A hire and drive small vessel is a personal watercraft or a motorised dinghy no longer than five metres in length. It can be hired out and operated by a person who is not the owner of the vessel, or an employee or agent of the owner.
How to get your hire and drive business licence
Before you can operate a hire and drive business you must obtain a licence.
A licence to operate a small vessel hire and drive business is free of charge.
Step 1:
Obtain a reference or testimonial from a suitable person (referee) as to your reputation, honesty and integrity, stating their full name and address and how, and for how long, they have known you. It must be signed and dated by the referee.
Step 2:
Complete an application for a
national police certificate online at the SA Police web site, print it out and lodge at a police station. You will need to provide 100 points of identification and pay a fee. The police will advise how long it will take to receive your certificate.
Step 3:
Obtain approval from the
local council in the area you wish to operate the small hire and drive business.
Step 4:
Download a copy or email the
Recreational Boating Unit for a copy of the application for a
licence to conduct a small vessel hire business (PDF 82KB) and complete.
Step 5:
Post your application to:
Recreational Boating Unit
GPO Box 1533
Adelaide SA 5001
Make sure you attach copies of your evidence of age and identity and include originals of your:
- reference or testimonial
- national police certificate
- approval letter from the council.
If you intend to hire out vessels to people who do not have a boat operator's licence,
they must be operated within a defined area and you must attach a sketch or plan the proposed area of operation in your application.
Step 6:
The Recreational Boating Unit will send you a letter to acknowledge they have received your application.
More information
ContactRecreational Boating Unit Email:
dtei.RecreationalBoatingUnit@sa.gov.au Phone: 8343 2774.