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Freedom251 › Blog › Canada

What Are Trip and Fuel Permits in Canada? A Complete Guide for Truckers (2026)

By Freedom251 Team · · 6 min read

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For most commercial drivers, the answer turns on two questions: is the vehicle registered under IRP, and does the carrier hold valid IFTA credentials? A trip permit is temporary, jurisdiction-specific authorization for a particular vehicle and journey. A fuel trip permit covers fuel tax for a qualifying vehicle that enters a jurisdiction without valid IFTA credentials. Neither is a national pass, and neither replaces the other. Carriers that cross provincial lines regularly usually handle registration and fuel tax through IRP and IFTA, and use temporary permits for occasional trips.

IRP and IFTA are separate systems

Most confusion comes from treating these as a single licence. IRP (the International Registration Plan) apportions commercial vehicle registration fees according to distance travelled in participating jurisdictions. Ontario describes it as letting a vehicle travel with one plate and one registration document.

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IFTA (the International Fuel Tax Agreement) is a fuel-tax licensing and reporting framework. A carrier holds one licence issued by its base jurisdiction and reports fuel use and distance travelled by jurisdiction through that base. Ontario’s Ministry of Finance states: “The agreement allows registered interjurisdictional carriers to get one licence, issued by their base jurisdiction, to report and pay motor fuel taxes to a single jurisdiction.”

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Because IRP does not settle fuel-tax reporting and IFTA does not cover registration fees, a carrier can hold one credential and still need the other.

What each credential covers

Credential What it covers Who typically needs it Limits stated in the sources
Trip permit Temporary, jurisdiction-specific travel authorization for one vehicle on one journey Vehicles not registered under IRP (Ontario’s rule for travel outside Ontario) and non-resident commercial vehicles Does not automatically replace every other registration, tax or operating credential
Fuel trip permit Fuel-tax obligations for a qualifying vehicle entering a jurisdiction without valid IFTA credentials Carriers without a valid IFTA licence, including occasional travellers Covers fuel tax only; does not cover road taxes or other jurisdiction-specific charges
IFTA licence One licence from the base jurisdiction for fuel-tax licensing and reporting Carriers operating regularly across IFTA jurisdictions Covers fuel taxes, not road or weight-mile taxes. Ontario’s Ministry of Finance guidance (undated) describes coverage as 10 provinces and 48 U.S. states, and excludes the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon
IRP registration Apportioned commercial vehicle registration fees, based on distance travelled in participating jurisdictions Carriers registering commercial vehicles that travel across participating jurisdictions Does not settle fuel-tax reporting

Do you need a trip permit to drive in another province?

The answer depends on how the vehicle is registered and where it is going. Work through these steps in order:

  1. Check IRP status. The New Brunswick government states: “Note that a trip permit is not required if the vehicle is registered through the International Registration Plan (IRP).” An IRP-registered vehicle therefore does not need New Brunswick’s commercial trip permit.
  2. If the vehicle is not IRP-registered, plan for a trip permit. Ontario’s rules say vehicles not registered under IRP must purchase trip permits to travel outside Ontario.
  3. Compare each destination’s terms. Validity, number of trips and return-trip rules vary. The jurisdiction table below gives the terms stated by each source.
  4. Check fuel separately. A trip permit does not settle fuel tax. Use the fuel section below to determine whether a fuel trip permit is needed in each jurisdiction entered.

Can you drive without IFTA? Fuel trip permits explained

A carrier without valid IFTA credentials may need a fuel trip permit in each IFTA jurisdiction it enters. Ontario says an occasional traveller without a valid IFTA licence can buy a single-trip permit. The permit covers fuel tax only, so it does not replace road taxes or other charges that apply in a specific jurisdiction.

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New Brunswick’s fuel-tax legislation page is more specific: an unregistered interjurisdictional carrier must obtain a single-trip fuel permit before entering with fuel in a qualified vehicle’s tank.

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Does a missing IFTA decal matter?

The official pages consulted here describe IFTA in terms of a licence and fuel-tax reporting, and they do not address decals. This guide therefore cannot say whether a decal is required for a specific vehicle. Confirm that point with your base jurisdiction. Operating without valid IFTA credentials in a jurisdiction that requires them is the situation the fuel trip permit is designed to address.

