Transferring ownership of an Australian General Register vessel

A vessel registered on the Australian General Shipping Register must be updated with the new owner's name if the ownership changes.

If you buy a vessel that is registered on the Australian General Shipping Register you must notify the Registrar of the change of ownership within 14 days of the purchase of the vessel through a transfer of ownership.

If the vessel’s ownership is transferred by any other lawful means, for example by court order or to the beneficiary of a deceased estate, the ownership of the vessel may be transmitted by a transmission of ownership by operation of law.

If an Australian registered vessel is sold to a non-Australian or to a new owner who does not wish to maintain the registration, an application can be made to close the registration.

Which transfer do you need to conduct?

Transfer ownership Transmission of ownership

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Transfer ownership

What do I need to do?

To transfer the ownership of your ship, you need to:

Get a bill of sale from the seller

You will need a bill of sale as proof of the transfer of ownership of the vessel to you as the new owner. The bill of sale must be completed by the registered owner of the vessel.

The bill of sale must include:

Name and official number of the ship.
Nature and extent of the interest in the ship to which the bill of sale relates (how many shares are being transferred).
Name and address of each seller (transferor) and buyer (transferee).

The bill of sale must be in a format compliant with the Shipping Registration Regulations 1981.

Get the original registration certificate

The original registration certificate must be returned to the Shipping Registration Office for the transfer of ownership to be completed.

If the original registration certificate has been lost, you can apply for a replacement certificate. The fee for a new certificate is $222. Read more about how to replace your registration certificate.

Complete the forms

Each vessel on the Australian General Shipping Register must have a Registered Agent. The agent is the person responsible for the day to day management of the vessel. This can be the owner.

Pay the transfer fee

Before you send us your application, pay the fee online.

Record your payment reference number in the ‘Submitting your application’ section on your application form.

Lodge your documents

Send the original completed forms with the original bill of sale and original registration certificate to:

Shipping Registration Office
PO Box 255
Coffs Harbour NSW 2450

Wait for us to let you know: We will let you know if we need additional information. If not, the transfer of ownership will be finalised and we will post your new registration certificate to you.

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Transmission of ownership by operation of law

What do I need to do?

To transmit the ownership of your ship, you need to:

Have the legal documentation

The documentation we need to transmit ownership of a vessel is different depending on your circumstances:

If a court order has been made

Send us a copy of the court order directing the Registrar to transmit the ownership of the vessel.

If a joint owner has died:

Send us a copy of the death certificate, probate, or letters of administration.
Send us a statutory declaration confirming that the person named in the death certificate is the joint owner named in the register.

If the sole owner or an owner in common has died:

Send us a copy of the will and probate or letters of administration of the estate of the deceased.