Apply for a federal cannabis licence through Health Canada's Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System, from GCKey or Sign-in Partner access and local-authority notices through security clearances, the site evidence package, licence management and renewal, with provincial retail licensing kept separate.
Applies in: CA
The Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System (CTLS) is Health Canada's secure web portal for federal cannabis and industrial hemp licensing. It is where you submit new licence applications or permits, manage current licences, and report on licensed activities, as set out in Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System: User guide. This guide covers only the CTLS mechanics Health Canada states: choosing a licence class, getting CTLS access, preparing the application, submitting it, and then managing and renewing the licence. It gives no business advice. Health Canada states that it gives the cannabis licence requirements but will not give advice about a business model or infrastructure, in Cannabis cultivation, processing, sale for medical purposes: Before you start applying for a licence. Where the Health Canada pages and the legislation differ, the legislation is correct, and where the CTLS and the Health Canada pages differ, the pages are correct, on the same pages. Read the Cannabis Act and the Cannabis Regulations alongside this guide.
Keep the federal and provincial processes separate from the start. The CTLS covers the federal classes listed in step 1. It does not cover a retail store. Provincial and territorial governments authorize and licence the retail sale of cannabis for non-medical purposes, while the federal government authorizes and licences cultivation, processing and sale for medical purposes, according to Industry roles and responsibilities under the Cannabis Act. Do not blend provincial retail steps into a CTLS application, and do not treat a federal CTLS licence as a retail licence.
All cannabis and industrial hemp licences use the CTLS, including micro-cultivation, nursery and standard cultivation, micro-processing and standard processing, sale for medical purposes, analytical testing, research, cannabis drug licence, and industrial hemp, according to Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System: User guide. The detailed application pages cover micro-cultivation, nursery and standard cultivation, micro-processing and standard processing, and sale for medical purposes, in Cannabis cultivation, processing, sale for medical purposes: Overview of the licence application process. For analytical testing, research, cannabis drug and industrial hemp licences, the user guide points to separate application information for each class, so follow the class-specific pages rather than assuming the cultivation and processing checklist applies unchanged.
Base the choice on what you want to do with cannabis and how you want to sell it, because the licence type determines the information you will have to submit, as Cannabis cultivation, processing, sale for medical purposes: Before you start applying for a licence states. Certain combinations of licences are not permitted at the same site, on the same page, so check the combination before preparing a site for two classes. A cultivation licence allows growing indoors and outdoors by cultivating, propagating and harvesting, while a processing licence allows processing harvested cannabis and industrial hemp and does not allow growing, according to Information for new cannabis licence holders: Cultivation, processing or sale for medical purposes licences. Sale for medical purposes has two forms, with possession and without possession, and the without-possession form does not need local-authority notices or a site evidence package, as set out in Cannabis cultivation, processing, sale for medical purposes: Overview of the licence application process.
Two exclusions decide whether to proceed at all. You cannot register for personal or designated production of cannabis for medical purposes in the CTLS, according to the user guide. And you cannot start any cannabis activities until you have received the licence, even if the site is built and the application is submitted, on the overview page. If either exclusion applies to what you planned, stop here and use the correct route instead of forcing the application into the CTLS.
Access to the CTLS is through a GCKey or a Sign-in Partner, and a GCKey or Sign-in Partner credential alone is not a CTLS account. Getting started guide: Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System (CTLS) sets out three steps: access the CTLS through a GCKey or a Service Partner who provides sign-in partner credentials, request an Access Code to the system, and redeem the Access Code Health Canada sends by email. If you already have a GCKey for other Government of Canada services, you can use the same GCKey and do not need to create a new one, and you will not be able to log in to the CTLS until you have an active registered GCKey or Sign-in Partner account and password, on the same guide. You can access the CTLS directly or through the Health Canada website, on the same guide.
Registering for a new CTLS account means completing the account details Health Canada lists: language preference, salutation, given names, surname, email, phone number, date of birth, and three distinct security questions with answers only you will know, according to the getting started guide. After registering you will see a pending verification screen and will receive an Access Code by email in approximately 2 to 3 days, and the guide repeats that you should allow 2 to 3 business days for Health Canada to process the request. To redeem the code, sign in with your GCKey or Partner credentials, accept the terms and conditions of use, enter the access code, and select Redeem, on the same guide. Requesting access is a one-time activity provided you log in at least once every five years, otherwise the account expires and you must re-create an account. Record your CTLS Account ID from the Account page at the top of that page, because other people need it to add you to an application, on the same guide.
