Key info
- The licence fee depends on your age and the type of licence.
- Anyone over 17 can apply.
- You must complete a BoatSafe Practical Course with an accredited provider.
- You can apply for a provisional boat licence if you are 12 to 16 years old.
| Find a Service Centre | link | Apply for a boat licence at your nearest Service Tasmania service centre |  |
About applying for a boat licence
You must have a licence to operate a recreational boat with power of 4 hp or more in Tasmania.
All boat licences expire on the same date. This expiry date happens at 3 year intervals so the length of your licence depends on when your licence starts.
A boat licence is for recreational boating only. You need a Certificate of Competency to operate a commercial vessel.
Provisional licence
The Provisional Licence is gained the same way as a full licence. The following restrictions apply to provisional licence holders:
- must be accompanied by a responsible adult
- must not take charge of a motor boat at night
- must not at any time exceed a speed of 20 knots
- must not tow a skier.
How to apply
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What you need to apply
You must complete a BoatSafe Practical Course with an accredited provider. After successfully completing the course visit a service centre to:
- provide proof of identity
- pay the application fee.
Can I apply?
You can apply if you are over 17.
If you are aged 12 to 16 you can apply for a provisional boat licence through this same process.
Proving your identity
There are 2 ways to prove your identity:
1. your Tasmanian driver licence
You can show your driver licence, even if it expired up to 2 years ago
2. provide identity documents
If you don't have a Tasmanian driver licence, you must show at least:
- One Category A document and two Category B documents, or
- Two Category A documents and one Category B document.
- Australian birth certificate (not an extract or commemorative certificate)
- Australian photo driver licence (can be expired up to 2 years)
- Australian passport (can be expired up to 2 years)
- Overseas passport/visa (can be expired up to 2 years)
- Australian firearms licence
- Tasmanian Government personal information card (displaying full name)
- Australian citizenship papers
- Travel documents or ImmiCard (issued by Department of Immigration and Border Protection or Australian Government)
- Certificate of Evidence of Resident Status (issued by Department of Immigration and Border Protection)
- Medicare card
- Bank or credit card with signature
- Student identity card with photo (issued by an Australian educational institution)
- Concession card (Veteran's Affairs/Centrelink/other current entitlement issued by the Australian Government)
- Births, Deaths and Marriages change of name/marriage certificate/deed poll (not a church or celebrant issued document)
- High risk work licence (issued by WorkSafe Tasmania)
- Working with vulnerable people or children card (issued by the Australian Government).
At least one document must confirm your current Tasmanian residential address
Additional evidentiary documentation may be required from the Evidence of Residential Address section below.
Documents must be less than 6 months old.
- Financial institution statement
- Utility account (power, water, telephone)
- Council rate notice
- Lease or rent agreement
- Land tax valuation notice
- Australian Taxation Office assessment (current or last financial year)
- Certificate of title.
If you are a provisional applicant, and you are unable to provide any of the above documentation to confirm a current Tasmanian residential address, you may provide one of the following:
- Copy of driver licence of either parent (as sighted on birth certificate to confirm the relationship)
- Letter from current school confirming enrolment and address
- Concession card - provisional applicant as a listed dependent
- Adoption paper issued by court
- Divorce paper issued by court, indicating the name being reverted to
- Change of name registration issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages or deed poll
- Guardianship order
- Marriage certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages (not a church or celebrant issued document).
How much it costs
The licence fee depends on your age and the type of licence you are applying for.
Marine and Safety Tasmania provide a handy fee calculator to help you work out the cost.
Payment options
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More Information
- A plastic licence card is available for an extra fee. The card is usually sent to you within 2 weeks.
- If you operate a Personal Watercraft (PWC) you must have an endorsed Motorboat Licence. Applicants are required to complete a PWC Course which can be done in conjunction with the Boatsafe course.
Please visit Marine and Safety Tasmania for more information on applying for a boat licence.