How long does a boat licence take to come through

[Matt72]

Hi

 

Bought our boat at the end of October and the Marina where we bought the boat sent off the licence application on the 7th but I still have not received a licence - how long do BW normally take to process the applications and send out the licences?

 

Thanks

Matt

[mrsmelly]

Hi

 

Bought our boat at the end of October and the Marina where we bought the boat sent off the licence application on the 7th but I still have not received a licence - how long do BW normally take to process the applications and send out the licences?

 

Thanks

Matt

 

It realy does vary. in my experience anytime between 3 days and 3 months.

[Guest]

Hi

 

Bought our boat at the end of October and the Marina where we bought the boat sent off the licence application on the 7th but I still have not received a licence - how long do BW normally take to process the applications and send out the licences?

 

Thanks

Matt

 

Normally 2 or 3 weeks max. give the BW licensing team at Leeds a bell - they are really helpful.

 

Craft Licensing Forms Should be Sent to:

 

Boat Licensing Team

PO Box 162

Leeds

LS9 1AX

Telephone: 01923 201120

Fax: 0113 281 6849

Email: enquiries.hq@britishwaterways.co.uk

 

The British Waterways Customer services team are available between 8am - 6pm Monday to Friday.

[classicstove]

Think you need to give them a ring - mine came through within 10 days of sending the application in

[Keeping Up]

It realy does vary. in my experience anytime between 3 days and 3 months.

 

I don't think you can be as precise as that.

[ditchcrawler]

Hi

 

Bought our boat at the end of October and the Marina where we bought the boat sent off the licence application on the 7th but I still have not received a licence - how long do BW normally take to process the applications and send out the licences?

 

Thanks

Matt

New Boat?

Registering

RCD check

Insurance check

It may take longer than a straight renewal. The boat yard have sent it off, haven't they?

[Matt72]

Hi

 

Thanks - its not a brand new boat its a 20 yr old cruiser, I have checked the boat yard have sent off the application. I think I will give the BW folks a call

 

Cheers

Matt

[Bob52]

Posted my application weds 16th Nov. New licence arrived yesterday,21st so very pleased with the service particularly as this was a change to a Standard licence from Gold so not totally straightforward.It would be great if this was the norm, clearly it isn't.

I reckon a call to Leeds is warranted if nothing is received in a couple of weeks from sending in an application,even if this only confirms that BW have received it. Particularly important if there is any risk of losing the prompt payment discount.

 

Bob

[slammer]

My first one took 14 weeks to arrive .

[sheriff]

Hi

 

Bought our boat at the end of October and the Marina where we bought the boat sent off the licence application on the 7th but I still have not received a licence - how long do BW normally take to process the applications and send out the licences?

 

Thanks

Matt

Hi

BW states 15 working days,(3 weeks with the weekends),however this time around I paid cash on a tuesday afternoon and surprise surprise on the following tuesday morning there it was at home on the door mat.

 

I was informed I would be lucky to get it before my old one expires(which is the end of this month)so you can never tell.if everything was in order,I would wait 15 WORKING DAYS then contact them...as long as you have proof of buying your licence,dont worry about it arriving on time,just stick your proof of purchase in the window and cover up any address details.

 

BW ask you wait 15 WORKING days before you ring the Leeds office up asking...

[Roxy]

Bought my 27ft cruiser in June this year, paid the broker in full, still no licence, having rang up BW's they said I couldnt renew it due to the boat still being in the name of the last owner....Ive been trying since to get the paperwork for the boat which I was shown (inc survey) when I decided to buy the boat, but been told its now been lost!!! when I bought my boat and paid in full. My licence ran out end of September this year...In my eyes I could still cruise as the boat isnt in my name so any penalties will go to the previous owner but Im not a bad apple and too honest for my own good...but I can only try so many times...Im bored of it now but wandering why the previous owner hasnt got in touch with BW's to say now the boat isnt his??? surely he mustve had been remainded??

