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Australia · Boat licence

Boat licence in Australia: how each state does it

There’s no national boat licence in Australia, so you get yours from your own state. NSW and Victoria let you sit a multiple-choice test at a service centre or with a training provider. Queensland and Tasmania license you through a BoatSafe course, and WA’s Recreational Skipper’s Ticket has a theory test and a practical trip.

  • 50Questions in the NSW general boat test
  • 30Questions in the Victorian marine test
  • 40Questions in WA’s RST theory test
  • 12Youngest licence age in NSW and Tasmania
Where to studyHow the test works

Updated October 2026 · Written from the state boating handbooks

Key facts

At a glance

Who issues it
Your own state. There’s no national licence
How you qualify
A test at Service NSW or VicRoads, or through an approved provider
Jet skis
An extra PWC licence or endorsement in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania
How long it lasts
For life in Queensland and WA. 1 to 10 years in NSW, 12 months or 5 years in Victoria, and to 30 June 2027 in Tasmania
States on this site
NSW, Queensland, Victoria, WA and Tasmania

How it works

How a boat licence in Australia works, state by state

  1. NSW: a 50-question knowledge test at a service centre or with an Authorised Training Provider, after a logbook of 3 trips or an approved course.
  2. Victoria: a 30-question computer test at VicRoads, or an accredited provider’s course and test, online or in person.
  3. Queensland: a BoatSafe course with an accredited provider, then you apply in person with the statement of competency it gives you.
  4. WA: the Recreational Skipper’s Ticket, a 40-question theory test and a practical trip, both with an authorised provider.
  5. Tasmania: a BoatSafe Practical Tuition course and the licence test, both with a MAST-approved provider.
  6. In NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania a jet ski needs an extra PWC licence or endorsement. WA’s RST pages don’t list a separate one.

Topics

What’s on the test

01

Who needs a licence, and how you get one

Each state sets its own trigger for needing a licence and its own path to one: a test at a service centre, a course with an approved provider, or both.

Key points (4)
  • NSW: carry your licence whenever you drive at 10 knots or more, or drive a PWC, and show it when an authorised officer asks.
  • Victoria: an unlicensed person may drive under the direct supervision of someone over 18 who holds the right licence and can take control immediately.
  • Queensland: you can drive without a licence if a supervisor with a valid marine licence is on board and can take control at once, but towing a person needs your own licence.
  • NSW: a boat owner must be able to identify whoever drives the boat, even when the owner isn’t on board.
02

Lifejackets and safety equipment

Lifejacket rules depend on the boat, the waters and the time of day. Every state’s test checks that you know what to carry and when to wear it.

Key points (4)
  • NSW: on a powerboat under 4.8 metres, everyone must wear a Level 100 or higher lifejacket at all times on open waters and when crossing a coastal bar.
  • NSW: everyone on a PWC, and anyone being towed, must wear a Level 50S or higher lifejacket at all times.
  • An EPIRB sends a distress signal for at least 48 hours once it’s turned on, and it must transmit on 406 MHz (NSW Boating Handbook).
  • Tasmania’s BoatSafe course expects every person on board to know where the safety equipment is and how to use it.
03

Planning a trip and loading the boat

Before you leave the ramp, the BoatSafe competencies in Tasmania’s handbook ask you to check the weather, the boat and the load.

Key points (4)
  • Check an up-to-date weather forecast before you leave, and keep watching the weather on the water.
  • Tell a responsible person where you’re going and when you’ll be back.
  • Don’t carry more people than the boat’s recommended maximum.
  • Spread gear and people evenly so the boat stays stable.
04

Give way rules, distances and alcohol limits

The collision rules are international, so they’re the same in every state. Distances and alcohol limits are state law; the figures here are from the NSW Boating Handbook.

