What Paperwork Do I Need to Sell My Boat in Canada? All You Need to Know

“What paperwork do I need to sell my boat in Canada?” You’d be surprised at just how many people have come to us with this question. Well, lucky for you, we have all the answers here. Selling a boat that’s been documented with Transport Canada comes with a few obligations on the part of the departing owner. Here we can break down the process for you.

What Paperwork Do I Need to Sell My Boat
In order to sell a boat, you need to take care of the boat’s documentation. We are well aware that this might seem complicated, which is why so many people come to us asking “what paperwork do I need to sell my boat?” In reality, this process can be quite simple, so don’t worry too much about the ins and outs of the process. We are here to guide you through the whole thing. Basically, you will need your bill of sale and your transfer of documentation. Let’s take a look at each one of these.

File For a Bill of Sale
Any documentation application involving your vessel ownership will require a bill of sale, which is a document that makes the sale of a boat official. This is necessary whether you are the first owner of the boat in question or you are buying it secondhand from a previous owner. Regardless of the circumstances of the acquisition, the bill of sale will act as official proof of the new ownership, which will make it vital in all sorts of paperwork for transferring ownership. So if you’re asking yourself “what paperwork do I need to sell my boat?” please know that you will first need to file for an official bill of sale.

Transfer of Documentation
Now that you have your vessel bill of sale in order, you will have to go through the actual process of transferring the boat’s documentation. This filing is incredibly important, whether you are selling a commercial vessel or a pleasure craft, and remember that both of them will have different processes to go along with them. In case of commercial boats, you will need to file for a transfer of registration with Transport Canada in order to change ownership of the vessel on the official documentation. If it’s a recreational vessel, then what you will need to transfer is the corresponding pleasure craft licence. Either of these can be done quickly and conveniently through our platform.

Submit Forms For Transfer
The National Vessel Documentation Center is your one-stop shop for all your vessel documentation needs here in Canada. Whether you need to register a commercial vessel, licence a pleasure craft, or update existing documents, you will find all the corresponding forms and applications here on our site, as well as a platform with which to submit them to Transport Canada. Should you need help with this at any point, don’t hesitate to reach out to us by way of our contact hub. Our team is ready to assist you with anything you might need.