4/9/2018 Register a vessel

Published on Australian Maritime Safety Authority (https://www.amsa.gov.au)

Home > Vessels & operators > Ship registration > Register a vessel

Register a vessel
Register your vessel. Ships registered on the Australian general shipping register have Australian nationality.

Registration of a ship 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 certi cation in accordance with:

the Navigation Act 2012, for a regulated Australian vessel

the Marine safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012, 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
shing 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 de nition of an Australian owned ship.

Australian registered recreational vessels may also require state registration. If you need to nd 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
speci c criteria. Read more about which ships are eligible to register on the Australian international shipping register.

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 certi cation requirements for commercial
vessels.

https://www.amsa.gov.au/print/982 1/4
4/9/2018 Register a vessel

Which register does your ship need to be on?

General Australian register
Register your vessel on the general Australian register

What do I need to do?

To register your ship, you need to:

Con rm your ship is eligible

Your ship is eligible to be registered on the general Australian register if it ts 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.

Provide required forms

You will need to download and complete these forms:

Application for registration form 168 [1]

Declaration of ownership and nationality form 208 [2]
Notice of appointment of registered agent form 157 [3]

Provide required documents

You will need to download, complete and provide us with the originals or certi ed copies (where permitted) of these documents:

Builder’s certi cate form 211 [4] or Statutory declaration for builder’s certi cate form 222 [5] where the builder is unable to
provide a builder’s certi cate. This document describes the ship.
Bill of sale [6], a document giving evidence of your ownership. If a bill of sale cannot be provided you will need to provide
evidence of ownership.

Provide supporting documents

There may be other documents, certi cates and forms you need to complete if they apply to your circumstances. If any of the
documents listed below are required to complete your registration, make sure you include them in your application:

For commercial vessels 24 metres and over in tonnage length provide your tonnage certi cate [7].
If you have been issued with a call sign licence, provide a copy.
If your vessel has been registered on a foreign register, provide evidence of closure on the foreign register.

If another party 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 [8]

demise charter party.

Pay fees

The fees to register your vessel with the Australian general register depends on the size and type of your vessel. The fees are:

A$2664 for a commercial ship 24 metres or more in tonnage length

A$3996 for a foreign-owned ship on demise charter to an Australian based operator
A$1554 for a recreational craft, shing vessel, government ship, or ships less than 24 metres in tonnage length.

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

https://www.amsa.gov.au/print/982 2/4
4/9/2018 Register a vessel

Use the Ship registration credit card payment authorisation form 114 [9] to pay by credit card.

Use the Australian shipping registration o ce direct deposit information [10] to pay by direct deposit.

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

How to apply

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.

You will need to 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 O ce, Operations GPO Box 2181 Canberra City
ACT 2601 Australia
Courier address—Australian Maritime Safety Authority Shipping Registration O ce, Operations 82 Northbourne Avenue
Braddon ACT 2612 Australia

You must include payment with your application.

Wait for us to let you know

We will let you know if there is any additional information that we need to process your application. If we have received all of the
documentation we need and your application has been completed correctly, we will send you a marking note with instructions
on how to mark your vessel.

Mark your ship

On completion of the marking of the ship the marking note must be signed by the owner and witnessed. The original must be
returned to the Shipping Registration O ce, along with any outstanding documents we have requested.

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

Registration completed

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

International register
Register your vessel on the international register

What do I need to do?

To register your ship, you need to:

Read the guide

Read the Guide to the registration of a ship on the Australian international shipping register [11].

Con rm your ship is eligible

If you are an Australian individual or company who owns or operates a ship engaged in international trading, you may be
eligible to register your vessel on the Australian international shipping register (AISR).

To be eligible for entry to the AISR, your vessel must be 24 metres or more in tonnage length and:

a trading ship that is Australian-owned

a trading ship wholly owned by Australian residents, or owned by Australian residents and Australian nationals
a trading ship operated by Australian residents, Australian nationals, or both
a trading ship on demise charter to Australian based operators.

https://www.amsa.gov.au/print/982 3/4
4/9/2018 Register a vessel

Vessels not eligible for entry on to the AISR are:

government vessels
shing vessels
pleasure craft.

Email details of the ship to us

Email the details of the vessel and its intended operations to sro@amsa.gov.au [12]. These details should include:

age of the ship

particulars of the ship
current certi cation
intended operations.

Wait for us to let you know

We will respond to your email with details of the eligibility of the ship to register on the Australian international shipping
register. 

If we need more information to assess the ship’s eligibility we will contact you to ask for additional information.

Source URL: https://www.amsa.gov.au/vessels-operators/ship-registration/register-vessel

Links
[1] https://www.amsa.gov.au/forms/application-registration
[2] https://www.amsa.gov.au/forms/declaration-ownership-and-nationality
[3] https://www.amsa.gov.au/forms/notice-appointment-registered-agent
[4] https://www.amsa.gov.au/forms/builders-certi cate
[5] https://www.amsa.gov.au/forms/statutory-declaration-builders-certi cate
[6] https://www.amsa.gov.au/forms/bill-sale
[7] https://www.amsa.gov.au/vessels-operators/ship-registration/tonnage-certi cate
[8] https://www.amsa.gov.au/forms/declaration-charterer
[9] https://www.amsa.gov.au/forms/ship-registration-credit-card-payment-authorisation
[10] https://www.amsa.gov.au/forms/australian-shipping-registration-o ce-direct-deposit-information
[11] https://www.amsa.gov.au/guide-registration-ship-international
[12] mailto:sro@amsa.gov.au

https://www.amsa.gov.au/print/982 4/4