Key points (4)
  • Two powered vessels meeting head on both turn to starboard (right). When crossing, give way to the vessel on your right.
  • A powered vessel gives way to a sailing vessel, unless the sailing vessel is overtaking it.
  • NSW: powered vessels keep at least 60 metres from people in the water, and at 6 knots or more at least 30 metres from other vessels, structures and the shore.
  • NSW: the blood alcohol limit for a recreational boat driver is under 0.05 at 18 or over, and 0.00 under 18.
05

Navigation marks

Marks show the sides of a channel and the safe side of a hazard. You must recognise each one by its colour, shape, topmark and light.

Key points (4)
  • Port marks are red with a can-shaped topmark, and flash red if lit. Starboard marks are green with a cone, and flash green if lit.
  • Going upstream (away from the sea), keep port marks on your port (left) side and starboard marks on your starboard side.
  • A north cardinal mark has two cones pointing up: the safe water is on its north side.
  • A pair of port and starboard marks shows the channel: travel between them.
06

Emergencies and distress calls

You need to know how to raise the alarm, which radio words to use and what to do if someone goes overboard.

Key points (4)
  • Mayday is for imminent danger to the boat and the people on it. Pan pan is for an urgent problem that isn’t imminent danger. Securite comes before a safety message, such as a weather warning.
  • VHF channel 16 and 27 MHz channel 88 are distress channels.
  • Raising and lowering your arms is an international distress signal.
  • If you hear a mayday call, don’t transmit: keep listening, and relay the message if no shore station answers.
07

Personal watercraft (jet ski) rules

NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania license PWCs separately, and some states set their own PWC rules on top of the boating ones.

Key points (4)
  • NSW: a PWC licence needs a general boat licence first, then a 15-question PWC test where you need 12 right.
  • Victoria: a PWC endorsement needs age 16 or older, and the endorsement test has 15 questions with 13 to pass.
  • Tasmania: a PWC must not be operated between sunset and sunrise.
  • Tasmania: a PWC towing a skier needs an observer aged at least 14 (or 12 with a provisional motor boat licence).

Test day

What to bring when you apply

  • Proof of identity. A current NSW photo driver licence counts on its own in NSW, and in WA a WA driver’s licence covers both ID and eyesight.
  • Your glasses or contact lenses, if you need them to see well enough to drive.
  • NSW: your logbook or the training provider’s evidence of practical experience.
  • Queensland: the statement of competency from your BoatSafe provider and a completed form F2334.
  • Under 18 in WA: a letter of consent from a parent or guardian. Under 16 in NSW: a parent or guardian comes with you.

Before you go

  1. Read your state’s handbook or workbook. NSW says everything you need for both tests is in its Boating Handbook.
  2. Try your state’s free official practice quizzes, if it has them: NSW, Victoria, WA and Tasmania do.
  3. Choose how you’ll get practical experience, if your state needs it.
  4. Check what your provider charges and what the fee includes. Providers set their own fees.
  5. Check whether your state runs the test at a service centre or only through approved providers.
Service NSW: Book a general boat or PWC licence knowledge testThis is the booking page for NSW service centres. In Queensland, Tasmania and WA you book a course or assessment with an approved provider instead.

Study options

Where to study

Start with your state’s free handbook or workbook, and its official practice quiz if it has one. Then pick a course from your state’s approved list, if your state requires one or you want time on the water with an instructor.

