Home / Boat licences / TAS
Do you need a boat licence to sail in TAS?
Yes at 4hp or more — and it requires a practical course.
A motor boat licence is required to operate a vessel with an engine of 4 horsepower or more, with an exception for hire-and-drive vessels.
- Registration
- Vessel registration is separate from the operator licence.
- Minimum age
- 17 years
- Authority
- Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST) →
- Checked
- September 2026
Sailing, motoring, and where the line falls
Tasmania’s 4hp threshold is the lowest powered threshold of the mainland-style rules, so any yacht auxiliary is comfortably above it.
The distinctive part is how you get it: a motor boat licence can only be obtained by completing a BoatSafe practical course with an accredited provider. There is no study-and-sit-a-test-alone route.
A full licence is available from age 17.
Given the water — the Derwent, Storm Bay and the Southern Ocean beyond — the practical requirement is arguably the most sensible version of this rule in the country.
A boat licence is not a sailing qualification. It tests that you can operate a powered vessel safely and know the rules of the water. It says nothing about reefing, navigation, anchoring or handling a yacht under sail — which is what a sailing course teaches, and what a charter company will actually ask you about.
Licensing rules change. This page was checked in September 2026; confirm the current requirement with Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST) before you rely on it.
The rule in other states
New South Wales
Only at 10 knots or more. Under sail alone, no licence.
Queensland
Yes if the engine is over 4.5 kW — which most yacht auxiliaries are.
Victoria
Yes for any powered vessel, including a yacht with an auxiliary.
Western Australia
Yes — an RST for any motor over 4.5 kW (6hp).
South Australia
Yes for any engine at all, whatever its size.
Northern Territory
No. The NT has no recreational boat licence.
Australian Capital Territory
Yes, but the ACT issues none — you use another state’s.
A licence gets you out of the marina. A course gets you sailing.
Three questions — your experience, the boat you want to sail, and your goal — give you a starting course and the schools that teach it near you.