Transport Canada Now Charges $24 for Recreational Boat Licence
January 13, 2026
As of Dec. 31, 2025, Transport Canada has made several updates to the Pleasure Craft Licence (PCL).
Beginning this year pleasure craft licences must be renewed every five years – and current lifetime licences will be gradually replaced with PCLs that must be renewed every five years. Beginning in 2028 wind-powered pleasure craft over six metres in length will also be required to hold a PCL.
Boaters will have to pay a $24 service fee whenever they apply for – renew – transfer or replace their pleasure craft licence.
The following changes have taken effect as of December 31, 2025:
- new and renewed pleasure craft licences will only be valid for five years
- current lifetime licences will be gradually replaced with licences that must be renewed every five years.
- a $24 service fee will apply to issuing, renewing, transferring, or replacing a Pleasure Craft Licence. This fee will be updated annually for inflation
- licence holders must now update their information within 30 days of a change in their name or address, instead of the previous 90 days.
- Applications for a Pleasure Craft Licence (PCL), payment of the new service fee, and requests for fee exemptions for those exercising section 35 treaty rights can be completed through Transport Canada’s website.
The Pleasure Craft Licence (PCL) is a unique identification number for recreational boats that have one or more engines whose combined power is at least 10 horsepower- similar to a car’s license plate.
Registered is different than licenced
According to the Transport Canada website, your pleasure craft doesn’t need a licence if it is registered in Canada. It needs to be registered if you:
- want a name for your pleasure craft
- need to register a marine mortgage with Transport Canada
- If you travel outside of Canada, most countries require your pleasure craft to be registered
Has your current licence expired?
You can check your licence expiry date using your Pleasure Craft Licence number.
Older licences without an expiry date now have an expiry date as shown in this table.
| Licence issue date | Licence expiry date |
| December 31, 1974 or earlier | March 31, 2026 |
| January 1, 1975 to December 31, 1985 | December 31, 2026 |
| January 1, 1986 to December 31, 1995 | December 31, 2027 |
| January 1, 1996 to December 31, 1999 | December 31, 2028 |
| January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2005 | December 31, 2029 |
| January 1, 2006 to April 28, 2010 | December 31, 2030 |
You may be fined $250 if your pleasure craft doesn’t have a valid licence.
