Is it finally time? Are you unable to further ignore that insatiable urge to get out on the water? Well, if you are finally ready to purchase a boat of your own, there has never been a better time. In truth, the autumn months in Canada offer great opportunities for fishing and sightseeing with your friends and family. If you happen to be a resident of Ontario, you also happen to be in just the right location. Ontario is home to more than a quarter of a million lakes. That makes this province the possessor of roughly 20 percent of the entire world’s freshwater supply. With that in mind, you could theoretically hit a different lake in Ontario every weekend for the rest of your life and never see the same body of water twice. If you have recently closed on a boat, or if you are nearly completed with your transaction, you may want to learn a bit about documentation with Transport Canada, or, more specifically, getting an Ontario pleasure craft license (PCL) online. The good news is, we can help.
Boating is certainly a relaxing hobby, but it does come with a bit of responsibility. As such, you may need to seek out paperwork and forms from Transport Canada on occasion. To start out, you may need to obtain a boating license, which is officially dubbed a pleasure craft operator card (PCOC). You can think of this as a sort of driver’s license for a boat, and similarly, you will need to take an educational course and pass an exam to get yours. While this is the first stop on your Transport Canada documentation, it is by no means the end. Most likely, you are going to need either a PCL or vessel registration too. Read on to learn more.
When Do You Need an Ontario Pleasure Craft License?
Before you set out to apply for a PCL, you should probably make sure your boat needs one–though they are available to all boat owners who want them. Any boat used for leisure purposes that carries an engine of 10 or more horsepower (7.5 kW) is required to obtain a PCL. Once you receive your PCL, you will then be issued a registration number that must be affixed to both sides of your boat’s exterior bow in characters of at least three inches in height. A PCL is valid for a period of 10 years, at which point it will need to be renewed.
You can get your PCL by completing an application with Transport Canada. You will need to include some basic information about yourself and your vessel. You will also need to provide proof of ownership (generally a bill of sale) and a full-size photograph of your vessel.
Get Your PCL Online
You can use our web forms to apply for your PCL. Simply select the correct option from our drop-down menu and you will be brought to our easy-to-read fillable forms. For more information, please feel free to visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
