Acquiring a Pleasure Watercraft licence in Canada Without Stress

pleasure watercraft licence

Boating on Canadian waterways is a joy that has been passed down for generations. For many of us, our grandparents (or an earlier relative) started on these waters, and now it’s our turn.  No matter what brings you to Candian waterways, it’s important to be in compliance with Transport Canada regulations. We can make it possible to get a pleasure watercraft licence without stress or worry. It is just one of the many different forms of Canadian vessel documentation that you can find at our site. 

What a Pleasure Craft licence Is 

This licence, simply put, allows you to legally operate a pleasure craft that’s principally maintained or operated in Canada. You’ve seen the numbers associated with this pleasure watercraft licence often: they’re the ones that have to be displayed on recreational vessels. Now that you know what these are, we also have to explain what these licences are not. For example, they don’t provide proof of ownership. If you show someone this licence, it doesn’t legally show that you own the vessel. That requires other forms of documentation, many of which you can find at our site. 

pleasure watercraft licence

Who Needs This licence (And Who Doesn’t) 

Not every Canadian vessel qualifies for this licence. For example, those vessels which are classified as “non-pleasure,” do not require the acquisition of this licence. To use the official language, a pleasure craft is a vessel that is used for (naturally) pleasure, recreation, or day to day living. By that same token, a vessel that’s used for anything other than pleasure, recreation, or that day to day living is a non-pleasure craft. We’ve received many questions about this, so a good rule of thumb to follow in determining what kind of vessel you own, ask: “is money involved?” If someone paid to be on your vessel, if there are people that are on the vessel as part of their job (and they aren’t on the crew), or if the operator uses the vessel to provide a service, then it’s a non-pleasure craft. We are happy to answer any further questions you might have on this matter or any other related topic. 

Getting this Documentation and Others at Our Site 

Whenever possible, we’ve tried to shorten and streamline the Canadian vessel documentation process. To get this pleasure watercraft licence, go to our site and click on “licence Forms” at the top of the site. Then, scroll down to the action you wish to take. Alternatively, you could also click on the corresponding licence form in the blue squares below “View our Licensing Forms.” Then, simply fill out the answers on the form. To know what you have to fill out, we’ve included an asterisk. You can even press “tab” to go between the answers, further speeding up the process. We know that your time is precious, and it does not include spending hours figuring out a Canadian vessel licensing form. Should you require further assistance, we are glad to help. Simply give us a call at (800) 419-9569.