Please be advised that users may be encountering issues while uploading documents and accessing or submitting information on the Canadian Travel Number (CTN) Portal. Our team is currently working on resolving this issue. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience.
There are many reasons why you could face delays or issues when travelling by plane.
If you are not sure why you were delayed or denied boarding at the airport on a recent trip, the first step is to call your air carrier. They may have more information on why you were delayed. Make sure to have your travel identification and ticket numbers ready.
These travel issues may be related and the Passenger Protect Inquiries Office (PPIO) may be able to help resolve them.
Here are some common problems and advice to help prevent them from happening again. These are unrelated to the PPP and the SATA list.
A CTN prevents delays at the airport only for travelers who have a similar name to someone on the Secure Air Travel Act (SATA) list (sometimes called Canada's “No Fly List”).
The CTN is a unique number assigned by the Passenger Protect Program (PPP) to travelers booking flights to, from and/or within Canada. The CTN is used during the SATA list security screening process before boarding a plane. It is used as an extra piece of information to ensure travelers are not accidentally flagged and face delays at the airport.
Please review the information below to determine whether a CTN could help prevent delays at the airport.
When a CTN may help:
When a CTN will not help:
Here are some common problems and advice to help prevent them from happening again. These are unrelated to the PPP and the SATA list.
“I was bumped off my flight.”
“My flight was cancelled.”
“My flight was delayed.”
For more information about your delay, contact customer service for your air carrier.
For information on types of air travel delays and how to file a complaint please consult: the Canadian Transportation Agency and the Air Passenger Protection Regulations
“Every time I travel, I am selected for extra security screening. This is a stressful situation and this causes delays and sometimes missed flights.”
“My bags are searched and this causes me to be delayed or miss my flight.”
For travel within Canada, review what is allowed on a plane, how screening works, and contact/file a complaint if needed: The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority.
Security screening processes in foreign airports may follow different rules. Visit the website of the airport you travel from to find out more about their security requirements.
“I always face delays coming back into Canada.”
There are many reasons you could face delays entering Canada. All travelers arriving in Canada are obligated by Canadian law to present themselves to a border services officer and may be subject to additional examination of their documentation and goods on entry.
For more information on the process involved when crossing the border: Canada Border Services Agency.
“The airline customer service agent said my name on the plane ticket did not match my travel documents.”
“I was not allowed to board my flight due to not having the right travel documents.”
When you book a plane ticket, make sure to enter your name exactly as it appears on the ID that you will use to travel.
We recommend reviewing the documents required to travel: Travel.gc.ca.
“When I check in at the airport the customer service agent says I'm not allowed to board my flight, but I don't know why.”
If you were denied boarding but did not receive a letter or explanation, contact customer service for your air carrier. Make sure to have your travel identification and ticket numbers ready.
Applying for a CTN is free and voluntary. A CTN is not mandatory for travel, and is used only as an additional piece of information to help prevent SATA-related delays when traveling by air to, from and/or within Canada.
You can apply for a CTN for yourself or your child(ren). You must be 16 years of age or older to submit an application. If you are a parent or a legal guardian/tutor, you may submit an application on behalf of your child(ren) if they are 15 years of age or younger.
To apply online, read the information below and launch the application.
If you are not able to apply online, please contact the Passenger Protect Inquiries Office (PPIO) about how you can apply by mail.
Gather the identification documents (ID) below and follow the instructions to scan or take photos of them. You will be asked to upload the images when you fill out the application.
For a full list of acceptable ID see the Travel Documents page.
The CTN application uses GCKey and Government Sign-in by Interac for authentication for you to securely sign into your account. When the CTN application is launched, you will be asked to sign-in using one of the two methods.
Once signed in, create your CTN account by providing the requested information and accepting the privacy disclaimer. With your account, you can prepare and submit an application for a CTN for yourself and/or your child(ren). Your application will be saved and can be accessed any time.
When you access your account you will be able to:
During the application process, your information will continue to save every time you click on ‘next' and go to the following screen. You can pause your application process and restart any time by coming back to the the CTN Account login page. Every time you access your account you will need to sign in using GCKey or Government Sign-in by Interac. Remember the method you used to sign in and keep your username and password handy.
To learn more about what happens after you have submitted your application, consult I already applied for a Canadian Travel Number.