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official and free
Boating knowledge practice quizzes (Service NSW)Official · webService NSW says the questions come from the pool used in the real NSW tests, but to treat each quiz as a guide only. It shows whether each answer is right as you go, and at the end points you to the handbook sections behind any you got wrong.
FreeA general boat quiz and a PWC quiz
Take the NSW quiz ↗
Marine licence practice tests (Safe Transport Victoria)Official · webEach marine licence practice test has 30 questions, the same length as the real test. Victoria’s handbook says they include sample questions from the actual test, but not necessarily the ones you’ll be asked.
Free3 marine licence tests and 3 PWC endorsement tests
Try the Victorian tests ↗
RST Workbook and quizzes (TransportWA)Official · PDF and webThe quizzes are taken from the current RST Workbook, which WA says has everything you need to pass the assessment. The workbook’s self-test questions are similar to the theory test, with answers at the back.
FreeThe July 2026 workbook and 6 practice quizzes
Get the workbook and quizzes ↗
Motor boat licence practice test (MAST)Official · webCovers safe navigation, safety equipment, collision rules, navigation marks and lights, emergencies, vessel handling and the skipper’s responsibilities. MAST suggests it for anyone about to start their licence training, and for licence holders brushing up.
Free25 questions drawn at random from a pool of 190
Try MAST’s practice test ↗
In person
Australian Boating CollegeCourse provider · NSW, Victoria, WA and QueenslandIt appears on the NSW list of Authorised Training Providers (accredited until 14 June 2028), Victoria’s list of accredited providers, WA’s RST assessment providers and TMR’s BoatSafe directory. Its Sydney fee covers a practical session, theory study and the knowledge test. Its Melbourne course includes an online training course and the multiple-choice test.
Sydney: $440 boat licence course, $550 with the PWC test, $220 PWC upgrade (from 1 November 2025). Melbourne: $160 per student for each licencePractice quizzes on its website
Sydney courses ↗Melbourne courses ↗
Australian Volunteer Coast Guard (Victoria)Volunteer course provider · VictoriaAn accredited provider on Safe Transport Victoria’s list, running boat and PWC licence courses across Victoria for people 12 and older, through flotillas such as St Kilda, Safety Beach, Queenscliff and Paynesville. It says you can resit a failed assessment on the same day, with no more than two attempts a day. You take its certificate to VicRoads within 12 months to get your licence.
Course fee not published on its pageNot listed
Coast Guard licence courses ↗

Prices and ratings checked October 2026.

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FAQ

Common questions

Do you need a licence to drive a boat?

It depends on the boat and the state. NSW requires one to drive at 10 knots (about 18.5 km/h) or more, and for any jet ski. Victoria requires one for any powered recreational vessel. Queensland requires one for an engine over 4.5 kW, WA for a motor over 6 horsepower (4.5 kW), and Tasmania for a motor of 4 hp or more. Paddle craft and sailing boats without an engine don’t need one in NSW.

Is a boat licence from one state in Australia valid in the others?

For a while. NSW, Victoria, WA and Tasmania let you use a current interstate licence for up to 3 months, and Queensland accepts a current interstate licence if you’re at least 16 and follow its conditions. Each state page explains how to transfer yours.

Do you need a boat licence to hire a boat?

Sometimes. In NSW the 10-knot rule applies to hired boats too, so a hire boat that stays under 10 knots needs no licence. Victoria requires a licence for a hire boat that can go faster than 10 knots, and a PWC endorsement for any hired jet ski. Tasmania lets you drive a hire boat that can’t exceed 8 knots without a licence, after training. WA strongly recommends an RST for hire boats over 4.5 kW, and Queensland asks you to contact Maritime Safety Queensland about its hire boat rules.

Can you use an overseas boat licence?

Only in some states, and only for a short time. NSW lets visitors use an overseas licence for up to 3 months, but it can’t be transferred, apart from some New Zealand qualifications. WA and Queensland each publish a list of overseas qualifications they recognise. If you settle in Queensland, you need a Queensland licence within 3 months of arriving or getting a resident visa.

What licence do you need for a commercial boat?

Not a recreational boat licence. NSW says you need a certificate of competency or an exemption from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), and Tasmania also requires a Certificate of Competency for commercial use. It works the other way too: in WA, holders of a commercial certificate still need an RST for a recreational boat, though they can have the certificate recognised.

What about South Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory?

This site covers NSW, Queensland, Victoria, WA and Tasmania. For South Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory, check that state or territory’s own government boating pages before you go out on the water.

Sources: Transport for NSW · Queensland Government · Safe Transport Victoria and 6 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.