When you buy a used boat with a licence number on the bow, the licence doesn't move to you on its own. Transferring it is the buyer's job, and Transport Canada sets two rules: you must transfer the licence into your name before operating the boat, and you must do it within 30 days of the ownership change.
Below are the Transport Canada steps, then the BC pieces: PST, the trailer and a lien search.
The short version
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who transfers the licence? | The buyer. The seller should not cancel it. |
| Deadline | Within 30 days of the sale, and before you operate the boat |
| Fee | $24.41 from April 1, 2026. It can change with inflation each April 1. |
| How | Online, or by mail to the Pleasure Craft Licensing Centre |
| Can I use the boat right away? | Yes, once you apply online. You get a 30-day temporary licence by email. |
| How long is it valid? | 5 years |
| Processing | Transport Canada aims to issue the licence within 5 business days of a complete application |
First, check what the boat has
A Pleasure Craft Licence (PCL) is the number on both sides of the bow. A recreational boat needs one if its engines total at least 10 hp (7.5 kW) and it's principally operated and maintained in Canadian waters (Transport Canada). From December 31, 2027, wind-powered pleasure craft over 6 metres need one too.
There are three situations:
- The boat has a PCL. You transfer it. That's most of this guide.
- The boat is on the Canadian Register of Vessels. It has an official number and doesn't need a PCL. The transfer goes through the Register instead (see below).
- The boat needs a licence but has none, or you're importing it from another country. You apply for a new PCL, not a transfer.
A PCL works like a licence plate. It identifies the boat, but it isn't proof of ownership. Your bill of sale is.
You can check a licence's expiry date online with the licence number. Old licences that never had an expiry date now have one. A licence issued between 1975 and 1985, for example, expires December 31, 2026. A new or transferred licence is valid for 5 years.
What you need
1. Proof of ownership. Usually a bill of sale. Transport Canada needs it to show:
- the seller's name, address and signature
- your name and signature
- the boat's make, model and colour
- the HIN, if available
- the licence number
Our BC boat bill of sale template covers all of these. Transport Canada also accepts wills, separation or divorce agreements, court judgments and signed sale agreements. If you have no proof of ownership, you need a declaration under oath signed by a lawyer, notary, Justice of the Peace or Commissioner of Oaths. Transport Canada has a sample Declaration Under Oath.
2. ID for every owner. A copy of valid, signed government ID, such as a driver's licence, passport or birth certificate. Health cards aren't accepted. You can enter two owner names on a licence.
3. A photo of the boat. Current, in colour, well lit, and showing a full side view with nothing blocking it. Stock photos are refused.
4. Payment. Visa or Mastercard online. By mail, card details on the form or a money order payable to Pleasure Craft Licensing. No cheques.
If someone else applies for you, add a third-party authorization letter. If a business owns the boat, add an authorization from a person with signing authority.
How to transfer online, step by step
- Get the paperwork at the sale. The seller signs the bill of sale and gives you the licence number and the licence document.
- Scan your documents. Files must be PDF, JPG, TIFF or PNG, at least 300 DPI, and no bigger than 5 MB.
- Apply through Transport Canada's online service. Start from the how to apply page and choose to transfer an existing PCL.
- Pay the $24.41 fee.
- Save the temporary licence. It arrives by email, is valid for 30 days and carries the same number as the permanent licence. It lets you use the boat right away.
- Watch for the permanent licence. It comes by email or mail, depending on how you applied. The licence document must be kept on board.
Transport Canada destroys copies of supporting documents for privacy reasons, so keep your own set.
How to transfer by mail
Fill in the Application for Pleasure Craft Licence (form 84-0172E) and mail it with copies of your documents, not originals, and your payment to: Pleasure Craft Licensing Centre, PO Box 2006, Fredericton NB E3B 5G4.
The emailed temporary licence comes with online applications. By mail, plan to wait for your licence before using the boat. If anything is missing, the application comes back to you with a letter explaining what's needed.