[Chris Pink]

Your best bet is to fill in a new application - get the form off the website - asking for a licence that starts 1st December, and send the money with prompt payment discount. Let them sort out the other 2 months. It is the boat that is licenced not the person so the stuff about the last owner is not relevant, BW have misinformed you or you have misunderstood. Boats are not like cars and BW are not like DVLA, there is no owner registration process. To say 'it's not in my name' doesn't mean anything in this context.

Edited November 22, 2011 by Chris Pink

[debbifiggy]

Hi

 

Bought our boat at the end of October and the Marina where we bought the boat sent off the licence application on the 7th but I still have not received a licence - how long do BW normally take to process the applications and send out the licences?

 

Thanks

Matt

 

The only people/person who should licence a boat is the owner. If you purchase a boat you need to make sure that the old owner and yourselves have completed, signed and dated a "boat ownership transfer form" which can be downloaded from the www.britishwaterways.co.uk/license-it website preferably enclosing a scan or photocopy of a bill of sale if applicable signed and dated by both parties and sent to BW a.s.a.p. If you have purchased a craft and you know when the licence runs out and the new owner hasn't bothered to send in the transfer of ownership form and you are on BW waters it is still your responsibility to ensure that you tell BW that you are the new owner of the craft and to licence it promptly. As a new owner you will also need to fill in a brand new licence application form with all your details etc. You cannot use a renewal form from the old owner. A simple way to think of it is a bit like buying a car and what the DVLA require of you. If you sent off a licence application form on the 7th direct to the Leeds processing office I would give BW customer services a call to see if it has been received and if it is in the system for processing as it should be by now if receive by the 8th or 9th November.

 

If you are still having problems feel free to PM me with details of boat, index number, your surname and postcode and I will see what I can do to track it and trace it and sort it if I can.

 

Boat licences done by marina's/boatyards etc can sometimes take a bit longer to process depending on how often the licensing agent sends their paperwork off to Leeds for processing. Maybe it's been a bit delayed on its journey to Leeds.

 

D

 

Yes, I do work for the dark side in during the day :-) so if I can help find out where your licence application has got to I will do my best to assist. But when I'm posting on this forum I am primarily myself, just another boater.

 

Your best bet is to fill in a new application - get the form off the website - asking for a licence that starts 1st December, and send the money with prompt payment discount. Let them sort out the other 2 months. It is the boat that is licenced not the person so the stuff about the last owner is not relevant, BW have misinformed you or you have misunderstood. Boats are not like cars and BW are not like DVLA, there is no owner registration process. To say 'it's not in my name' doesn't mean anything in this context.

 

 

Following up on Chris Pink who said ask for licence from 1st December. No don't ask for a licence that starts on 1st December if the licence has already run out. If you bought the boat at the end of October and the licence had already expired and you are now the new owner you need to licence it from 1st November, technically it should be 1st October but it depends on when the last licence ran out, whether the craft has been on trade plates, out of the water or whatever. Lots of possibilities.

 

Off to bed now.

 

D

 

Edited to keep people happy but they probably still will find stuff to pick holes in but then it wouldn't be CWF.

Edited November 23, 2011 by debbifiggy

[Guest]

The only people who can license a boat are the registered keepers. If you purchase a boat you need to make sure that the old owner and yourselves have completed, signed and dated a boat ownership transfer form preferably enclosing a scan or photocopy of a bill of sale signed and dated by both parties and sent to BW a.s.a.p.

 

Queer - we just filled a licence application form in with our details along with a copy of our BSS cert and insurance, we didn't need to prove any transfer of ownership.....

have things changed???

[Chris Pink]

The only people who can license a boat are the registered keepers.

 

There is no such legal entity as a 'registered keeper' of a boat on BW waters.

 

If you can provide a legal reference to contradict this I would be interested to read it.