If you are applying as a corporation, a cooperative or a partnership, create a corporate profile in the CTLS before applying, as Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System: User guide requires. The person who creates the corporate profile is the administrative authority and is the only one who can make changes to the profile, and if that person leaves the organization the profile can be transferred to a new administrative authority by using the Transfer button and adding the new authority's account ID, on the same page.
Send written notices to local authorities before you apply, unless you are applying only for a sale for medical purposes licence without possession, for which this step does not apply. Cannabis cultivation, processing, sale for medical purposes: Before you start applying for a licence requires a written notice to the senior official of the local police force or Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment, the local fire authority, and local government for the area of the proposed site. The notice must contain the applicant name, the date you expect to submit the licence application, the licence class and subclass applied for, the cannabis activities expected under the licences, the proposed site address and the address of each building within the site if applicable, and the name and contact information of the responsible person or alternate responsible person. Collect from each authority the date the notice was sent and the senior official's name, title, phone number, email and address, because copies of the notices and that information must be submitted in the licence application. Before preparing the site, check whether municipal by-laws allow operating a site for cannabis-related activities, and comply with provincial or territorial laws and municipal laws, by-laws and policies such as zoning, building permits, electrical and fire safety, and nuisance control for odour, noise and light, on the same page.
Prepare the site as fully built. The site must be fully built and meet all requirements when the licence application is submitted, including a site evidence package showing an operational and functional site, except for Indigenous affiliated applicants requesting a 2-stage review, according to the before-you-start page. Licences are site specific: if licensed activities will take place at more than one site, submit a separate licence application for each site, on the same page. Self-identification as an Indigenous affiliated applicant is optional, and Indigenous affiliated applicants may ask for a 2-stage review that lets them start applying without a fully built site, with a first in-depth review before the site is fully built and a second after the site evidence package is submitted once the site is built, on the same page. There is a section in the CTLS to identify the application as Indigenous affiliated, and the Indigenous Navigator Service reaches out after submission.
Identify every person before starting the application, and have each person's CTLS account ID ready. Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System: User guide states that before starting an application you should have a list of all personnel with their names, roles and CTLS account IDs, and that the site personnel page will not be marked complete without at least one person in all required roles. The roles to identify include key site personnel (responsible person, head of security, master grower for cultivation licences, and quality assurance person for processing licences), people with direct control, associated individuals, and key investors, as described in Cannabis cultivation, processing, sale for medical purposes: Before you start applying for a licence. The responsible person is required for all licences, has authority to bind the licence holder, is responsible for the activities under the licence, is the official point of contact with Health Canada and through the CTLS, and is responsible for submitting the licence application in the CTLS. Each identified person needs to create their own CTLS account and give you their CTLS account ID, and key site personnel need a security clearance if they do not already have one, on the same page.
Prepare the information in two groups: information submitted into the CTLS, and the site evidence package. For cultivation, processing and sale for medical purposes with possession, the CTLS information includes corporate documents for a corporation, cooperative or partnership, site details, identified people, site ownership and consent where another person or organization owns the site, the organizational security plan, the good production practices report, record keeping, a key investor report or key investor attestation, and, for cultivation licences, the source of starting material, as listed in Cannabis cultivation, processing, sale for medical purposes: Overview of the licence application process. For sale for medical purposes licences, the record keeping material includes proposed record keeping methods, medical document verification, an example registration document, examples of client orders and refusals, and the process to limit quantities of 150 g of dried cannabis or its equivalent amount per order, on the same page. For sale for medical purposes without possession, the CTLS information follows a shorter checklist on the same page, without a site evidence package. Health Canada recommends a document naming convention for submitted information, generally following the layout shown on the overview page, and following it helps Health Canada process the application more efficiently.
Time the security clearances to the licence submission. Applications for security clearances must be submitted in the CTLS, according to Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System: User guide. Identified people must submit their security clearance applications, if applicable, no more than 1 month before the licence application is submitted, and Health Canada can only issue a licence after granting all linked security clearances, as stated in Cannabis cultivation, processing, sale for medical purposes: Before you start applying for a licence. Submitting too far in advance can make a clearance application outdated and cause delays. A person can hold more than one role, for more than one licence, at more than one site, using the same CTLS account and the same security clearance application, on the same page, provided they can fulfil the duties at each site.
