Where to study

Tests

Driving testsCitizenship testsSchool and university admissionsNursing, medicine and healthEnglish and French testsTeachingMoney, law and insuranceTrades and work licencesPilots, drones, boats and radio

Countries

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomAustraliaNew Zealand

Australia · Boat licence

How to get a boat licence in NSW

You get practical experience, pass a 50-question knowledge test, then apply at a service centre. Transport for NSW requires a general boat licence to drive a powerboat, or a sailing boat under engine, at 10 knots (about 18.5 km/h) or more. To get a boat licence in NSW you can do every step yourself, or do the experience and the test in one course with an Authorised Training Provider.

  • 50Questions in the knowledge test
  • 3 tripsMinimum in the practical logbook
  • 12 monthsTo apply after your practical experience
Book the test with Service NSW

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How do you get a boat licence in NSW?

  1. Get practical experience: a logbook of at least 3 trips with an experienced skipper, or an approved course with an Authorised Training Provider (ATP).
  2. Study the Boating Handbook. Transport for NSW says everything you need for the test is in it.
  3. Pass the General Boat Licence Knowledge Test, at any service centre (book ahead and pay the test fee) or with an ATP.
  4. Apply with proof of identity, evidence of your eyesight, your practical experience and your test pass, and pay the licence fee. After a service centre test you can apply in the same visit. After an ATP test you apply in person or by post.
  5. Once the licence is granted, it shows in your Service NSW account and app straight away, and you can use a temporary paper licence until the card arrives.

Apply within 12 months of your practical experience. Service NSW also gives you 12 months after passing the test.

Licence and test fees →Rules for 12 to 15 year olds →

The practical logbook

You can do your practical training with an experienced skipper, generally a family member or friend, using the Boating Licence Practical Logbook. For the logbook to count, each of your trips must be:

  • in a powered vessel under power (a PWC doesn’t count)
  • in a vessel with the required safety equipment, and lights if it’s at night
  • at no more than 10 knots
  • within 12 months of the date you apply
  • with an experienced skipper aged over 18 who has held a NSW or interstate boat licence for at least 3 years in a row at some stage, or who holds a certificate of competency

Transport for NSW recommends at least one trip between sunset and sunrise. It audits logbooks at random, and falsifying one carries a maximum penalty of $5,500.

The NSW boat licence test

The test has 50 multiple-choice questions in two sections: a section of 20 where every answer must be right, and a section of 30 where you need at least 24. Under 16? A parent or legal guardian must be with you when you sit it.

If you fail, you can take it again, on the same day if there’s a spot, and you pay the test fee each time. Anyone who cheats can’t resit for 6 weeks. A free interpreter service is available if you need to sit the test in another language.

Free NSW practice quiz and other study options →The NSW handbooks →Can you sit it online? →

Authorised Training Providers in NSW

ATPs train and test on behalf of Transport for NSW, and they set their own fees and conditions. To count as practical experience, the course must include an on-water part. If it doesn’t, you still need a logbook.

Trading nameAccredited until
Australian Boating College14 June 2028
Boating Licence Course14 June 2028
Flying Fish Sailing7 August 2028
Marine Rescue NSW14 June 2028
Maritime Safety Training (MAST)14 June 2028
Maritime Training School14 June 2028
Sea School International14 June 2028
Superyacht Crew Academy27 March 2029
Yamaha Marine Academy14 June 2028

Transport for NSW’s list doesn’t give locations, so ask each provider where it runs courses, whether you’re in Sydney, Newcastle, the Central Coast or elsewhere. If you’d rather sit the test at Service NSW, any service centre will do.

Moving to NSW

An interstate boat licence that’s current, or expired less than 5 years ago, transfers to a NSW general boat licence without the test or the practical experience. Take it to a service centre with a completed boat licence application, proof of identity and the licence fee. Overseas licences don’t transfer, apart from some New Zealand qualifications, so after 3 months you need a NSW licence.

Sources: Transport for NSW · Service NSW and 6 more. Checked October 2026.

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

Explore

Everything else, in one place

OverviewWhere to learnCostOnline testAgeHandbooksRenewalJet ski licence

By state

NSWQueenslandTasmaniaVictoriaWA