When a boat needs registering
| State | Registration is needed when | Examples the state exempts |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | The vessel has an engine of 4kW or more, is 5.5 metres or longer (with or without an engine), is a personal watercraft (PWC), or needs a mooring licence or marina berth. | Domestic commercial vessels operating under the national law do not need NSW registration. |
| Victoria | A boat, jet ski or e-foil can use an engine to move it in Victorian waters. | A vessel with no engine that can propel it, a recreational tender, a domestic commercial vessel, and a kayak or canoe with an electric motor of no more than 40 pounds’ thrust used at no more than 5 knots. |
| Queensland | A boat, including a PWC, has an engine of 3kW or more and is on the water. A boat not used entirely for private recreation, and not owned by a school, surf lifesaving club or other community group, needs commercial registration instead. | A tender to a registered ship, if it stays within 2 nautical miles of the ship, only carries people or provisions between the ship and the shore, is smaller than the ship and is 6 metres or less. |
Registering, state by state
New South Wales
You need to be at least 16 to register a vessel in NSW, and the registration lasts 12 months. To register one yourself, you submit the application at a service centre. The application includes:
- a Hull Identification Number (HIN, or Boatcode) certificate
- proof of the Australian Builders Plate, for powerboats and for PWC built to carry more than 2 people
- proof of purchase showing the seller’s full name and signature, the buyer’s full name and address, the date of sale with words such as “received payment in full”, the HIN if there is one, and a full description of the vessel
- proof of identity and the registration fee.
Transport for NSW says some pre-1996 vessels have no HIN, and a Boatcode agent can fix one after purchase. If the vessel once had an AMSA Unique Vessel Identifier or was used commercially, you first need a Letter of Agreement for Recreational Vessel Registration from Transport for NSW.
If you are moving to NSW, or using NSW waters for more than 3 consecutive months, an interstate or overseas vessel needs NSW registration. To check whether a vessel is already registered, Transport for NSW gives 13 77 88, or a service centre.
Pages: How to register a vessel, Boat and vessel registration
Victoria
You must be at least 14, or a company or incorporated association, and the vessel must be seaworthy. Registration is renewed every 12 months, and registration is required if you intend to stay in Victoria for more than 3 months in a row.
You need a completed vessel registration form, evidence of identity, and the club approval letter if an approved club has given you a reserved number. With a VicRoads customer number, or a driver or marine licence issued in Victoria, you can post the application with a money order for the fee; otherwise you make an appointment at a customer service centre.
A vessel registered in another state or territory does not need Victorian registration while it is in Victorian waters temporarily (under 3 months), as long as it shows the mark or number issued by its home authority.
Pages: VicRoads: register a boat or jet ski, Safe Transport Victoria: licensing and registration
Queensland
Register at a transport and motoring customer service centre, or in a rural area at a QGAP office, Magistrates Court or police station that registers boats. Take the Queensland regulated ship registration application (F3525), proof of where the boat came from (a purchase receipt, for example), proof of identity and the fee.
For a boat 15 metres or longer, new registrations, transfers and changes must be endorsed by Maritime Safety Queensland before Transport and Main Roads processes them.
A renewal notice arrives about 4 weeks before the registration expires. After expiry the boat is unregistered, and possibly uninsured, until the fee is paid; you have 3 months to renew, with a late fee and the registration backdated, or you can apply for a new registration instead. You can check a boat’s registration online, in the QLD Rego Check app, or by calling Transport and Main Roads on 13 23 80.
A boat with current interstate registration can operate in Queensland while on an interstate voyage, but if you move to Queensland you must get Queensland registration.
What the boat has to display
| State | What to display |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | The registration number in solid, clear text; the HIN, permanently attached; a safety label where everyone on board can see it; a PWC behaviour label on a PWC; and the Australian Builders Plate. A registration label is no longer needed. |
| Victoria | The registration label in a clearly visible place on the outside or upper part of the vessel, and the identification number on each side of the hull, forward of the beam, at least 150mm high (100mm for a PWC, 80mm for an e-foil), in a colour that contrasts with the hull. |
| Queensland | Registration numbers readable from 30 metres, in a colour that contrasts with the hull: at least 150mm high on both sides for a boat capable of planing, 75mm on both sides or the stern for one that is not, and 100mm on both sides for a PWC. Registration labels are no longer issued. |
Registration is not insurance
Each state’s page makes the point in its own words. NSW says third party insurance is not compulsory to register a vessel, though Transport for NSW recommends it as part of comprehensive vessel insurance; Safe Transport Victoria says Victorian boat registration includes no insurance cover; and Queensland says third party insurance is not included in the registration cost. This guide does not arrange insurance or give financial advice.
The trailer underneath
A boat trailer is a trailer like any other. Victoria says the trailer you use to tow your vessel must be registered separately, and Queensland reminds buyers and sellers of a boat with a registered trailer to transfer the trailer’s registration as well. The trailer plate covers the steps.
Other states and territories
Each runs its own scheme; the maritime agencies are listed on the home page.