Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC)

This summary is provided for convenience only. Get current details from
Canada's Office of Boating Safety, which regulates recreational boating.

Do you Have the Card?

Everyone must carry a Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) to operate a boat with a motor. It's often referred to as "the Card", Canadian boat licence, or PCOC. Get your card online with BOATEREXAM.COM - right awayt!

On September 15, 2009, after ten years phasing in the program, the Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations require operators (as described above) of pleasure craft fitted with a motor and used for recreational purposes to carry proof of competency or risk fines up to $250. Electric trolling motors, canoes or dinghies with motors (even when being rowed), and PWCs are all considered motorized craft (sailboats, dinghies, canoes and kayaks without motors are not). There are special rules for foreign visitors and renters.

The most common proof of competency to carry is the Pleasure Craft Operator Card from a government-accredited course provider such as the online training and testing provider BOATEREXAM.COM. (More...)

Non-residents and visitors are exempt until they stay in Canada over 45 days.

Since September 2009 everyone must now the "Card". Estimates suggest that only three million of Canada's approximately 10 million boaters have qualified by the deadline date. (CBC.CA)

Chronology

• 2009 September: Deadline for all boater operators to carry proof of competency.
• 2007: Transport Canada announced plans to tighten testing standards. Only two million Canadian boaters have cards. [Boating in Canada News]
• 2006: In Ontario impaired boating results in the suspension of your driving license, just as if the offence had taken place on the roads.
• 2004: Transport Canada manages the Office of Boat Safety.
• 1999-2004: The Coast Guard and Office of Boat Safety (pleasure boat policy) were managed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans
• 1999: If you passed a boating safety course before April 1, 1999, the course certificate may be recognized, and a "Card" obtained from the training organization.
• 1999: The Northwest and Nunavut Territories exempt from PCOC requirements.

Proof of Competency

1. * Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) will be the most common way boaters will prove competency. The PCOC can be obtained from a "federally approved agency". You take a boating safety course, pass a short test, then pay a fee for your PCOC. You have to pass a multiple choice exam of 36 questions with at least 27 (75%) correct answers about boating regulations, marine emergencies, operating a boat, and terminology. The card is good for life. You can study on your own, take classroom instruction (highly recommended), or "challenge" the exam from one of these agencies. If you take the exam online (right), you must also have a “proctor” register to confirm proper supervision to prevent cheating. Boating Safety Accredited Courses are authorized by the federal Office of Boating Safety and given by accredited private companies such as BOATEREXAM.COM.
2. Boat Rental operators will be given a dockside test to replace the requirement for a PCOC. If you rent a cottage that comes with a fishing boat or a charter boat with a dinghy, call the Office of Boating Safety to see if a card is required.
3. Visiting or non-resident boaters will be exempt if their stay is shorter than 45 days. Operator card issued by your state or country will be considered as proof of competency. NASBLA issued cards are recognized for U.S. citizens. (All 16 U.S. states along the Canadian border either have mandatory boater education programs in place or being phased in.)

Links & Information

• Government Index - Tranport Canada's Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety for recreational boat regulations.
• Visitors information - our summary of regulations affecting foreign visitors who operate or rent a boat in Canada.
• Boating News - Check regularly for Canadian boating news updates. Boating in Canada News blog
• boating newsgroups - talk to other Canadian boaters in the newsgroup can.rec.boating (link requires news software)
• Take your PCOC card training and test online with BOATEREXAM.COM.
• Licensing archive - operator licensing history

Take a Course - Get the Card

BOATEREXAM.COM has been helping Canadian boaters get their Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) since 2000. On September 15, 2009, every operator must have a pleasure-craft operator card! Do you? Study online and take your exam online too! (More about BoaterExam.com.)

"We hoped it would mean safer boating, but, nearly everyone we talked to says the PCOC test is too easy. Some "authorized" training companies allow boaters to take the test until they pass; others only charge a fee if you DO pass. This is hardly a way for ensuring boaters know what they are doing on the water. There is no on-water test; no proof of an operator's ability to operate the boat safely. A child driving a high-powered boat requires only supervision by someone over 16 (without training) - what purpose is that? Boaters and marine organizations supported the original government proposal for mandatory education - all we got was testing about regulations. We should be sceptical if the government tries to introduce boat licence fees that 'won't be used as a revenue generator'."
In 2007, Transport Canada promised stricter testing standards. The only change I heard was you can no longer take an online test in your own home. Huh?       -- Pat, your humble webmaster