The NSW Government has ploughed ahead with its campaign to price Jet Ski riding out of reach for families and people on average household incomes – with a thumping 94 per cent increase for a 10-year licence compared to two years ago.
After last year’s record Jet Ski licence fee increases of up to 88 per cent, a 10-year Jet Ski licence in NSW will cost more than $2000 from 1 July 2025 – the highest Jet Ski licence fee anywhere in the world, and significantly higher than any other state in Australia.
In comparison, a Jet Ski licence in Queensland costs $123.85 and lasts a lifetime.
NSW has had the most expensive Jet Ski licence fees in the world for several years, but it’s a dubious title policymakers seem determined to hold onto after hitting full throttle with the latest round of increases.
Jet Ski licence fee increases in NSW from 1 July 2025:
- 1 year Jet Ski licence: $210 in 2023, $245 in 2024, now $253 (up 20 per cent over two years)
- 3 year Jet Ski licence: $460 in 2023, $662 in 2024, now $683 (up 48 per cent over two years)
- 5 year Jet Ski licence: $720 in 2023, $1042 in 2024, now $1075 (up 49 per cent over two years)
- 10 year Jet Ski licence: $1043 in 2023, $1961 in 2024, now $2024 (up 94 per cent over two years)
Annual Jet Ski registration fees in NSW will also increase from 1 July 2025.
It will cost $499 to register a Jet Ski in NSW from next month (up from $380 two years ago), compared to a $134 registration fee in NSW for boats of a similar length to a Jet Ski.
Interestingly, a Jet Ski in NSW is charged the same registration fee as a large 14- or 15-metre boat.
In Queensland, Jet Skis are charged the same registration fees as boats, based on the length of the vessel.
The annual registration fee for a Jet Ski in Queensland is currently $122 – the same as other vessels up to 4.5 metres in length.
Jet Ski registration fee increases in NSW from 1 July 2025:
- 1 year Jet Ski registration (personal watercraft): $380 in 2023, $483 in 2024, now $499
- 1 year boat registration for a vessel up to 4.5 metres in length (similar to a Jet Ski): $134
The astronomical increases to Jet Ski licence and registration fees in NSW have been applied even though the current rate of inflation has fallen from about 6 per cent to 3 per cent over the past 12 months.
Last financial year neighbouring states Queensland and Victoria did not impose Jet Ski licence fee increases due to cost-of-living pressures in the economy.
The record high Jet Ski licence and registration fees in NSW have been introduced despite lobbying from the boating sector, which highlighted the negative impact this will have on the dozens of businesses that sell and service Jet Skis – and the apprentice technicians who work on them.
One of the biggest Jet Ski dealerships in NSW – Cronulla Sea-Doo & CanAm – has been forced to close its doors due to rising Jet Ski costs. Industry insiders say other Jet Ski shops will follow.
Rubbing salt into the wound, the record fee increases in NSW come as Jet Ski sales have hit the brakes.
Confidential industry data sourced by Watercraft Zone shows sales of Jet Skis in Australia hit reverse in 2024 – for the second year in a row – after posting the worst result in almost a decade.
After Jet Ski deliveries hit a peak of almost 10,000 sales nationally in 2022, customer demand has been in freefall ever since – as the prices of new Jet Skis and Jet Ski licences hit record highs.
Across the three major brands – Sea-Doo, Yamaha WaveRunner and Kawasaki Jet Ski – just 6370 new personal watercraft were reported as sold in Australia in 2024.
The 2024 sales numbers are down 17.8 per cent compared to 2023, and represent a decline of 35.8 per cent compared to 2022.
The boating industry tried to start an online petition against the Jet Ski fee increases last year, but it failed to make an impact and wasn’t taken seriously by the NSW Government.
Jet Ski riders are now paying the price – literally – for years of inaction from the companies that have profited from the sport, namely Sea-Doo, Yamaha and Kawasaki.
Industry veterans, who declined to be named as they are not allowed to comment publicly on the brands they represent, told Watercraft Zone the big Jet Ski brands have not done enough to build a relationship with policymakers.
“This is a classic example of politicians making decisions based on the actions of the minority of riders who misbehave on the water and ruin it for everyone else,” one prominent Jet Ski shop owner told Watercraft Zone.
“The Jet Ski brands should have been in there and educating the government and also doing more to educate Jet Ski riders about the importance of safety and respect on the water.
“They (the Jet Ski brands) have been happy to profit from sales of Jet Skis but they haven’t reinvested in education programs. Now we are all going to pay.
“These fees will hurt working families the most. They only go Jet Ski riding occasionally as a hobby. The hoons who cause trouble can afford to pay the fines.
“Increasing the fees to make riding a Jet Ski unaffordable is just bad policy, and it’s going to impact the people doing the right thing, rather than the troublemakers who can afford the fines or will flout the law any way.”
How NSW Jet Ski licence fees compare to the rest of the world:
New Zealand: No Jet Ski licence required, boat safety course recommended.
United Kingdom: No Jet Ski licence required in most regions, boat safety course recommended.
Japan: ¥22,750 – equivalent to $215 Australian dollars for a five-year Jet Ski licence.
Hong Kong: HK$1255 – equivalent to $241 Australian dollars for a lifetime Jet Ski licence.
Germany: €101 – equivalent to $162 Australian dollars for a lifetime Jet Ski licence after completing extensive boating safety courses.
UAE (Dubai): AED320 – equivalent to $131 Australian dollars for an annual Jet Ski licence.
USA: Most states $US50 or less – equivalent to $75 Australian dollars for a lifetime licence.
Hawaii: Riders must complete a general boating and a Jet Ski safety course before paying $US125 for a lifetime Jet Ski licence.
US states that don’t require a Jet Ski licence include: Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota, Wyoming.
All our coverage so far on the NSW Government’s radical Jet Ski licence fee increases:
MORE: Exclusive interview with NSW Transport Minister about Jet Ski fee increases
MORE: Our open letter to the NSW Government: please reconsider Jet Ski licence fees
MORE: NSW Maritime already has more Jet Skis, boats and safety officers than QLD, so why are our fees going up?
MORE: Renewed calls for urgent review into NSW Jet Ski licence fee increases
MORE: How to have your say and contact your local government representative
MORE: Jet Skis by the numbers: NSW, QLD and VIC data compared
MORE: Jet Ski injury statistics at odds with logic behind fee increases
MORE: Boating sector ‘blindsided’ by licence fee increases
MORE: NSW proposes world’s highest Jet Ski licence fees