How to Register a Boat in Canada on the Web

Register a Boat in Canada

For those who value spending their free time outdoors, it is hard to beat owning your own boat. The reason for this is pretty simple: with your own boat, you can hit the open water whenever you get the itch. This means you can feel the sun on your face and the wind on your back at just a moment’s notice. Whether you are an avid fisherman, water sports enthusiast, or you just plain enjoy being outside, you might want to look strongly at buying a vessel of your own. This will require a bit of research, though, as there are a wide variety of boats available for purchase. In fact, boats can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and additionally, they can be used for a wide variety of different activities. With this in mind, boats can also require certain types of documentation with Transport Canada. If you are shopping around for the boat of your dreams, now is probably the time to learn how to register a boat in Canada online. Fortunately for you, we can help.

Buying a boat is a major investment–make no mistake about it. As you peruse online and print listings for boats for sale in your area, you have probably noticed that prices can get pretty exorbitant. Similarly, boats can also be pretty powerful machines. As they can be large, expensive, and potentially dangerous, it makes sense that boats would require some form of government documentation. Transport Canada, which is our country’s primary transportation agency, maintains a registry of vessels, and they also issue licenses to boat owners. If you are getting into boating as a pastime, you will come to know Transport Canada and its required paperwork. The good news is, there are ways to process your documents online. By working with a private service such as ours, you can save yourself considerable amounts of time and effort.

How to Register a Boat in Canada: Is it Necessary?

Before you start filling out paperwork, you should probably know what you need, documentation-wise. In Canada, any boat financed with a bank loan or used for commercial purposes will require a vessel registration. The same holds true for any boat traveling internationally under the Canadian flag. When you register a vessel, your boat is assigned a completely unique moniker of your choosing, which will serve as your boat’s primary mode of identification. 

To register your boat, you will want to fill out Form 1 – Application for Vessel Registration, Form 3 – Statement of Qualification for Vessel Registration, and tonnage measurement. Transport Canada will also request photographs of all four sides of your vessel.

Register a Boat in Canada

Register Your Boat Online Today

Locate the vessel registration option in our navigation menu and start working on your application today. If you would like to learn more about some of our additional services, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.