Archive Website of the UK government

Registering your pleasure craft

All pleasure craft (like yachts) can be registered on Part I or Part III of the UK Ship Register. For more information about pleasure craft (like renewing your registration, changing port/name or transferring ownership of your boat), see 'Owning a registered pleasure craft'.

• Owning a registered pleasure craft

Registering craft on Part III Small Ships Register (SSR)

Part III is a simple and cheap form of registration that proves a boat’s nationality. If your pleasure craft is under 24 metres you can register with Part III of the UK Ship Register. Registration costs £25.

Eligibility to register

In order to be eligible, all owners must be resident in the UK for 185 days of the year and be one of the following:

• British Citizen
• non-UK citizens exercising their EU right of freedom of movement or worker’s right for establishment
• British Dependent Territories Citizen
• British Overseas Citizen
• British subject under the British Nationality Act 1981
• British National (overseas) under Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986
• Commonwealth Citizen not falling within this list

Part III registration is not for:

• companies
• fishing vessels
• submersible ships
• boats 24 metres or over in length

Registering online for Part III

If you would like to register your boat you can do so online. You will need to complete a registration application and pay £25 by credit or debit card. To find out more about registration fees and the documents you need to register, read Fees, forms and checklists for registering pleasure craft.

• Fees, forms and checklists for registering pleasure craft

• Part III registration - UK Ships Opens new window

Registering pleasure craft on Part I of the Register

Any eligible pleasure craft owner can apply to register under Part I of the UK Ship Register. The advantages of Part I registration is that you can:

• prove title to your boat
• prove your boat’s nationality
• use the boat as security to obtain a marine mortgage
• obtain ‘Transcripts of Registry’, which show the boat’s previous owners and whether there are any outstanding mortgages

Eligibility for Part I registration

Part I registration costs £124. To be eligible you need to be one of the following:

• British Citizen
• British Dependent Territories Citizen
• British Overseas Citizen
• company incorporated in one of the EEA countries
• citizen of an EU member state exercising rights under articles 48 or 52 of the EU Treaty in the UK
• company incorporated in any British overseas possession which have its principal place of business in the UK or those possessions
• European Economic Interest Groupings

To find out more about registration fees and the documents you need to register, read Fees, forms and checklists for pleasure craft.

For advice about what type of registration is best for your pleasure craft, contact the Registry of Shipping and Seamen (RSS).

UK Ship Register - RSS
Anchor Court
Keen Road
Cardiff
CF24 5JW, UK
Tel number: +44 (0) 29 2044 8800
Fax number: +44 (0) 29 2044 8820
Email address: part1_registry@mcga.gov.uk

• Fees, forms and checklists for registering pleasure craft

Registration for non-eligible owners

If you share a boat that you're eligible to register but your partner isn't, your partner can still have a minority share in the boat. For example, you can own 33 shares of the boat and your partner 31. The bills of sale and Declaration of Eligibility form will have to reflect this.

When completing the Declaration of Eligibility form, all eligible owners must be listed first with a line drawn under their names. Any non-eligible owners can then be listed.

• Fees, forms and checklists for registering pleasure craft

Transcript of Registry

To get details of the ownership of a registered boat, you can apply for a Transcript of Registry. The current transcript costs £21. Past entries, such as an historic transcript (full history of the boat) will cost £32.

If you have any questions please contact the UK Ship Register – Registry of Shipping and Seamen (RSS).

UK Ship Register - RSS
Anchor Court
Keen Road
Cardiff
CF24 5JW, UK

Telephone number: +44 (0) 29 2044 8800
Fax number: +44 (0) 29 2044 8820
Email address: part1_registry@mcga.gov.uk

Ship Radio Licence

As an owner of a pleasure craft you will need a Ship Radio Licence. Registration is free of charge online at Ofcom.

You can also apply by post. You should write to:

Amateur and Maritime Team
Ofcom Licensing Centre
PO Box 56373
London
SE1 9SZ

• Radio licence Opens new window

• More about radio communication equipment for pleasure craft

More useful links

• Safety regulations for pleasure craft

• Register your boat with HM Coastguard - the voluntary safety identification scheme

• Using your boat on inland waterways

Useful contacts

• Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Opens new window

• British Waterways Opens new window

• Waterways Ombudsman Opens new window

• Broads Authority Opens new window

• Maritime and Coastguard Agency Opens new window