When you own your own vessel, you have unfettered access to the great Canadian outdoors. That means that you can untie from the dock whenever the desire strikes you, allowing you to get out and make waves with your friends, family, and loved ones. With the wind in your hair and the sun in your face, not much beats a solid afternoon out on the lake. Of course, as you breeze across the water, sometimes unsecured items can fly overboard. If this should happen to your pleasure craft licence (PCL), you are going to want to seek out a replacement as soon as possible. Fortunately, at the National Vessel Registry Center, we can help you obtain a duplicate of pleasure craft licence online by using our streamlined web form.
Do I Need a Duplicate of Pleasure Craft Licence?
If you own your own boat, chances are good that you were drawn to this pastime for the freedom it affords you. When you are out on the water, far away from the stresses of daily life back on land, you can experience true relaxation. Canada, as a nation, is a premier destination for boaters. With hundreds of thousands of lakes and expansive coastlines on both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, there are no shortages of places for you to launch your vessel in Canada. As our country is home to some of the most picturesque and pristine waterways on the planet, it is important that we do all we can to conserve them for future generations to enjoy. Transport Canada, which is the country’s main transportation agency for issues on both land and sea, takes active measures to protect our waters. With thousands of employees, this government agency crafts rules and regulations, issues safety advisories, and provides boat and boating licences to vessel owners. By maintaining a registry of who and what is operating on our waters, Transport Canada can more thoroughly carry out their duties.
Of course, as a boater, you owe a responsibility to the environment as well. This means keeping your boat clean and ensuring that your engine is not polluting the water. You also need to ensure that your boat is carrying adequate Transport Canada documentation at all times. There are different modes of registration issued by Transport Canada, but for most recreational boaters, a pleasure craft licence will suffice. A PCL is a requirement for any motorized vessel with an engine of 7.5 kW or more, though they are available to non-motorized vessels as well.
To get a PCL, there is an application to be completed. Once you have done that, you can package it along with proof of ownership (often a bill of sale), and a full-size photograph of your boat. Once it has been issued, your PCL will assign your boat a registration number, which should be displayed externally on both sides of your vessel’s bow. This string of alphanumeric digits should be at least three inches in height and in a color that clearly contrasts with your boat.
A PCL is valid for a period of ten years, at which point it can be renewed. When a boat carrying a PCL is sold, it can also be transferred over (we have forms for this as well). It is possible to obtain a duplicate of the pleasure craft license document, in the event that your original copy is lost or damaged.
How to Obtain a Duplicate of Pleasure Craft Licence Document Online
So, you are out on the lake with your family, and the weather is perfect. As you cruise back over your wake, however, an important piece of paper flies into the air. All of the sudden, you are operating a vessel without a valid pleasure craft license–what do you do now? Well, the good news is, there is no need to panic, as it is relatively easy to obtain a duplicate of pleasure craft license. Should you find yourself in this situation, you have a couple of avenues available for replacing your PCL. One option is to go to Transport Canada’s website and find the correct form for acquiring a duplicate of the pleasure craft license document. You can then print this form, fill it out by hand, and mail it to Transport Canada’s office in Ottawa for processing. You should then receive a replacement copy of your PCL in a couple of weeks.
You can also work with us at the National Vessel Registry Center. We have an easy-to-fill online form that you can use to request your PCL replacement in just a matter of minutes. We also have a host of other web forms for all of your Transport Canada documentation needs. Take a minute or two to explore our site to learn more, or contact one of our customer service agents by email with any questions you may have.