Apply for or manage a vessel registration

Information you may need to apply

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.

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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 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

Table 1: Comparing individual vs 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 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 their shares, 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).

Proof of ownership

Unless the vessel was built for you, we need all bills of sale showing the history of ownership, from the registered owner/seller to the buyer. The bills of sale must include:

  • name and signature of the seller(s)
  • name and signature of the buyer(s)
  • description of the vessel
  • date of transaction

When the seller is a foreign owner, you only need your bill of sale, but it must be notarized.

You can use Form 6 – Bill of Sale if you need a bill of sale template.

If the vessel was built for you, we need either:

If you can’t provide the bill(s) of sale or a builder’s certificate, complete:

Appointing a representative

An authorized representative needs to be appointed when:

  • there is more than one owner,
  • a foreign corporation owns the vessel, or
  • the owner(s) want(s) to appoint a representative

To appoint an authorized representative:

1. Complete:

2. Email your request with the completed document(s) to vr-ib@tc.gc.ca or include with your documents when applying for another service.

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 cases, the tonnage of some small vessels may be determined by their owners.

Find out more about tonnage measurement.

Port of registry

The Port of Registry is the location where your vessel is registered and typically based. This is only for vessels in the Large Vessel Register.

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.

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