Important Changes to the Pleasure Craft Licensing Process
April 7, 2026
The Pleasure Craft Licence (PCL) is the licence for the vessel itself as usually noted by the series of letters and numbers found on each side of the bow of a powered vessel of 7.5 kw (9.9 hp) or greater. It is not to be confused with the Pleasure Craft Operator Certificate (PCOC) or other forms of operator competency.
Here are the key updates from Transport Canada you should be aware of:
• all new, transferred and renewed Pleasure Craft Licences are valid for 5 years
• licences without an expiry date now have an expiry date
• a $24.00 fee to apply for a new, renewed, transferred or duplicate Pleasure Craft Licence
• you must update your licence information within 30 days (there is no fee to update)
