Register a vessel on the Australian general shipping register

Ships registered on the Australian general shipping register have Australian nationality.

Registration of a vessel on the Australian general shipping register provides legally and internationally recognisable nationality to your ship. When registered, you will have Australian protection on the high seas and in foreign ports.

A vessel may require certification in accordance with:

the Navigation Act 2012 [1], for a regulated Australian vessel [2]
the Marine safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012 [3], for domestic commercial vessels.

Australian owned ships are required to be registered on the Australian general shipping register if it is one of the following:

a commercial vessel, 24 metres or over in tonnage length, capable of navigating the high seas
any vessel travelling overseas.

The following vessels are exempt from the requirement to be registered (except if they are travelling overseas):

pleasure craft
fishing vessels
government vessels.

These vessels are permitted to be registered and may be registered on the Australian general shipping register if the owner chooses to do so.

Read more about the definition of an Australian owned ship [4].

Australian registered recreational vessels may also require state registration. If you need to find out whether you need state registration, contact your local state marine safety agency.

The Australian international shipping register is open to Australian owned or operated, international trading ships which meet specific criteria. Read more about which ships are eligible to register on the Australian international shipping register [5].

Recreational vessels

If you intend sailing your recreational vessel overseas from:

an Australian port to a foreign port
a foreign port to a foreign port
a foreign port to an Australian port

You must register your vessel on the Australian general shipping register before you leave.

Recreational vessels on international voyages are also required to comply with certain marine orders.

Domestic commercial vessels

If you own a domestic commercial vessel over 24 metres tonnage length you must register it on the Australian general shipping register. Registration of a vessel on the Australian general shipping register does not automatically permit you to undertake commercial or recreational operations. You can contact us if you have questions about certification requirements for commercial vessels.

How to register your vessel

To register your vessel on the Australian general shipping register, you need to:

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1. Confirm your ship is eligible

Your ship is eligible if it fits one of these categories:

It is Australian owned
It is on demise charter to an Australian based operator
It is less than 12 metres in length, owned or operated by an Australian resident.

2. Provide required forms and documents

You will need to send us the following:

Application for registration (form 168) [6]
Declaration of ownership and nationality (form 208) [7]
Notice of appointment of registered agent (form 157) [8]
Builder's certificate or
Statutory declaration for builder's certificate
Bill of sale
Ownership history
The deletion/closure document (for vessels that have been on a foreign registry)

Notes:

Notice of appointment of registered agent form.

This must be completed. By law, each vessel on the Australian General Shipping Register must have a registered agent. This is the person responsible for the day to day management of the vessel. The agent can be the owner.

Builder’s certificate

The builder of the vessel should complete the Builder's certificate. If the builder can’t complete this (they may have gone out of business or you cannot contact them) then a person skilled at describing a ship can complete the Statutory declaration for builder's certificate instead. You must give us a full description of the vessel.

The statutory declaration can be completed by you, a boat builder, surveyor, shipwright or any other individual skilled at describing a vessel.

The Statutory Declaration must be witnessed by someone on the list of authorised witnesses and who has a connection to Australia. Refer to the Attorney-General’s Department website for more information.

Ownership history

If the vessel has always been in Australia, we need the ownership history from the build to the current owner(s).

If the owner, after taking all reasonable action, can’t get the evidence of ownership, we will accept a statutory declaration by the applicant that gives the history of the ownership of the ship.

If the history is unknown, provide both the following documents:

A statutory declaration stating grounds for ownership.
A notice of intention to register a ship [9].

4. Provide supporting documents

There may be other documents, certificates and forms you need to complete. If any of the documents listed below apply to you, make sure you include them in your application:

Tonnage certificate—for commercial vessels 24 metres and over in tonnage length.
Copy of a call sign licence (if you have been issued with one)
Evidence of closure on the foreign register (if your vessel has been registered on one).

If another person is signing on behalf of the owner, you will need to provide:

proof of power of attorney
written authority to sign.

For vessels applying for a demise charter registration, you will need to provide:

declaration by charterer
demise charter party.

5. Pay fees

The fees are all in Australian dollars (AUD). The amount depends on the size and type of your vessel. The fees are:

Type of vessel $AUD

Type of vessel	$AUD
Commercial ship 24 metres or more in tonnage length	$2664
Foreign-owned ship on demise charter to an Australian based operator	$3996
Recreational craft, fishing vessel, government vessel or vessels less than 24 metres in tonnage length	$1554

You can pay by cheque, credit card, or direct deposit.

credit card payment authorisation form
direct deposit information

If paying by cheque, please make it out to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

6. Send us your application

Use this page as a checklist to make sure you have the correct forms completed and all of the supporting documents required for your application.

Attach all required supporting documents and send the paperwork to us at our postal or courier address:

Postal address—Australian Maritime Safety Authority Shipping Registration Office, PO Box 255, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450.
Courier address—Australian Maritime Safety Authority Shipping Registration Office, Level 2, 28 Gordon St, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450.

You must include payment with your application.

7. Wait for us to let you know

We will let you know if we need more information. If we have everything we need and your application has been completed correctly, we will send you a marking note with instructions on how to mark your vessel.

8. Mark your vessel

Once you have marked your vessel, the marking note must be signed by the owner and witnessed. Return the original to the Shipping Registration Office along with any outstanding documents we have requested.

You have 12 months to complete the registration process. If you can’t complete the application within this timeline, you can apply for an extension. Lodging a request for an extension will cost A$167.

9. Registration completed

On receipt of the marking note we will finalise the registration of your ship and send you the registration certificate. The original certificate must be kept aboard the vessel.