Know the fee names before submitting, without relying on any amount in this guide. You will have to pay a licence application-screening fee for each new application, security clearance application fees for each security clearance application, and, once licensed, an annual regulatory fee for each site, according to the before-you-start page. The fees for micro-cultivation, nursery and micro-processing licences are lower than the fees for other types of licences, security clearance fees are non-refundable, and payment does not guarantee that a licence will be issued or clearances granted, on the same page. A sale for medical purposes licence holder may be exempt from the annual regulatory fee if they only sell cannabis to registered medical patients during that year and meet certain requirements, on the same page; the detailed exemption criteria are not stated in this guide and are named in the unverified-figures paragraph below. Depending on the licence type, you will also need a cannabis licence from the Canada Revenue Agency, and you should submit the CRA licence application at the same time as the Health Canada licence application, on the same page.
Create the application in the CTLS in the order the user guide gives. To create an application, click Licensing, click Licence applications, click New licence applications, select the appropriate licence or permit, and click Save and next to create the application, according to Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System: User guide. Draft applications can be saved and edited or deleted from the same page, and submitted applications can be tracked on the Licence applications page as Health Canada processes them. Use the index button at the bottom of the page to view the application sections: a green check mark means all mandatory fields in a section are filled, and a red exclamation mark means a section is incomplete. You will not be able to submit an incomplete application, and a message will tell you which sections are incomplete. Once submitted, the application moves from the Draft licence application section to the Submitted licence application section. To add people, enter the individual's CTLS Account ID, select Validate, confirm the name displayed, select the role, and save, on the same page. Upload documents only in the file formats the CTLS supports, including PDF for any file and the text, presentation, image and spreadsheet formats listed on the user guide page, converting anything else first, and check the document number and size limits shown in each upload area in the CTLS, because those limits are stated there rather than on the guide page.
Submit the site evidence package promptly after the CTLS submission. The site evidence package must be received by Health Canada within 10 business days of the licence submission in the CTLS, according to the checklist in Cannabis cultivation, processing, sale for medical purposes: Overview of the licence application process. The process diagram on the same page shortens this to within 10 days after submitting the application in the CTLS, so treat 10 days as the safe deadline and do not rely on the longer wording. For all licences the package includes the site plan, floor plans, a description of the physical barrier and site design, a description of restricted access measures, and a guided video tour, with additional physical security material that differs between micro-class licences and standard cultivation, standard processing and sale for medical purposes with possession licences, on the same page. Micro-class site evidence differs mainly in the physical security requirements, and the standard-class package adds visual monitoring device detail, intrusion detection device detail, and the standard-class physical security attestation. The without-possession sale for medical purposes licence does not need a site evidence package, as stated in step 1.
After submission, pay the fees, let Health Canada process the security clearances and submitted information, respond to information requests, and wait for the decision, in that order, according to Cannabis cultivation, processing, sale for medical purposes: Overview of the licence application process. Health Canada may require more information to process the application, and if the requested information is not submitted the Minister may refuse to consider the application, on the same page. Track the submitted application on the Licence applications page in the CTLS, where its status is shown as it is processed, according to Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System: User guide. For questions about a specific licence application, the overview page directs applicants to email Health Canada with the Licence application ID found in the CTLS; this guide does not reproduce the address, because the contact page is the authoritative source for the current address. Do not start cannabis activities while waiting. You can only start after receiving the licence, and activities can be restricted even after issuance, on the overview page.
Once the licence is issued, complete the starting checks before producing anything. You must have both a CRA licence and a Health Canada licence before you start to produce cannabis products, except that a CRA licence is not required for sale for medical purposes licences, according to Information for new cannabis licence holders: Cultivation, processing or sale for medical purposes licences. The licensed site is the site address submitted in the CTLS and is the only location where authorized cannabis activities may take place, on the same page. Within 30 days of the issuance of the licence, send written notice to a senior official of the local government, the local fire authority, and the local police force or RCMP detachment, except for a sale for medical purposes licence without possession, on the same page. Check the licence document itself for the licence number, licence holder name, licence type, authorized activities, any conditions Health Canada placed on the licence, authorized areas, effective date and expiry date, because conditions may restrict the authorized activities at the site, on the same page. The effective date is the first day authorized activities may start, and licences can be issued and renewed for a maximum validity period of 5 years.
