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Australia · Boat licence

How to get a boat licence in Victoria

You either sit the computer-based test at a VicRoads office, or pass a course with an accredited training provider (ATP) and take its certificate to VicRoads. A boat licence in Victoria is called a marine licence, and you need one to operate any powered recreational vessel, including a sailing boat with a motor or an e-foil.

  • 30Questions in the marine licence test
  • 26Correct answers you need
  • 12 months or 5 yearsLicence periods on offer
Find an accredited provider

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

How do you get a boat licence in Victoria?

There are two ways:

  • At VicRoads: book the computer-based test at a customer service centre and pay the test fee when you book. Give at least 24 hours’ notice to cancel, or the fee isn’t refunded without a medical certificate or other evidence.
  • With an ATP: do the course online or in person and sit the provider’s test. When you pass, you get a certificate endorsed by Safe Transport Victoria. Take it to VicRoads within 12 months, with the same ID you used for the test, to get your licence.

Either way, you pay VicRoads a licence fee for 12 months or 5 years. Safe Transport Victoria highly recommends a practical course with an ATP.

Licence fees →Online courses →

The Victorian boat licence test

It’s multiple choice and checks your knowledge of safe vessel operation, with questions from every chapter of the Victorian Recreational Boating Safety Handbook. You need 26 of the 30 right. A jet ski needs a separate PWC endorsement test.

Taking the test at VicRoads and need an interpreter in any language? VicRoads can arrange one, and help if you have a hearing impairment. If you do a course, ask your ATP.

Free Victorian practice tests →The PWC endorsement →

Accredited training providers in Victoria

Safe Transport Victoria lists its ATPs with the areas they cover. They include Melbourne’s suburbs, Geelong and the Bellarine, the Mornington Peninsula, Gippsland, Bendigo, Ballarat, Echuca, Shepparton, Wodonga and Mildura. Safe Transport Victoria doesn’t regulate course fees, so compare what each one includes and check its cancellation and refund policy.

Safe Transport Victoria: accredited training providers ↗

Who runs marine licences in Victoria

VicRoads administers marine licences. Safe Transport Victoria regulates recreational boating, and from 1 October 2026 it operates as a division within the Department of Transport and Planning.

Moving to Victoria with an interstate licence? After 3 months living here, you convert it at a VicRoads customer service centre with your licence and ID, and you don’t sit the test.

Sources: Safe Transport Victoria and 3 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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