The licence at a glance
| State | The licence you build on | The PWC step | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | A general boat licence, needed to drive a vessel at 10 knots or more. Available from age 12, with restrictions under 16. | A PWC licence, which needs the general boat licence first and a pass in the PWC knowledge test. | Renewed every 1, 3, 5 or 10 years. |
| Victoria | A marine licence, needed to operate any powered recreational vessel. Administered by VicRoads. | A PWC endorsement on the marine licence, from age 16. It cannot be issued on its own. | Issued for 12 months or five years. |
| Queensland | A recreational marine licence, needed for a boat with an engine of more than 4.5kW. From age 16. | A personal watercraft licence, held with the recreational marine licence. | Valid for life; it does not need renewing. |
New South Wales
A licence is needed to drive a vessel for recreation on NSW waters at 10 knots (about 18.5 km/h) or more, or to drive any PWC at all. The two classes are the general boat licence and the PWC licence, and the PWC licence needs the general boat licence first.
- Show practical boating experience for the general boat licence, with a logbook completed with an experienced skipper or an approved practical course.
- Pass the boating knowledge test, at a service centre or through an Authorised Training Provider.
- For the PWC licence, pass the PWC knowledge test. No further practical experience is needed for this upgrade.
- Apply at a service centre with proof of identity, an eyesight test or report, the test and licence fees, and, for the PWC licence, two passport-acceptable photos and the PWC application form.
Carry the licence whenever you are driving at 10 knots or more, or driving a PWC. As at October 2026, Transport for NSW lists a 1-year licence for someone 16 or over at $82 for a boat and $260 for a PWC, with fees effective from 1 July 2026; holders of an eligible concession card, and people under 16, pay less. If a licence is not renewed within 5 years of expiring, the whole process, training and tests included, starts again.
Pages: Get a boat or PWC licence, Boat and PWC licence fees, Renew, replace or update
Victoria
Anyone operating a powered recreational vessel on Victorian waters needs a marine licence, and that includes sailing boats, e-foils and paddle craft with a motor. Jet ski riders need a marine licence with a PWC endorsement.
- Get a marine licence, by taking a course or studying on your own for the test.
- From age 16, add the PWC endorsement. A restricted licence, held between 12 and 16, cannot carry one.
A hired jet ski needs the endorsement too. Someone with an equivalent interstate licence may use it in Victoria for three months; a person who has lived in Victoria for more than three months must convert it at a VicRoads customer service centre, and with evidence of the interstate licence is exempt from the test.
Queensland
A marine licence is needed for a boat with an engine power greater than 4.5kW, and a PWC needs both a recreational marine licence and a personal watercraft licence.
- Complete and pass a BoatSafe course, or hold a recognised and valid interstate marine licence. You must be at least 16.
- Apply within 6 months, while the BoatSafe statement of competency is still valid, at a transport and motoring customer service centre or a QGAP office that offers marine licensing, with the marine licence application (F2334), proof of identity and the fee.
A current recreational marine licence from another state or territory can be used in Queensland if you are at least 16 and keep to its conditions.
Pages: Boat and personal watercraft licences, Maritime Safety Queensland: personal watercraft
Younger riders
New South Wales. A licence holder aged 12 to 15 must not drive a PWC or vessel faster than 20 knots, in any race or regatta, between sunset and sunrise, or while towing anyone. On a PWC at 10 knots or more, someone aged 16 or over with a PWC licence must be on board.
Victoria. A restricted licence is needed by anyone over 12 and under 16 operating a powered recreational vessel. It allows daylight use only, at less than 10 knots, and no towing, and it cannot carry a PWC endorsement.
Queensland. The marine licence starts at 16. Anyone without a licence may operate a boat or PWC with a licensed supervisor on board who can take immediate control. On a PWC, Maritime Safety Queensland adds that a supervised unlicensed driver may carry no passengers other than the supervisor, who must wear the kill switch lanyard.
Two rules that come with the licence
Towing someone. In Queensland you can only operate a boat or PWC that is towing a person, such as a water skier, if you hold a valid marine licence. Maritime Safety Queensland adds that there must also be an observer on board who is competent to watch the skier at all times.
Speed near people and the shore. In Queensland, a PWC must slow to no more than 6 knots within 60 metres of the shore, anyone in the water, boats at anchor or on moorings, jetties, pontoons, boat ramps and other structures, and the edge of a bathing reserve, with narrow exceptions for waterways under 120 metres wide and for waterskiing or towing.
Other states and territories
Licensing differs in each; the maritime agencies are listed on the home page.