Canada has no national travel agent licence. Consumer protection in travel is provincial, so the rules you follow depend on where your business is located and, in some cases, where your customers are. TICO is the regulator most agents hear about first because it covers Ontario, the province with the largest number of travel agencies. This guide explains what TICO does, what registration involves in practice, how the host-agency model works under Ontario law, and how the other provinces compare. It is general information, not legal advice, so confirm everything with the regulator before you act.
What TICO Is
The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) administers the Ontario Travel Industry Act, 2002 and its regulations. It registers travel retailers and wholesalers, inspects them, handles complaints, and runs the Ontario Travel Industry Compensation Fund, which gives consumers added protection when they book with a registered business. TICO oversees roughly 1,900 travel agencies, booking websites and tour operators in Ontario and publishes a searchable public directory showing registrants' compliance and enforcement details.
The Act itself is under review. Ontario's Auditor General made recommendations about TICO, and TICO reports that it has completed most of the actions directed at it, but a broader review of the Act and TICO's mandate was still being considered by the responsible ministry at last report. Rules and fees can change, so treat the figures below as a snapshot.
Who Has to Register
All travel retailers and wholesalers that sell travel services from a location in Ontario must register. A retailer (travel agency or online agency) sells directly to consumers. A wholesaler (tour operator) packages travel services to resell through retailers. Retail and wholesale registrations each need their own security deposit. Selling, operating or promoting travel before registration is approved is a contravention, which means you cannot advertise while your application is pending.
Individuals are treated differently. The Act does not currently require individual travel counsellors to register. They must instead work through a registered business and pass TICO's certification exam.
What Registration Involves
These are TICO's published requirements for a new travel seller as they stand now. Always check the current registration overview on TICO's site before budgeting.
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Application fee | $3,000 for a head office, $800 for a branch; non-refundable |
| Security deposit | $10,000 for head office applications; returned after two consecutive 12-month year-end financial statements are filed, if the Registrar has no compliance concerns |
| Bank accounts | An Ontario general account and a separate Travel Industry Act trust account, at a recognised bank, trust company or credit union, in the registered business name |
| Financial statements | Positive working capital, statements dated within 30 days of submission; internally prepared statements acceptable |
| Key personnel | Directors, officers, managers and proprietors aged 18+, with criminal record and judicial matters checks and disclosure of bankruptcies and judgements |
| Designated manager | Certified, legally entitled to work in Canada, at least three verified years of travel industry experience, supervising during operating hours |
| Premises | A permanent Ontario place of business and business phone; residential locations need a municipal zoning approval letter; virtual or coworking spaces need a commercial lease |
The trust account deserves attention. TICO requires client money to go through it, and credit card merchant accounts must be linked to it. That discipline is the point of the system. A registered agency cannot treat client deposits as working capital.
Certification for Anyone Who Sells
Anyone who sells travel services or advises the public for a TICO-registered agency or booking website must pass TICO's certification exam. TICO reports that from 5 January 2026 the Travel Counsellor and Supervisor/Manager certifications were combined into one e-learning program and one exam. The program costs $150 and the exam, which includes webcam proctoring, costs $150, with a $50 rewrite fee. The exam is 80 questions in 150 minutes and can be written from home or the office. Check the current format before you book, since it has just changed.
Selling Under a Host Agency: The OSR Model
TICO's guidelines define an Outside Sales Representative (OSR) as a travel counsellor who sells outside the registered office of a TICO-registered agency, called the host agency. Whether the OSR is an employee or independent contractor does not change that status. The home-based agent picture in Ontario is therefore: the agency must be registered, and the agent works under it.
The host takes on real obligations under TICO's guidelines. It must have a written contract with each OSR, supervise them, ensure customers get required disclosure before a sale and a compliant receipt afterwards, control advertising so it shows the host's name, address and TICO registration number, register any trade names and websites the OSR uses, and deposit all customer money into the host's trust account. OSRs cannot use personal or separate business credit cards for supplier payments. The host must keep records for at least six years. And the host is responsible for everything its OSRs do.
