Some sections of our application forms are complex. Instructions for those sections are provided below. You may not be required to fill out all sections depending on the service you're applying for.
On this page
- Naming your vessel
- Types of vessel ownership
- Comparing individual and joint ownership
- Evidence of ownership
- Appointing a representative
- Vessel tonnage
- List of ports of registry
- Document requirements
Naming your vessel
If you register your vessel in the Large Vessel Register, you’ll be asked to provide 3 choices of the vessel name, in order of preference. For safety reasons, each registered vessel must have a unique name.
Check to see if the name you want is already being used
The name you choose:
- must be unique, even when said aloud especially over the radio (for example, "Easy Living" and "EZ Livin")
- can't use a registered trademark
- can't be a prohibited mark
- can't be confused with a distress signal
- can't include vessel acronyms, (for example, "SV" for sailing vessel, or "FV" for fishing vessel)
- can include an article such as "the", "le", "la", "l'", though we don't consider this when approving a vessel name (for example, "THE HAPPY DOLPHIN" is the same as "HAPPY DOLPHIN")
You must provide an authorization letter if you are using the name of:
- a famous Canadian person
- a city or town in Canada
Types of vessel ownership
Each registered vessel is divided into 64 shares owned by either:
- individual owners
- joint owners (5 maximum)
A share can't be divided into fractions.
Register your pleasure craft in the Canadian Register of Vessels if you want:
- more than 2 people to share ownership
- to specify individual or joint ownership
| Individual owners | Joint owners (maximum of 5) |
|---|---|
| Each owner owns a separate number of shares, for example, one owner owns 40 shares and the other owns 24 shares. | Owners co-own the same shares. For example, if there are 2 joint owners, they jointly own the 64 shares. |
| Can sell or give their shares (or a part of their shares) to anyone else without the other owner's consent. | All joint owners must agree to sell or give their shares (or a part of their shares) to someone else. They must do this with 1 bill of sale. |
| If 2 individual owners (for example, with 32 shares each) both want to sell their shares, 2 transfers of ownership must be done and each owner must sign a separate bill of sale to sell their 32 shares. | If 2 joint owners want to sell the shares they co-own, 1 transfer of ownership must be done and both owners must sign the same bill of sale. |
| When an individual owner dies, their shares are transmitted to their executor or administrator. | When a joint owner dies, their shares are transmitted to the surviving joint owner(s). |
| Vessel criteria | Required documents |
|---|---|
| Newly built in Canada |
Form 2 - Builder's Certificate for First Title in Canada (Form 84-0040) if the vessel was built for you. If not, we also need all the intervening Bills of Sale that shows the complete sequence of title up to you. |
| Newly built in a foreign country |
Foreign country's Builder's Certificate if the vessel was built for you. If not, contact us by email at vr-ib@tc.gc.ca. |
| Foreign-owned |
The notarized (by a foreign or Canadian notary) or authenticated (by Canadian consular officer) Bill of Sale from the last foreign owner to the first Canadian owner. All intervening Bills of Sale showing the complete sequence of title up to you. |
| Canadian-built, always Canadian-owned |
Form 2 - Builder's Certificate for First Title in Canada (Form 84-0040). All intervening Bills of Sale showing the complete sequence of title up to you. |
| Foreign-registered or foreign-documented | Deletion Certificate or an Abstract or Transcript of Registry issued by the foreign registry, proving the foreign registry is closed and is free and clear of encumbrances. |
Appointing a representative
If the vessel is owned by more than 1 owner or by a foreign corporation, complete and send in Form 14 —Appointment of Authorized Representative (form 84-0035)
Vessel tonnage
The tonnage of vessels must be determined according to the Vessel Registration and Tonnage Regulations and TP 13430 (Standard for the Tonnage Measurement of Vessels) by a duly appointed Tonnage Measurer. In some case, the tonnage of some small vessels may be determined by their owners.
Find out more about tonnage measurement.
List of ports of registry
The Port of Registry is the location where your vessel is registered and typically based.
Alberta
- Edmonton
British Columbia
- Nanaimo
- New Westminster
- Port Alberni
- Prince Rupert
- Vancouver
- Victoria
Manitoba
- Winnipeg
New Brunswick
- Bathurst
- Campbellton
- Chatham
- Caraquet
- Grand Manan
- Moncton
- St. Andrews
- Saint John
Newfoundland and Labrador
- St. John's
Northwest Territories
- Hay River
- Yellowknife
Nova Scotia
- Annapolis Royal
- Arichat
- Barrington Passage
- Canso
- Digby
- Grindstone
- Halifax
- Lahave
- Liverpool
- Lunenburg
- Parrsboro
- Pictou
- Port Hawkesbury
- Shelburne
- Sydney
- Weymouth
- Windsor
- Yarmouth
Nunavut
- Iqaluit
Ontario
- Amherstburg
- Belleville
- Brockville
- Chatham
- Collingwood
- Cornwall
- Fort William
- Goderich
- Hamilton
- Kenora
- Kingston
- Midland
- Nanticoke
- Ottawa
- Owen Sound
- Peterborough
- Picton
- Port Arthur
- Port Burnwell
- Port Colborne
- Port Dover
- Port Stanley
- Prescott
- St. Catharines
- Sarnia
- Sault Ste-Marie
- Southampton
- Toronto
- Thunder Bay
- Wallaceburg
- Windsor
Prince Edward Island
- Charlottetown
Quebec
- Cap-aux-Meules
- Chicoutimi
- Gaspé
- La Baie
- Montreal
- Paspebiac
- Port Alfred
- Québec
- Sorel
- Trois-Rivières
Saskatchewan
- Prince Albert
Yukon
- Dawson
- Whitehorse
Document requirements
All documents must be in English or French. If the original documents are in any other language, you must provide a certified translation. Be sure to include a copy of the document in its original language, along with the certified translation.