Only the responsible person or alternate responsible person can make changes to a licence in the CTLS. To manage a licence or permit, click Licensing, click Licences, and click the Manage button in the Actions column next to the licence, according to Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System: User guide. How changes are submitted depends on the class: cultivation, processing or sale for medical purposes licences and cannabis import and export permits follow the linked CTLS change pages, while analytical testing, research and cannabis drug licences use the email route named on the user guide page, and industrial hemp licences use the hemp email route named there. If you want to make changes to a licence, submit a change request or apply for licence renewal, which can include changing site personnel or the site plan, changing activities at the site, renewing the licence, or changing ownership, according to Information for new cannabis licence holders: Cultivation, processing or sale for medical purposes licences. The responsible person needs to be the one acting on those changes, as the user guide requires for licence changes generally.
Meet the reporting duties through the CTLS. Most required cannabis or industrial hemp reporting must be submitted in the CTLS, including cannabis tracking reports, cannabis health care practitioners reports, key investor reports, statements of cannabis revenue, notice of cultivation reports and THC test result reports for industrial hemp, medical exemption requests where exempt from the annual regulatory fee, and shipment endorsements within 15 days of importing or exporting, according to the user guide. Holders of a processing licence can also use the Notice of new cannabis products section to submit notices and view previous notices. Site evaluations completed by Health Canada can be accessed in the CTLS, and where Health Canada has requested a response, submit the response, such as a corrective action plan or supporting documents, in the CTLS by the date shown under Response expected by; a submitted response cannot have files added or removed afterwards, on the same page.
Renew on the CTLS timetable, not at expiry. The option to renew appears in the CTLS 4 months before the licence expires, Health Canada encourages applying as soon as the option appears, and Health Canada needs to receive the renewal application at least 3 months before expiry, according to Manage your cannabis cultivation, processing or sale for medical purposes licence: Renew your licence. Start the renewal process at least 3 months before expiry, on the new licence holders page. Before renewing, pay the annual regulatory fee and any outstanding fees, resolve any reporting non-compliances such as monthly reporting or key investor reports, and ensure the CRA licence is active, on the renewal page. Security clearances required for the licence must be valid at renewal, the option to renew a security clearance is available in the CTLS 180 days before its expiry date, and a renewal may be affected if key personnel, partners, directors and officers of the licence holder and parent company are missing clearances. Health Canada may inspect the site to verify compliance, may ask for information to plan the inspection, and a non-compliant inspection rating may affect renewal, and Health Canada can request financial information such as the most recent key investor report after the renewal change request is submitted, on the same page. The renewal requires updated information including the updated organizational security plan, the updated organizational chart, and the currently approved site plan and floor plans, with the site and floor plan detail the renewal page lists. Send notices to local authorities within 30 days of receiving the renewed licence, on the same page. If the licence expires without renewal, stop all activities on the expiry date. If you do not want to renew, follow the instructions on how to revoke the licence, on the same page.
No. The CTLS licence classes listed in [Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System: User guide](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/cannabis-regulations-licensed-producers/cannabis-tracking-licensing-system-user-guide.html) are micro-cultivation, nursery and standard cultivation, micro-processing and standard processing, sale for medical purposes, analytical testing, research, cannabis drug licence and industrial hemp. No retail store class is listed. [Industry roles and responsibilities under the Cannabis Act](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/resources/roles-responsibilities-under-cannabis-act.html) states that provincial and territorial governments authorize and licence the retail sale of cannabis for non-medical purposes, while the federal government authorizes and licences cultivation, processing and sale for medical purposes. A retail store is therefore a separate provincial or territorial process, not a CTLS application.
Yes. [Getting started guide: Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System (CTLS)](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/health/publications/drugs-health-products/getting-started-cannabis-tracking-licensing-system.html) states that requesting access has three steps: access the CTLS through a GCKey or a Service Partner who provides sign-in partner credentials, request an Access Code, and redeem the Access Code Health Canada sends by email. If you already have a GCKey for other Government of Canada services you can use the same GCKey. After registering you will receive an Access Code by email in approximately 2 to 3 days, and the same guide says to allow 2 to 3 business days for Health Canada to process your request. Requesting access is a one-time activity provided you log in at least once every five years, otherwise your account will expire and you will need to re-create an account.
