If you are considering buying a boat, you are going to want to think carefully about what type of vessel best suits you and your family. In truth, there are a wide array of different boats on the market, from small kayaks to gigantic megayachts. By doing a bit of research, you can determine the best sort of watercraft for you, while also accounting for your budget. Once you have landed on a make and model, you can browse online and print listings to locate a seller near you. After you have negotiated a price, you will probably be pretty eager to get your boat down to the landing. As operating a motorized vessel requires a fair amount of responsibility, you may need to first do some paperwork, such as completing a Canada boat registration application. Fortunately, by working with an online service such as ours at the National Vessel Registry Center, you may find that this process can be a breeze.
If you think about it, the need to register a boat makes a lot of sense. As vessels can be large, powerful objects that require a degree of competency to operate, they are not unlike cars. Just like with a motor vehicle, you need to obtain a boating license, officially called a pleasure craft operator card (PCOC), in order to legally operate some motorized vessels. PCOCs can be gained after taking Transport Canada’s requisite exam. You may also need to license or register your boat itself. In Canada, any boat with an engine of 7.5 kW (10 horsepower) or more must carry a pleasure craft license (PCL)–provided it is used purely for leisure purposes. Vessel registrations are something of a different story, though, and if you happen to need this mode of documentation, we can help.
What Is a Canada Boat Registration?
Before you sit down and begin applying for your boat’s vessel registration, you should probably make sure you do, in fact, need one (though they are available to all who want them). Boats that are used for commercial purposes on Canadian waters, or vessels that are financed with marine mortgages, must be registered. If you are planning to travel on international waters under the Canadian flag, registration will also be compulsory. When you register your vessel, you are assigned a completely unique moniker of your choosing, which serves to identify your boat. This can also be a great way to put an individualized touch on your vessel.
To apply for your vessel registration, you will need to submit a tonnage measurement, photographs of all four sides of your boat, proof of ownership, a Form 1 – Application for Vessel Registration, and a Form 3 – Statement of Qualification for Vessel Registration to Transport Canada.
Register Your Boat Online Today!
By working with us, you can register your boat online. We have easy-to-complete fillable forms for this and a number of other Transport Canada documentation matters. We also use an SSL-encrypted web portal to ensure the safe and secure transmission of your information. To learn more, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.