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Province and territory rules at a glance

Each jurisdiction sets its own rules. The terms below are those stated by the source named in each cell.

Jurisdiction Trip permit Fuel permit Key terms
Ontario Non-resident single-trip permit, valid for no more than 10 days (Ministry of Transportation, IRP Carrier Manual, 2024) Single-trip fuel permit for occasional travellers without a valid IFTA licence (Ministry of Finance) Oversize and overweight permits are a separate permit type, used when a vehicle or load exceeds legal limits
Manitoba Temporary non-resident trip (IRP) one-move permit Temporary fuel-tax (IFTA) one-move permit Generally issued for five days and one trip; return trips are sometimes requested on the same permit (page undated, viewed October 7, 2026)
New Brunswick Not required for an IRP-registered vehicle; other vehicles pay the fees shown in the table below Single-trip fuel permit for an unregistered interjurisdictional carrier entering with fuel in a qualified vehicle’s tank (fuel-tax legislation page) Trip permit fees vary by vehicle category and whether a load is carried
British Columbia Non-resident single-trip permits for specified commercial vehicle types Motive fuel user permit in certain cases, when a qualifying diesel or motive-fuel vehicle without IFTA credentials enters the province Qualifying vehicles are defined by axle count and weight. Exclusions include certain emergency vehicles and vehicles used solely for recreation
Alberta Urgent travellers should contact destination jurisdictions to arrange trip permits A temporary IFTA credential option is described Processing times and fees can change
Québec Not stated in the sources consulted Revenu Québec’s “Permits – Fuel Tax” page addresses businesses that handle bulk fuel, including bulk fuel carriers This is not the same as an ordinary trucker’s IFTA fuel-tax permit
Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon Not stated in the sources consulted Not IFTA members, so IFTA-based fuel-tax licensing does not apply Check each territory’s separate rules before travel

New Brunswick trip permit fees

The Government of New Brunswick’s trip permit page (viewed October 7, 2026) lists the following fees. Provinces revise fees, so confirm the current amount before travel.

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Pre-trip checklist

Before departure, collect the following for the vehicle and the route:

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  • Base jurisdiction and current IFTA and IRP status
  • Axle count and registered weight, which determine whether a fuel permit regime such as British Columbia’s applies
  • Fuel type carried in the vehicle’s tank
  • Every province or territory on the route, including return legs
  • Whether the load is oversize or overweight, which requires a separate permit
  • Travel dates and the number of trips covered by each permit

Then confirm that each permit covers the vehicle, trip, dates, fuel type and type of operation you plan. Check each route jurisdiction’s current requirements directly with its official page or permit authority.

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Choosing between IRP/IFTA and temporary permits

For recurring interjurisdictional operations, compare IRP and IFTA with the cost of buying temporary permits trip by trip. The main variables are:

  • How often the vehicle travels, and how many jurisdictions it enters
  • Whether the vehicle meets each jurisdiction’s eligibility rules
  • Permit cost and validity for each trip
  • Registration fees and fuel-tax reporting duties under IRP and IFTA
  • Whether the route includes the Northwest Territories, Nunavut or Yukon, which are outside IFTA

The sources do not establish a universal break-even point. To run your own comparison, record the trips, days and jurisdictions for a typical quarter, then price each option against that record.

Sources and limits

  • Ontario Ministry of Transportation, IRP Carrier Manual (2024): non-resident single-trip permit validity and trip permit rules
  • Ontario Ministry of Finance, IFTA guidance (undated): IFTA coverage, the quoted description of the agreement, and the occasional-traveller fuel permit
  • Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure, permit page (undated; viewed October 7, 2026): one-move permits
  • Government of New Brunswick, trip permit page (undated; viewed October 7, 2026), and New Brunswick fuel-tax legislation page (date not stated)
  • British Columbia motive fuel user permit and non-resident permit information, Alberta IFTA and trip permit guidance, and Revenu Québec’s “Permits – Fuel Tax” page (dates not stated)

Permit durations, fees, eligibility and administrative channels change over time. This guide does not provide a complete province-by-province schedule of fees and validity periods, and it does not cover penalties for operating without the required credentials.

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