How long does a Transport Canada medical renewal take

[travelisfun]

How many months does it take for Transport Canada to renew a category 1 medical? Does it take as long as getting a brand new medical?

[Pilotdaddy]

It's instantaneous as soon as your doctor stamps your ADB.

[scdriver]

It is instant as the last poster said, but they sure take their sweet time sending you the medical processing fee. They still haven't sent me one for my medical in fall 2021

[PilotDAR]

It's instantaneous as soon as your doctor stamps your ADB

Not really. The doctor stamps and signs that you have passed the examination, the doctor does not

issue the medical

- TC does. Generally, TC issues because they receive the doctor's okay for your exam, but, not always! Speaking from extremely unpleasant experience, the TC doctor can restrict (or rescind, I suppose) your medical nearly a year after your doctor passed and stamped exam - 'been there, had that! And, upon satisfying TC that I was fit, the TC doctor didn't seem in a rush to get me fully CAT1'd again.

The one nice experience in the whole mess was that after finally receiving the all clear from the TC doctor, he included a remark that he had advised Personnel Licensing, and they would be in touch in a few weeks with new stickers. Within an hour of receiving that email, I had a second email from Personnel Licensing with pdf's of my three stickers, and authorization to use them while the originals were in the mail, which was less than a week. Full points to Personnel Licensing, not too many points to the TC doctor.... .

[photofly]

Well, you’re both right. The renewal is valid from the time the CAME stamps your booklet, unless and until TC writes to tell you otherwise. You can exercise the privileges of your licence up until that time.

[PilotDAR]

You can exercise the privileges of your licence up until that time.

Mostly yes, except (from bad experience) you cannot assert back to TC that you "have the medical" until they have sent you the sticker. I was refused writing my commercial written exam many years ago, for lack of the TC sticker for a CAT 1. I had the CAME stamp, literally from that same morning, but TC asserted that was "not the medical", so I could not write - and zero flexibility on that! I got the sticker weeks later, then wrote.

It was for the better, as I was so fussed with the dispute as to having a CAT 1 or not, I would not have written well. I did learn what word is not tolerated in a TC office though! Fair enough, that TC staff member should not have to listen to my frustration with another!

[JasonE]

It seems they are at least prioritizing CAT1 over CAT3. 3 years since my last one was processed now.

[scdriver]

You can exercise the privileges of your licence up until that time.

Mostly yes, except (from bad experience) you cannot assert back to TC that you "have the medical" until they have sent you the sticker. I was refused writing my commercial written exam many years ago, for lack of the TC sticker for a CAT 1. I had the CAME stamp, literally from that same morning, but TC asserted that was "not the medical", so I could not write - and zero flexibility on that! I got the sticker weeks later, then wrote.

It was for the better, as I was so fussed with the dispute as to having a CAT 1 or not, I would not have written well. I did learn what word is not tolerated in a TC office though! Fair enough, that TC staff member should not have to listen to my frustration with another!

But if you have a cat1 sticker in your book, then each renewal you don’t get another one, just the stamp so therefore you “have the medical” no?

[digits_]

I did learn what word is not tolerated in a TC office though!another!

"level of service" ?

[PilotDAR]

But if you have a cat1 sticker in your book, then each renewal you don’t get another one, just the stamp so therefore you “have the medical” no?

Yes, that sounds right (unless TC acts upon your medical). In the case where I went to write the commercial exam with a [literally] ink is still wet CAME stamp, I "had" a CAT 3, going to CAT 1 - not valid until TC says so.

More recently, I had the Cat 1 sticker in my booklet, and a valid exam stamp, and then a letter from the TC doctor, and my CAT 1 sticker was instantly not valid any more - even though, I had passed an exam in the mean time, and the TC doctor was acting on medical information about me which was inaccurate, and all more than 18 months old.

[SeptRepair]

Just recently had my daughter go for her initial Cat 1 exam and in less than a month she had the medical certificate from Transport in her hand. I was shocked how fast it came. Maybe they are starting to get their shit together?!