No more than 1 month before you submit the licence application. [Cannabis cultivation, processing, sale for medical purposes: Before you start applying for a licence](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/industry-licensees-applicants/licensing-summary/before-you-start-applying-cultivation-processing-sale-medical.html) states that Health Canada can only issue a licence after granting all linked security clearances, and that people who need a security clearance should submit their application no more than 1 month before you submit your licence application, because submitting too far in advance can make the application outdated and cause delays. Security clearance applications must be submitted in the CTLS, according to [Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System: User guide](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/cannabis-regulations-licensed-producers/cannabis-tracking-licensing-system-user-guide.html). Do not treat a clearance submitted months early as ready; time it to the licence submission.
No dollar amounts are stated in this guide, because none was verified on an official Health Canada page; the amounts are not stated here and are named in the unverified-figures paragraph at the end. The fee names are verified: [Cannabis cultivation, processing, sale for medical purposes: Before you start applying for a licence](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/industry-licensees-applicants/licensing-summary/before-you-start-applying-cultivation-processing-sale-medical.html) states that you will have to pay a licence application-screening fee for each new application, with lower fees for micro-cultivation, nursery and micro-processing licences than for other types, security clearance application fees for each security clearance application, which are non-refundable and do not guarantee that a licence will be issued or clearances granted, and an annual regulatory fee for each site once you are a licence holder. Before you renew, you must pay your annual regulatory fee and any outstanding fees or Health Canada will not process the renewal, according to [Manage your cannabis cultivation, processing or sale for medical purposes licence: Renew your licence](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/industry-licensees-applicants/manage-licence-cultivation-processing-sale-medical-purposes/renew.html).
The renewal option appears in the CTLS 4 months before your licence expires, and Health Canada needs to receive your renewal application at least 3 months before expiry, because sending it later may cause the licence to expire before processing finishes, according to [Manage your cannabis cultivation, processing or sale for medical purposes licence: Renew your licence](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/industry-licensees-applicants/manage-licence-cultivation-processing-sale-medical-purposes/renew.html). You must renew before the expiry date to continue activities. If your licence expires you are no longer authorized to conduct the activities set out in the licence and you need to stop all activities on the expiry date; if you do not, Health Canada may take action or inform law enforcement. Security clearances required for the licence must be valid at renewal, and the option to renew a security clearance is available in the CTLS 180 days before its expiry date. Before renewing you must also pay the annual regulatory fee and outstanding fees, resolve reporting non-compliances, and ensure your Canada Revenue Agency licence is active.
No to both. [Cannabis cultivation, processing, sale for medical purposes: Overview of the licence application process](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/industry-licensees-applicants/licensing-summary/overview-application-cultivation-processing-sale-medical.html) states that you can only start your cannabis activities after you have received your licence from Health Canada, and that even after issuance your activities can be restricted. [Information for new cannabis licence holders: Cultivation, processing or sale for medical purposes licences](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/industry-licensees-applicants/information-new-licence-holders-cultivation-processing-sale-medical-purposes.html) states that the effective date on the licence is the first day you can start your authorized activities, and that licences can be issued and renewed for a maximum validity period of 5 years. [Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System: User guide](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/cannabis-regulations-licensed-producers/cannabis-tracking-licensing-system-user-guide.html) states plainly that you cannot register for personal or designated production of cannabis for medical purposes in the CTLS, so that route is not a CTLS application at all.
The following figures and details are not stated in this guide because they could not be verified on an official Health Canada page, and this guide states no amount for any of them: every dollar amount for the licence application-screening fee, including the lower micro-cultivation, nursery and micro-processing amounts, every dollar amount for security clearance application fees and for import or export permit fees, and every dollar amount and rate for the annual regulatory fee; the payment methods for any of those fees; the detailed criteria for the annual regulatory fee exemption for sale for medical purposes licence holders beyond selling only to registered medical patients and meeting certain requirements; the numeric grow surface area limits and possession limits for micro-cultivation, nursery and micro-processing licences; any overall processing timeline or service standard for a licence decision; the validity period and processing time for a security clearance, as distinct from the verified 180-day renewal option in the CTLS and the verified rule against submitting more than 1 month before the licence application; and the delivery methods for the site evidence package. Check the Health Canada pages linked above before relying on any of those points.