How to register your leisure boat or craft

If you want to apply to register your vessel, you can use the UK Ship Register online service.

You can register as an individual or with multiple owners. If you are registering a group of owners, the Bill of Sale (ownership confirmation) and Application to Register should include all owners and their signatures. The online system will send all correspondence to the first listed owner who made the account.

Once you have provided all required information, made the payment and your application has been assessed and approved, you will be emailed your Certificate of Registration.  

It’s your responsibility to have your registration number, as assigned by  the UK Ship Register, placed somewhere visible on your boat.

The following information is needed when registering your boat or craft for private leisure use:

• Vessel name
• Details of all owners, including email addresses
• Official Number if previously UK registered (beginning with SSR if this was with the Small Ships Register, or a set of numbers if Part 1 registered)
• Type of vessel, for example: sailing yacht, motor yacht, wet bike, sport boat etc.
• Length Overall (LOA) in metres
• Number of hulls (and make and model of the vessel if you have it)
• The Hull Identification Number (HIN) if your vessel has been assigned a HIN

You will need to provide the following supporting documents and pay the appropriate fee. The Application to Register form is not required if submitting your application via the UK Ship Register online service.

• Application to Register MSF 4701
• Bill of Sale or document confirming ownership MSF 4705
• Online payment of £35 registration fee via GOV.UK secure payment link (for five year period)

Please note that you will need to print off and sign any documents, as we cannot accept digital signatures.  

Any documents used to support your application for the Small Ships Register (Part 3) registration, if not in English, must be accompanied by a notarised translation.

These documents can be sent to us by email at uksr@mcga.gov.uk and we can also be contacted on +44 (0)20 3908 5200.