Freshwater Fishing E-Licence


A Message from the Minister

On September 6, 2007, the B.C. Government launched a new e-licensing service to make it easier than ever for anglers to purchase recreational fishing licences.

Last year, I committed to establishing a modern, user-friendly system for selling British Columbia freshwater fishing licences. It was time to replace the traditional paper-based system that has served us well for many years. Read more >>

About the Freshwater Fishing E-Licence

This web site allows individuals to purchase and pay online for a Freshwater Fishing Licence for recreational purposes.

The Freshwater Fishing Licence does not include fishing in British Columbia's coastal tidal waters. Tidal (saltwater) fishing regulations and licences are under the jurisdiction of the Canadian federal government. See the link to "Government of Canada" in the right column of this page.

What you will need to buy an e-licence online

You can buy a recreational fishing licence over the Internet by clicking the "Buy a licence online" link at the top of the right column of this web page.

If you already have a paper licence for the current licensing year, you cannot add additional licences online. You can purchase additional paper licences from a fishing licence vendor.

To buy an e-licence you will need:

  • a valid credit card number for fee payment. VISA, MasterCard and American Express are accepted;
  • a connected printer, switched on and loaded with letter-sized paper, to print your licence;
  • a connection to the Internet. To access the Freshwater Fishing system, you will need the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser, version 6 or higher. The browser must have JavaScript version 1.1 or higher.; and
  • an angler number. You may have one if you have registered or purchased an e-licence before. If not, you will obtain one when you buy or register for an e-licence for the first time.

Other ways to buy a licence

You can also buy a recreational fishing licence:

E-Licence - Anglers

Individuals can buy a recreational licence online.

E-Licence - Vendors

Vendors can issue licences and settle their accounts online. To access the system, vendors will need their own ID and password. Read more >>

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the Tutorials above.

More About Fishing