 

Queer - we just filled a licence application form in with our details along with a copy of our BSS cert and insurance, we didn't need to prove any transfer of ownership.....

have things changed???

 

No they haven't and I think it outrageous that a member of BW enforcement team should publically state such rubbish.

[alan_fincher]

I also don't understand Debby's comments.

 

Looking at the current form that you would fill out if you were licensing any particular boat for the first time, I can see no reference to "registered keeper", indeed not even to "owner".

 

There is nothing on there to say you need to be either the owner or the keeper of the boat, nor to prove that you have become so.

 

I would expect Debby to know, but why then does neither the site nor the form have anything on them that supports these ideas ?

 

My take would be from reading what is there, that provided a boat has a BSS and is insured, all BW require is that someone applies and pays for a licence, and becomes liable for the boat, but I can see no evidence it has to be a "registered keeper" or even "owner".

 

Certainly I have not proved ownership of my boats, nor been asked by BW to do so.

[debbifiggy]

There is no such legal entity as a 'registered keeper' of a boat on BW waters.

 

If you can provide a legal reference to contradict this I would be interested to read it.

 

 

 

No they haven't and I think it outrageous that a member of BW enforcement team should publically state such rubbish.

 

Calm dow. Don't blow a gasket. I'm not here in an official capacity and neither are you, we are here for fun as we are boaters. And on this forum I am me, not an official mouthpiece for work ok?

 

The old glass of wine before bed was talking as I was heading towards my DVLA analogy which a lot of new boaters find easier to understand when trying to work out what they need to do now they have acquired a boat. And for the DVLA an owner is a registered keeper in their terminology? Still goes well with some of the other rubbish on here from all parties.

 

What I meant to say is that the owner of the boat should apply for a licence not someone who isn't the owner of the boat as the owner will be signing the application to say that the boat and its occupants will comply with the licence terms and conditions and it's the person who completed and signed the application form who will end up in court and/or have the boat seized if it all goes pear shaped for various reasons.

 

A bill of sale is not required but is often recommended in case of any dispute over ownership at a later date which would be a dispute between parties other than BW to be sorted out by solicitors. Quite often happens with divorcing couples, seen it a few times. Obviously most private boat sales don't usually involve a bill of sale but sales from reputable boat brokers normally do.

 

Happy now everyone? Probably not

 

D

Edited November 23, 2011 by debbifiggy

[Chris Pink]

Calm dow. Don't blow a gasket. I'm not here in an official capacity and neither are you, we are here for fun as we are boaters. And on this forum I am me, not an official mouthpiece for work ok?

 

The old glass of wine before bed was talking as I was heading towards my DVLA analogy which a lot of new boaters find easier to understand when trying to work out what they need to do now they have acquired a boat. And for the DVLA an owner is a registered keeper in their terminology? Still goes well with some of the other rubbish on here from all parties.

 

What I meant to say is that the owner of the boat should apply for a licence not someone who isn't the owner of the boat as the owner will be signing the application to say that the boat and its occupants will comply with the licence terms and conditions and it's the person who completed and signed the application form who will end up in court and/or have the boat seized if it all goes pear shaped for various reasons.

 

A bill of sale is not required but is often recommended in case of any dispute over ownership at a later date which would be a dispute between parties other than BW to be sorted out by solicitors. Quite often happens with divorcing couples, seen it a few times. Obviously most private boat sales don't usually involve a bill of sale but sales from reputable boat brokers normally do.

 

Happy now everyone? Probably not

 

D

 

Well that is significantly better that last night and not so misleading

 

A point; a registered keeper of a car may or may not be its owner. Ummm...legally speaking.

 

And although the licensor of the boat would usually be the user of the boat that is not necessarily so, although by signing they do take responsibility for the way it's used.

 

To you such matters might be a 'bit of fun' but to those who live on their boats these things might be more important.

