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Registering your boat
You need to register your boat with the Environment Agency if you want to take your boat on the River Thames.
There are two main categories, powered and unpowered. For each, there are a number of licence options and ways to pay.
For more information about craft registration on the River Thames visit the Environment Agency website. You can also get advice and copies of the application forms by calling the Environment Agency’s craft registration department on 08708 506 506.
If you are planning on visiting another waterway other than the River Thames you'll need to talk to the relevant navigation authority about their registration requirements. For more information, visit the Association of Inland Navigation Authorities website.
Application forms
You can download the application forms you need to fill in to register your boat from the Environment Agency website.
Naming your boat
All powered boats registered for use on the River Thames must display a unique name. To make popular names unique, Roman numerals or numbers can be added to a name when you register the boat. You can check if a name is unique and reserve a name by calling the craft registration team on 08708 506 506.
The full registered name as it appears on the registration certificate including any numbers must be clearly displayed on your boat. For further details about displaying your boat name this factsheet will help.
What happens to the income generated?
The Environment Agency spend the income raised from craft registration on improving and maintaining the navigation fairway and locks as well as facilities such as sewage disposal, water points and electricity charging points.
Customer charter
The Environment Agency in Thames region has also recently launched their customer charter which outlines the service levels that they will provide to their boating customers. You can download a copy of the charter by visiting the Environment Agency website.