Is It Mandatory To Have a Certificate of Registry in Canada?

Have you been wondering whether or not you need to have a Certificate of Registry for your Canadian vessel? Did you read that some vessels have licenses and some have registration and you aren’t sure which is right for your vessel? The truth is that, yes, some vessels need to have such a certificate. But, (and this is crucial) there are many other vessels that don’t. In fact, many vessels cannot have a certificate. Here at the National Vessel Registry Center Corp., we make it easier for vessel owners from all walks of life to have the right forms for their vessels.

Yes, It’s Mandatory to Have a Certificate of Registry in Canada If…
You need to have such a certificate if you have a non-pleasure craft vessel with an engine of 10 horsepower (which comes to about 7.5 kilowatts) or more. If your vessel is a non-pleasure craft and is less than 15 gross tonnes, then it should be registered with the “Small Vessel Registry.” That will also give you a certificate and, yes, you can also do so through our site. Remember: “gross tonnes” is a measurement of volume and not weight.

Who Doesn’t Need a Certificate
Now, if you have a pleasure craft, then you aren’t going to need one of these Certificates. In fact, you can’t get one. Instead, what you’re going to need is a pleasure craft license. You too can get that through our site. In fact, perhaps better still, these licenses are free. A good rule of thumb: if determining whether or not you have a pleasure craft, ask yourself: “how am I going to use this?” If you’re going to use it to have a good time with family and friends, it’s a pleasure craft. If you’re going to use it to make money, then it’s a non-pleasure craft.

Benefits of Registry
If you’re going to pursue a marine mortgage, then the registry can help you to get the mortgage that you would like. A good analogy for registry is to think of it as similar to a title system but for vessel ownership, in the same manner that land title registry works. You can even get name approval for your vessel as well.

Remember, your vessel can be registered or it can be licensed. There is no way to have both.

All the Canadian Boat Documentation You Could Need
It’s entirely possible that you’ve read to this point and still aren’t sure what’s the right course of action. That’s perfectly understandable. At our site, we have plenty of explainers that can lay this out in greater detail. To see all that we offer, we’ve made our site so that it’s responsive, optimized for mobile devices. That way, you can click on everything that you need from anywhere, making it possible for you to fill these forms out on your terms. For your licensing or registration needs, click on our site today.