number to fly in Canada?
No. A CTN is not mandatory for travel. Public Safety Canada describes it as free and voluntary, used only as an extra piece of information to help prevent delays tied to the Secure Air Travel Act list when you travel by air to, from, or within Canada. Most travellers will never need one.
Is a Canadian Travel Number the same as NEXUS?
No. They are separate programs with separate applications, and this guide covers only the CTN. A CTN is a number used in Secure Air Travel Act screening to tell you apart from a listed person with a similar name. It is not presented by Public Safety Canada as a trusted-traveller membership, and it does not help with delays at customs, immigration, or security screening. For the separate NEXUS program, see the NEXUS guide linked below.
Can I apply for a CTN for my child?
Yes, in the age split Public Safety Canada states. You must be 16 years of age or older to submit an application. A parent or a legal guardian or tutor may submit an application on behalf of a child who is 15 years of age or younger, and must include a copy of a proof of parentage document, such as a birth certificate. Do not confuse this with the separate child-list confirmation the Passenger Protect Inquiries Office can give for a child aged 17 and under, described later in this guide.
What identification documents do I need for a CTN application?
Gather two identification documents for each person applying. Each must be acceptable for travel and valid for at least six months after you submit the application. Provide clear colour copies or photos of the identification you use when travelling, front and back. For a passport, include the biometric and signature pages as well as the middle binding pages. If you hold a valid passport, Public Safety Canada strongly recommends including a copy of it. Check the Travel Documents page linked in Sources for the full list of acceptable identification.
How long does a CTN application take, and can it be sped up?
When the CTN Office has all the information it needs, expect to receive a CTN within approximately three to six weeks, by email. Applications are processed on a first come, first served basis, and the Passenger Protect Inquiries Office states plainly that it cannot expedite one because a CTN is neither required nor mandatory for travel. You can log in to your CTN account at any time to check the status, which will show as Submitted, Under Review, Processed, More information required, or Suspended.
How do I use a CTN once I receive it?
Enter it in the air carrier or travel agency online reservation system when booking a flight to, from, or within Canada. You can also use it at the airport when booking, or add it to a flight you have already booked. At screening, the number is used alongside your name, date of birth, and gender to confirm your identity against the Secure Air Travel Act list. If delays continue while you use a CTN, remember that airlines and other countries keep their own lists and rules, and those delays sit outside what a CTN addresses.
Sources
- Public Safety Canada, Canadian Travel Number (CTN) — what a CTN is, that it helps only travellers with a similar name to someone on the Secure Air Travel Act list, that it will not help with other travel delays, and that it is not mandatory for travel.
- Public Safety Canada, Do I need a CTN? — calling the air carrier first, the signs a CTN may help, the cases it will not help, the free and voluntary application, the 16 and 15 age split, the two identification documents valid for six months, the GCKey and Interac sign-in, and the mail route through the Passenger Protect Inquiries Office.
- Public Safety Canada, I already applied for a Canadian Travel Number — the five application statuses, receiving the CTN by email, using the number when booking or on a flight already booked, and centralized screening against the Secure Air Travel Act list.
- Public Safety Canada, Contact the Passenger Protect Inquiries Office (PPIO) — the office's scope, the three-to-six-week processing time, no expediting, no status updates by the office, the bar on confirming whether an adult is on the list, and confirming only that a child aged 17 and under is not on the list.
- Public Safety Canada, Documents Needed for Travel — the identification documents page the CTN page points to for the full list of acceptable identification, including the rule that the name on identification must match the name on the ticket and boarding pass.
- Public Safety Canada, How the Passenger Protect Program Works — the program's service list, including the CTN route, the separate recourse route, and the child-list confirmation route.