Before you sign with an Ontario host, check its registration in TICO's public directory, ask for the written OSR contract, and ask how client payments flow into the trust account. If the answer involves your personal credit card, walk away.
TICO Is Ontario-Only: How Other Provinces Differ
| Province | Regulator | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | TICO | Registration of retailers and wholesalers; compensation fund; trust accounts |
| British Columbia | Consumer Protection BC | Travel agents and wholesalers must be licensed; annual contributions to the Travel Assurance Fund for their first three years; licence number must appear in visual advertising |
| Quebec | Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC) | Travel agency permit system with a client compensation fund; check the OPC for current requirements |
| Other provinces | Varies | Confirm locally before selling |
Selling into another province from your base is where agents get caught. Whether registration in one province is enough for clients in another depends on that province's law and where the selling is considered to take place. Do not guess. Ask the regulators and your host, and get any answer in writing.
Worked Example: Setting Up in Ontario
For illustration, imagine Amira, who wants to run a home-based agency from a Toronto suburb.
Option one: register her own agency. She needs an application fee of $3,000 and a $10,000 deposit, a trust account and general account, financial statements showing positive working capital, a zoning approval letter for the residence, and a designated manager with three verified years in the industry. If Amira has less than three years of experience, she cannot be her own designated manager and would need to hire one.
Option two: become an OSR. She passes the certification exam, signs a written OSR contract with a registered host, and sells under its registration number and trust account. Her upfront costs are the certification fees, but she accepts the host's commission split and supervision.
Amira picks option two, with a note to revisit registration if her volume grows. Both choices are valid; they trade control against cost and responsibility.
Common Mistakes
- Advertising before registration is approved. A pending application does not allow you to promote or sell.
- Using a personal credit card to pay suppliers for clients. TICO's OSR guidelines prohibit it.
- Assuming one province's registration covers the whole country.
- Running client deposits through the general account rather than the trust account.
- Selling before passing certification. It applies to anyone who advises or sells to the public.
- Forgetting your own website or trade name must be registered with TICO under the host.
Good records protect you under any regulator. Keep a clear itinerary of what each client was sold; the free PNR converter is a quick way to produce one from the booking. For wider context, see how to become a travel agent in Canada and Canadian host agencies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register with TICO to sell travel in Ontario?
Businesses that sell travel services from a location in Ontario must register as retailers or wholesalers. Individual travel counsellors do not register themselves, but they must pass TICO's certification exam and work through a registered business.
How much does it cost to register a travel agency with TICO?
TICO lists a non-refundable application fee of $3,000 for a head office and $800 for a branch, plus a $10,000 security deposit for head office applications. The deposit can be returned after two consecutive year-end financial statements if there are no compliance concerns. Check TICO's current page for changes.
Can I work from home as a TICO-registered agent?
Home-based agencies must be registered, and a residential location needs a municipal zoning approval letter. Alternatively, you can be an outside sales representative under a registered host agency, which is how many home-based agents in Ontario operate.
What is the TICO certification exam?
It is the exam anyone selling travel to the public for a registered Ontario agency must pass. TICO reports a combined Travel Counsellor and Supervisor/Manager e-learning program and exam from January 2026, with a webcam-proctored exam of 80 questions in 150 minutes.
Does TICO registration cover me in other provinces?
No. TICO covers Ontario. British Columbia (Consumer Protection BC) and Quebec (OPC) have their own regulators, and other provinces have their own rules. Confirm with the relevant regulator and your host before selling to clients elsewhere.
Why does the trust account matter?
TICO requires client money to be held in a Travel Industry Act trust account separate from the business's general account, and credit card merchant accounts must be linked to it. It keeps client deposits distinct from operating funds.
Is the Travel Industry Act changing?
TICO has been responding to an Auditor General review, and a broader review of the Act and TICO's mandate was still being considered by the responsible ministry at last report. Check TICO's news page for the current position.
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