Edited November 23, 2011 by Chris Pink

[WotEver]

A point; a registered keeper of a car may or may not be its owner. Ummm...legally speaking.

Indeed. A few years back I bought my mum a car on HP. Although she was the registered keeper (she had to be in order to insure it) I remained the 'owner' because I was paying the monthly instalments.

 

Tony

[sheriff]

Calm dow. Don't blow a gasket. I'm not here in an official capacity and neither are you, we are here for fun as we are boaters. And on this forum I am me, not an official mouthpiece for work ok?

 

The old glass of wine before bed was talking as I was heading towards my DVLA analogy which a lot of new boaters find easier to understand when trying to work out what they need to do now they have acquired a boat. And for the DVLA an owner is a registered keeper in their terminology? Still goes well with some of the other rubbish on here from all parties.

 

What I meant to say is that the owner of the boat should apply for a licence not someone who isn't the owner of the boat as the owner will be signing the application to say that the boat and its occupants will comply with the licence terms and conditions and it's the person who completed and signed the application form who will end up in court and/or have the boat seized if it all goes pear shaped for various reasons.

 

A bill of sale is not required but is often recommended in case of any dispute over ownership at a later date which would be a dispute between parties other than BW to be sorted out by solicitors. Quite often happens with divorcing couples, seen it a few times. Obviously most private boat sales don't usually involve a bill of sale but sales from reputable boat brokers normally do.

 

Happy now everyone? Probably not

 

D

Hi Debbie.

 

sometimes you can't do right from wrong..its a shame some people have no idea how much input you do have as a boater...who just happens to work for BW......for those who throw stones..debbie was working whislt off sick(from home)....recently

Edited November 23, 2011 by sheriff

[Guest]

Hi Debbie.

 

sometimes you can't do right from wrong..its a shame some people have no idea how much input you do have as a boater...who just happens to work for BW......for those who throw stones..debbie was working whislt off sick(from home)....recently

 

I don't believe anybody was throwing stones sherrif - just trying to prevent the erroneous information that was being offered causing immense confusion that could have resulted, particularly to new boaters and the OP.

 

Particularly as the source would potentially have been seen as totally credible whether here in an 'official' capacity or not.

[ditchcrawler]

Calm dow. Don't blow a gasket. I'm not here in an official capacity and neither are you, we are here for fun as we are boaters. And on this forum I am me, not an official mouthpiece for work ok?

 

The old glass of wine before bed was talking as I was heading towards my DVLA analogy which a lot of new boaters find easier to understand when trying to work out what they need to do now they have acquired a boat. And for the DVLA an owner is a registered keeper in their terminology? Still goes well with some of the other rubbish on here from all parties.

 

What I meant to say is that the owner of the boat should apply for a licence not someone who isn't the owner of the boat as the owner will be signing the application to say that the boat and its occupants will comply with the licence terms and conditions and it's the person who completed and signed the application form who will end up in court and/or have the boat seized if it all goes pear shaped for various reasons.

 

A bill of sale is not required but is often recommended in case of any dispute over ownership at a later date which would be a dispute between parties other than BW to be sorted out by solicitors. Quite often happens with divorcing couples, seen it a few times. Obviously most private boat sales don't usually involve a bill of sale but sales from reputable boat brokers normally do.

 

Happy now everyone? Probably not

 

D

How about with shared ownership where I understand its down to just one member?

[Matt72]

Thanks for all the replies - the mystery has been solved after the chandlery found the original application in a draw!

[debbifiggy]

Thanks for all the replies - the mystery has been solved after the chandlery found the original application in a draw!

 

Ooops!

 

Hopefully it's now on its way to Leeds and you will have your licence shortly. Hope you are enjoying your new boat.

D

[ditchcrawler]

Ooops!

 

Hopefully it's now on its way to Leeds and you will have your licence shortly. Hope you are enjoying your new boat.

D

Wishing him well, you should be round there nicking him for not having a valid licence.