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Australia · Boat licence

Boat and jet ski licence: what each state asks for

You need a boat licence first, then a PWC licence (NSW and Queensland) or a PWC endorsement on your licence (Victoria and Tasmania). So a boat and jet ski licence is two steps in these states, and NSW lets you get both at the same time.

  • 12 of 15To pass the NSW PWC test
  • 13 of 15To pass the Victorian PWC test
  • 16Youngest age for a Victorian endorsement
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Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How do you get a boat and jet ski licence?

StateWhat you addHow
NSWPWC licence15-question PWC test after a general boat licence
VictoriaPWC endorsementSeparate 15-question test, from age 16
QueenslandPWC licenceA separate licence on top of the recreational marine licence
TasmaniaPWC endorsementPWC practical course with an accredited provider
WANo separate PWC licence listedAn RST for any recreational vessel with a motor over 6 horsepower

Do you need a boat licence for a jet ski?

Yes. In NSW you need a PWC licence to drive a PWC at any speed, even below the 10 knots where a boat licence starts, and that includes a borrowed or hired one. Victoria requires a marine licence with a PWC endorsement, including on a hired PWC. Queensland requires both a recreational marine licence and a PWC licence, and Tasmania a current motor boat licence with a PWC endorsement.

In WA, TransportWA’s RST pages don’t list a separate jet ski licence, and you need an RST for any recreational vessel with a motor over 6 horsepower (4.5 kW).

The NSW PWC licence

You need a general boat licence first, or you can get both at the same time. The PWC knowledge test has 15 questions and you need at least 12 right. You don’t need extra practical experience for the upgrade. To apply, bring the PWC licence application form and 2 colour passport-acceptable photos with your name and date of birth on the back.

Moving to NSW? A PWC licence from Queensland, Victoria or Tasmania transfers. A general licence from another state that covers all vessels, PWCs included, doesn’t: you transfer it to a NSW boat licence, then sit the NSW PWC test.

PWC licence and test fees →Limits for riders under 16 →

Victoria’s PWC endorsement

You must be 16 or older, and you can’t add an endorsement to a restricted licence. The endorsement test is separate from the marine licence test: 15 questions, and you need 13 right. You can do the course and assessment with an accredited provider or at any VicRoads customer service centre, up to 12 months before the endorsement is issued.

On the water, a 5-knot limit applies within 200 metres of the water’s edge on enclosed and coastal waters, and within 50 metres of a person or another vessel.

Getting the Victorian marine licence →

Tasmania and Queensland

In Tasmania, a PWC endorsement comes only from a PWC practical course with an accredited provider, once you hold a motor boat licence. Four of MAST’s approved providers run PWC courses, and the Tasmania page lists them. A licence from another state lets you drive a boat in Tasmania, but to ride a PWC it must have a PWC endorsement.

In Queensland, the PWC licence sits alongside the recreational marine licence, and each has its own fee.

Queensland’s path to a licence →Tasmania’s motor boat licence →
Sources: Transport for NSW · Service NSW · Safe Transport Victoria and 9 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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