Short answer: no. You don’t need a passport to fly between two Canadian cities — a valid government-issued photo ID is enough. But the exact list of what counts, and what happens if your last name doesn’t match your ticket, trips up more travellers than you’d expect.
✈ QUICK ANSWER
✓ Fact-checked · Nov 2026
What ID do you actually need for a domestic flight in Canada?
Every Canadian carrier — Air Canada, WestJet, Porter and Flair all apply the same federally-mandated rule — requires one of the following at the gate for passengers 18 and older:
- One valid, unexpired photo ID issued by a Canadian federal, provincial or territorial government, showing your name and date of birth (a driver’s licence or provincial photo ID card both qualify).
- Two valid, unexpired non-photo IDs issued by a Canadian government, with the names matching and at least one showing your date of birth, if you don’t have a photo ID.
A passport, NEXUS card, U.S. Permanent Resident Card, U.S. Enhanced Driver’s Licence and International Travel Document (Laissez-Passer) are all also accepted — they just aren’t required for a purely domestic trip. Fishing, hunting and boating licences are explicitly not accepted as ID for domestic flights, even though they’re sometimes mistaken for valid government photo ID.
Is a passport required for domestic flights?
No. This is confirmed directly by both Air Canada and WestJet’s own published travel-document policies: a passport is one accepted option among several, not a requirement, for travel that starts and ends inside Canada. Bring one if you have it — it’s the simplest single document — but a provincial driver’s licence is just as valid at the gate.
| ID type | Accepted for a domestic flight? |
|---|---|
| Provincial/territorial driver’s licence | Yes (one photo ID is enough on its own) |
| Canadian passport | Yes (accepted, not required) |
| NEXUS card | Yes |
| Two non-photo government IDs (e.g. health card + birth certificate) | Yes, if a photo ID isn’t available and the names match |
| U.S. Permanent Resident Card / Enhanced Driver’s Licence | Yes |
| Fishing, hunting or boating licence | No — explicitly not accepted |
| Student ID card (as sole ID) | No — not a government-issued ID |
What if my name doesn’t match my ticket, or I’ve had a legal name change?
The name on your ID has to match your booking, and airline staff compare your photo to your face at the gate. If your last name changed — marriage, divorce, or a legal name change — carry the marriage certificate or legal name-change certificate along with your ID so the mismatch can be explained on the spot rather than becoming a boarding problem.
ID rules for children and unaccompanied minors
Requirements are lighter for kids but not zero. Infants under 2 need proof of age (a photocopy is fine); without it, airlines can require you to buy the infant a seat, refundable later once proof is shown. Children travelling with an adult generally don’t need their own government photo ID, though airlines recommend carrying one. A child flying alone as an unaccompanied minor needs a photocopy of their government ID showing name, gender and date of birth sent with them, and the adults dropping off and picking up need their own valid ID.
Permanent residents and non-Canadian citizens flying domestically
If you’re a permanent resident or hold another status, the same accepted-ID list applies — a passport, PR card, or provincial photo ID (if you have one) all work for a flight that starts and ends in Canada. If you’re unsure which document you hold qualifies, call the airline directly before travel day rather than finding out at the gate.
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Can I use a digital or photocopied ID for a domestic flight?
No. Photocopies, digital copies and photos of your ID are not accepted for domestic flights — you need the original physical document, except for specific documented exceptions like infant proof-of-age or an unaccompanied minor’s ID sent with them.
Do I need a passport if my domestic flight connects through another Canadian city?
No — as long as every leg starts and ends inside Canada, the same domestic ID rules apply for the whole itinerary, including any connections. A passport only becomes relevant if a leg of your trip touches a non-Canadian airport.
What happens if I show up without valid ID?
Airlines can deny boarding if you can’t produce an accepted ID at the gate. There’s no standard “pay a fee instead” workaround for domestic flights the way there sometimes is with a TSA ID-verification process in the US, so it’s worth checking your documents before you leave for the airport, not after you’re in line.
Is a health card accepted as domestic flight ID?
A provincial health card is a government-issued ID, but most provincial health cards don’t carry a photo, so it typically needs to be paired with a second non-photo government ID (with the names matching and one showing your date of birth) rather than used alone.