If you visit or use your boat on our canals and rivers for a short time, you’ll need a licence. You can buy a short term licence at any point of the year. They’re for one week or one month, plus there’s a ‘30-day explorers’ visitor licence.
Note: If you’re a club or society or you use your boat for business such as a floating café, renting it out for people to live on or holiday boats, you need a boating business licence.
1. Our standard canals and rivers
2. ‘Rivers only’: only covers:
You can buy 30 x one-day tickets, which you can use at any point within 12 months of issue. And they don’t need to be consecutive. Simply date and display your tickets for each day your boat is on the water. You can only buy these licences online.
The fee depends on the length of your boat, plus the length of time you want the licence - one week or one month, and the ‘30-day explorers’ visitor licence:
There is a discount for holders of a current three, six or 12-month long term Canal & River Trust ‘River only licence’. See our terms and conditions for details.
All short term visitor licences allow you to 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.
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.
Already to pay for your licence? If you already have a boat licence account, go to our web licensing portal. If you're new to boating, you'll need to go to the portal and set up a new account. Click the sign in button on the top of this page when you're ready or to go to our web licensing portal now. You can also pay your boat licence by calling our customer service team on 0303 040 4040.
Last date edited: 3 January 2020