If you search online for “Do I need a licence for a marine VHF radio in Australia?”, you will find confident answers pointing in opposite directions. Some say no licence is required. Others insist you must hold one. Both statements sound certain, and both miss the point.
The confusion comes from mixing two different things: licensing the radio equipment and qualifying the person using it. Once you separate those, the rules become simple.
Do You Need a Licence for a Marine VHF Radio in Australia?
For modern recreational vessels, you do not need to apply for an individual station or apparatus licence for a marine VHF radio. Marine VHF and 27 MHz radios are covered by a class licence under Australian radio regulations. (Note: 27 MHz radios may be phased out in the future).
This was not always the case. Many long-time boaters will remember when a vessel required a station licence for VHF, complete with an assigned call sign. That requirement was removed years ago when marine VHF moved to a class licensing system.
What has not changed is this: the person transmitting on the radio must be qualified.
You Still Need a Qualification to Operate a Marine VHF Radio
To legally transmit on a marine VHF radio in Australia, the operator must hold a recognised Certificate of Proficiency issued by the Office of Maritime Communications, part of the Australian Maritime College.
This is not optional. If you are pressing the transmit button, you must hold the appropriate certificate.
The current official position from the Office of Maritime Communications is clear:
Individual licences are not required for 27 MHz or VHF marine radio transceivers, but the operator of a VHF marine radio does require a Certificate of Proficiency. Because 27 MHz and VHF marine radios are now class licensed, official call signs are no longer issued. Operators are still required to identify their vessels at the beginning of each series of transmissions.
That statement neatly captures the modern framework. The equipment is class licensed. The operator must be qualified.
Why Trainers and Boaters Still Call It a “Licence”
In training and everyday conversation, most instructors and boaters refer to the marine radio qualification as a licence. This is not laziness or ignorance. It is practical language.
The Certificate of Proficiency functions exactly like a licence. You must pass an assessment to obtain it. You receive a card. You are legally required to hold it in order to transmit. If an authority asks whether you are permitted to use the radio, this is the document you present.
It is much the same as a driver’s licence. The road itself is not licensed to you, but without that card in your wallet, you do not drive.
For most recreational boaters, the operator certificate is the only radio-related document they will ever need to think about. From a training perspective, calling it a licence keeps things clear and avoids unnecessary regulatory detail that does not affect safe operation.
In the maritime world, this kind of language is already normal.
A Master or Coxswain certificate is technically a qualification, not a licence for the vessel. We still refer to it as a licence because it authorises the person to operate. The paperwork name has changed over time, but the function has not.
Marine radio certification fits the same pattern. The Office of Maritime Communications issues a card after assessment. You must hold it to legally transmit. In day-to-day boating and training, calling it a licence keeps things clear and practical without changing the legal requirement.
What About HF Marine Radio?
HF marine radio is different.
HF equipment still requires an individual apparatus licence issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, and that licence attracts an annual fee. In addition, the operator must hold the appropriate higher-level Certificate of Proficiency to use HF frequencies.
This is much closer to the older “station licence” system many sailors remember, and it is where that historical terminology still properly applies.
Why Call Signs Stick in the Memory
Anyone who sailed in the era of vessel call signs will understand this. I can still recall our old VHF call sign from a circumnavigation that took nearly ten years on a 33-foot boat. VMQ3932. That comes back instantly. Remembering what I had for dinner last night is harder to recall!.
Call signs mattered. They were repeated, logged, and tied to safety, weather scheds, and long passages. Even though VHF call signs are no longer issued, the discipline behind radio procedure and identification still matters just as much.
We no longer memorise call signs, but we still teach clear identification, correct procedure, and competent radio use, because radios are not paperwork. They are safety equipment.
Training and Legislation Serve Different Purposes
Training is not the same as legislation. Law is written for regulators and courts. Training exists to translate that law into clear, usable knowledge for people operating real vessels in real conditions. Precision matters, but so does comprehension. The goal is not to memorise terminology, but to operate safely and legally.
The Bottom Line for Recreational Boaters
If you operate a marine VHF radio in Australia, you do not need to apply for a station licence or pay an annual fee for the radio itself. You do need to hold a marine radio Certificate of Proficiency issued by the Office of Maritime Communications.
That certificate is commonly called a licence because, in practical terms, that is exactly how it functions.
In training, the focus is on what people actually need to be safe, legal, and confident on the water. The regulatory background is covered, but simplicity matters. Most boaters want to know one thing: what card do I need, and how do I get it?
That answer has not changed.
We train people to obtain the legal authority to operate a marine radio. That authority is granted through an OMC Certificate of Proficiency, which is why most people refer to it as a licence.
Here are the FAQ from the Office of Maritime Communications
More information on who needs a Marine Radio (class) licence (VHF)