If you regularly use both our waterways and those owned by the Environment Agency (EA), you can save money on your boat licence by having a combined gold licence. They run from 1 January until 31 December each year, no matter when you buy them.
Before you buy a gold licence you will need:
- To read the boat licence terms and conditions – it’s the legal bit!
- Insurance
- A Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) certificate or a current Declaration of Conformity with the EU's Recreational Craft Directive
What we mean by boat
- Any boat with a motor, including river boats and canal boats on our waterways, plus rivers owned by the EA. It doesn’t cover a tender – you’ll need to register or licence this separately with us and the EA individually.
The waterways covered by gold licence
All our canals and rivers, plus:
- River Thames
- River Medway
- River Nene
- River Great Ouse System
- River Ancholme
- River Glen above Surfleet Sluice
- River Welland above Spalding Lock River Stour
Gold licences fees 2021
If your boat is less than 3.5 metres (11’5”) wide, the cost starts from £618, depending on its length.
If your home mooring is on the River Thames, you can get a quote for a wider boat by calling 0303 040 4040.
Gold licence discounts
- Our prompt payment discount is already deducted from the payment in full
- 25% discount for boats powered by electricity only
- If you have a historic boat and you want to claim the historic boat discount, call 0303 040 4040
How to buy your gold licence
You can only apply for a Gold licence by filling in the application form. This is because of the way we need to share information with the EA. The form explains what you’ll need and how to pay.
Remember, once you have bought a Gold licence you cannot get a refund. If you sell your boat, you transfer the licence to the new boat owner.
What the gold licence covers
All gold licences allow you to keep and use your boat on our waters. You also get access to some boaters’ facilities, such as water points. See our boaters’ services pages for details.
What the licence doesn’t include
You don’t get any of the windlasses, keys or cards with your licence. You can buy these from our online shop. And windlasses are available from most local chandleries. You need to get a separate key for the EA’s Anglian Waterways (£10.00) per key, call 03708 506 506.
For the Environment Agency, call 03708 506 506, email boatreg@environment-agency.gov.uk or see their website www.gov.uk/environment-agency
Last date edited: 2 December 2020