After the transfer
- Mark the number. It goes on each side of the bow, above the waterline, at least 7.5 cm (3 in) tall, in a colour that contrasts with the hull (Transport Canada). The number stays the same when the boat changes owners.
- Keep your details current. Changes to your name, address, phone, email or boat details must be updated within 30 days. Updates are free.
- Renew every 5 years. You can renew up to 3 months before the expiry date.
- Don't let it lapse. You may be fined $250 if your boat doesn't have a valid licence.
The licence is separate from the Pleasure Craft Operator Card. You need that card to operate a power-driven pleasure craft.
If the boat is on the Canadian Register
A registered boat has an official number and a port of registry, and no PCL. Transport Canada calls the Register a title system. To transfer ownership in the main part of the Register, which it calls the Large Vessel Register, the buyer submits:
- Form 1, Application for Registry (84-0044)
- Form 3, Statement of Qualification for Vessel Registration (84-0002), for each new owner who hasn't filed one before
- every bill of sale from the registered owner to you. Transport Canada's template is Form 6, Bill of Sale (84-0015).
You upload these online and choose "Transfer of ownership - other than special sale." The fee is $208.89 from April 1, 2026, and Transport Canada aims to issue the new certificate within 30 business days (fees and service standards). Form 6 warns that a buyer doesn't get complete title until the bill of sale is recorded in the Register.
Search the Register first in the Vessel Registration Query System, by official number, vessel name or owner name, and order a certified transcript if you need an official answer. If a marine mortgage is registered, the lender must discharge it once the loan is paid. Make sure that happens before you pay. If you plan to register a boat that has a PCL, Transport Canada says to cancel the licence.
The rest of transferring a boat in BC
| Task | Where | When and how much |
|---|---|---|
| Licence transfer | Transport Canada | Within 30 days, $24.41 |
| PST on the boat | BC Ministry of Finance, form FIN 405 | By the last day of the month after the month you got the boat |
| Trailer transfer | Any Autoplan broker (ICBC) | Within 10 days of the sale |
| Lien search | BC Registries, Personal Property Registry | Before you pay, $10 per staff search |
| Registered vessel | Transport Canada, Canadian Register | $208.89 |
PST. On a private sale you pay 12% PST on the purchase price, including accessories and motors. From a dealer or other GST registrant, it's 7%. When nobody collects it at the sale, you self-assess. Without a PST number, that's the Casual Remittance Return (FIN 405) (Bulletin PST 108). The Ministry of Finance matches Transport Canada ownership changes against PST payments.
Trailer. A boat trailer is a vehicle in BC, so it transfers at ICBC, not Transport Canada. Bring the seller's signed registration (APV250) and a completed Transfer/Tax Form (APV9T) with original signatures to an Autoplan broker within 10 days. ICBC collects the trailer's PST when you register it. The seller takes their plates off before handing it over.
Liens. A PCL doesn't record loans. Before any money moves, run a Personal Property Registry search on the boat, each outboard and the trailer by serial number, and on the seller by name. A search by government staff costs $10, at Service BC or by mail. Online searches cost $7, but BC Registries currently limits them to premium account holders. Our guide to avoiding boat buying scams covers the other checks.
Common snags
- No bill of sale. Use a declaration under oath.
- The owner has died. A will or bequest is accepted as proof of ownership.
- You bought it in another province. The PCL transfer is the same, because the licence is federal. If you're a BC resident, PST applies when you bring the boat into BC, based on a depreciated purchase price, unless an exemption applies.
- The boat comes from the US. An imported boat needs a new PCL, not a transfer. A boat can't be licensed or registered in two countries at once.
Buying through Yachts & Bids
On a Yachts & Bids sale, the purchase price goes to a third-party licensed escrow and title partner, never to us, and that partner handles the closing documents and transfer paperwork. We haven't started live auctions yet. If you have a boat to sell, you can submit it for free. For the seller's side of all this, see selling a boat in BC.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Fees and forms change. Check current requirements with Transport Canada, the BC Ministry of Finance and ICBC before you buy.