Qld Boat Registration Requirements set out who must register a recreational vessel, how registration numbers must look on the hull, and how tenders and interstate craft are treated. Rules below follow Maritime Safety Queensland / Transport and Main Roads guidance unless changes have been made. Confirm the current info on qld.gov.au before you order your boat rego stickers.
These rules apply to residents who live in this state and boat in Queensland waters.
QLD Boat Registration Rules for Powered Boats and PWCs
Any recreational boat or personal watercraft (PWC) with an engine of 3 kW or more must be registered when it is on the water in Queensland. Private recreation vessels register as recreational boats. Craft used for school, surf lifesaving, community, or other non-private use may need a different category.
QLD Registration Number Compliance Rules for Planing Boats
Boats capable of planing (typical powerboats and runabouts):
- Minimum Boat Rego Height: 150 mm
- Where to Install: On both sides of the hull
- Readable from: About 30 metres
- Boat Regos Vinyl Lettering Colour: A contrasting colour to the hull (dark on a white boat; light on a dark boat)
- Registration label: Queensland no longer issues a registration label to display. You will not be fined for leaving an old expired label on the boat
QLD Registration Numbers Compliance Rules for Non-Planing Boats and Yachts
Boats not capable of planing (many displacement craft and sailing vessels with an auxiliary motor in this category):
- Minimum Boat Rego Height: 75 mm
- Where to Install: On both sides, or on the stern
- Readable from: About 30 metres
- Boat Regos Vinyl Lettering Colour: Contrasting colour to the hull
QLD PWC / Jetski Registration Numbers Compliance Rules
- Minimum Boat Rego Height: 100 mm
- Where to Install: On both sides of the PWC
- Readable from: About 30 metres
- Boat Regos Vinyl Lettering Colour: Contrasting colour to the hull surface
Tender Identification
A tender to a registered Yacht can be exempt from its own registration in Queensland if all of the following apply:
- used only within 2 nautical miles of the parent yacht
- used to move people or provisions ship-to-shore (not fishing or sightseeing)
- smaller than the parent yacht
- 6 m or less in length
Mark the exterior with the word tender and the parent ship’s registration numbers, characters at least 75 mm high. If that is not possible, mark the inside with the largest characters practical. A tender used for more than one ship may show the owner’s name instead.
Please Note: This page is for information only. Rules change. Before ordering boat registration stickers, confirm current QLD display rules with Queensland Government — Register a boat and Maritime Safety Queensland.
