Advance notification of coasting trade for foreign vessels

From: Transport Canada

Eligible vessel owners and operators must provide advance notice to Transport Canada before providing these coasting trade services without a licence in Canada. Learn who is eligible to provide these services, and when and how to give advance notice.

Who is eligible

Vessel owners or operators must provide advance notice if they intend to provide the following coasting trade services without a licence in Canada:

feeder services
dredging services

The following vessel owners and operators are eligible to provide coasting trade services (as listed above) without a licence in Canada:

Canadian entities
European Union (EU) entities
British entities
third-party entities^{Footnote *} under control^{Footnote **} of a EU member state
third-party entities^{Footnote *} under control^{Footnote **} of the United Kingdom (UK)
third-party entities^{Footnote *} under Canadian control^{Footnote **}

Footnote *

“Third party“ entities refer to:

a corporation
a trust
a partnership
a joint venture or another association incorporated or formed in a jurisdiction other than Canada, a territory of the EU, the UK, or the United States

Return to footnote * referrer

Footnote **

Control will be established if it is demonstrated that a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada or a national of the UK or of a member state of the EU, individually or together, hold shares providing them with more than 50% of votes to be cast to elect directors of the corporation. In the case of a third-party entity that is a trust, partnership, joint venture or other association, control will be established if it is demonstrated that a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada or a national of the UK or of a member state of the EU holds an interest in the trust, partnership, joint venture or other association that entitles the individual or combination of individuals to receive more than 50% of its profits or more than 50% of its assets on dissolution. In both cases, control cannot be exercised through a subsidiary.

Return to footnote ** referrer

How to give advance notice

You must submit a Vessel Advance Notification Form with supporting documentation before engaging in Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)-exempt activities in Canadian waters:

20 business days before the arrival of a vessel undertaking dredging activities and continuous feeder services
10 business days before the arrival of the vessel undertaking single-trip feeder services

What you need to know before you start

Before completing the form, read the following guidance document(s) related to the applicable coasting trade activity:

Eligible EU and British entities must take measures to show that they meet any applicable requirements before using a foreign vessel to provide coasting trade services without a licence in Canada.

The vessel owner must provide all supporting documents to Transport Canada and indicate relevant sections that demonstrate their eligibility. Documents must establish that the vessel owner meets the conditions set out in the Coasting Trade Act.

Submit supporting documentation with each notification form. Examples include:

articles of incorporation
trust, joint venture, partnership or other association agreement
official documents issued by a business registration authority in Canada, UK or an EU country
proof of citizenship, permanent residency, or nationality of each person holding voting shares of the corporation or an interest in a third party trust, partnership, joint venture or other association
charter agreements

Submit separate forms for each activity.

Forms must be submitted in either English or French. All documents completed in another language must be accompanied by a translation in English or French and an affidavit signed by the translator attesting to the accuracy of the translation.

Transport Canada reserves the right to request further information, if necessary.

Non-personal information on the forms will be shared with other federal government departments and external stakeholders. This includes the vessel name, flag and type, as well as activity, location and dates.

Failure to demonstrate eligibility could result in enforcement action taken against the vessel.

How to submit a Vessel Advance Notification Form

Fill out the required digital form and download and complete the required attestation
- For dredging and feeder services, use the Vessel Advance Notification Form – Exempted Dredging and Feeder Service Activities
- Vessel Advance Notification Form Supplementary Attestation Document [PDF, 80.9 KB]
Submission: select ‘submit’ on the form, and then send all supporting documents, including the Supplementary Attestation Document by mail, fax or email.

Mailing address:

Transport Canada
Attention: Coasting Trade Act
Marine Policy Directorate (ACF)
330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N5

Fax: 1-613-998-1845
Email: tc.coastingtrade-cabotage.tc@tc.gc.ca

Download and complete the required form:
- For dredging and feeder services, use the Vessel Advance Notification Form – Exempted Dredging and Feeder Service Activities [PDF, 870 KB]
Submit the form, with all supporting documents, by mail, fax or email.

Mailing address:

Transport Canada
Attention: Coasting Trade Act
Marine Policy Directorate (ACF)
330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N5

Fax: 1-613-998-1845
Email: tc.coastingtrade-cabotage.tc@tc.gc.ca

Guides and help

Contact us

tc.coastingtrade-cabotage.tc@tc.gc.ca

Related services and information

More information

Existing regulatory and legal requirements on foreign vessels operating in Canadian waters, such as Customs Tariffs and safety and pollution prevention requirements, are still in effect. Learn about the requirements for foreign vessels.

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