Learn the Difference Between License and Registration With Transport Canada

Properly documenting your vessel, like most bureaucratic processes, might seem complicated at first, but it doesn’t have to be. The thing that a lot of vessel owners get stuck on is the difference between license and registration. Which one should they get? What will the process look like for your particular vessel? Here’s a brief guide to these two documentation procedures.

Difference Between License and Registration

Now, when it comes to understanding the difference between these two forms of vessel documentation, the key factor will be the kind of boat that you are operating. Let’s take a closer look at what you need to take into account when it comes to getting your registration.

Vessel Registration

You’ve probably heard about how important it is to have your vessel registration in order in order to operate it here in Canada. Well, it is, but only for commercial vessels. After all, boats used commercially need to be operating under certain specific guidelines and regulations set forth by Transport Canada. Now, you might initially think that this only applies to vessels that are operated for profit, but this designation will also apply for research vessels, oil recovery ships, towing vessels, passenger barges, and school ships, as well as similar boats that operate within non-recreational fields. In order to get your vessel registered, all you need to do is file the corresponding form with Transport Canada along with proof of ownership and payment of the registration fee. It will only be a matter of time before you receive your certificate.

Pleasure Craft License

Now, in cases of recreational vessels, such as yachts, non-commercial fishing boats, and other kinds of personal vessels, you don’t have to get your registration. Instead, you will have to get a pleasure craft license for the vessel, which will be a fairly similar process. Does this mean that you will have to register that small boat you use to go fishing with your kids every other weekend? Not necessarily, there are very specific guidelines dictating whether or not you need to get a license. You only have to get the license if the boat is equipped with motors of 10 horsepower (7.5 kilowatts) or more. In order to get the license, you just have to submit the corresponding form to Transport Canada, which you can easily do through our website.

Get Your Vessel Documentation in Order

Every vessel owner in Canada knows how important it is to keep either your registration or your pleasure craft licence in order at the time of operating in Canadian waters. After all, you want to avoid having to pay fines or having your vessel forcibly docked. In the interest of helping you keep everything in order, we at the National Vessel Registry Center have made sure to provide you with all the relevant forms and the platform to submit them. If at any point in the process you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to us by calling us at +1 (800) 419-9569 or emailing info@canadianvesselregistry.ca.