Requirements: Renew your boat registration
Renewal notice requirements
You may need to meet certain requirements before you can renew your boat registration. To find out what you need to do, find the requirement below that you see printed on your renewal notice:
- Pay your outstanding balance from a past transaction.
You have an outstanding balance from a past transaction which you must pay before you renew your boat registration.- Refer to the letter we sent you showing the past due amount.
- Take the letter to your local vehicle/boat licensing office to buy your decals.
- Provide your commercial fishing license.
To keep your commercial fishing excise tax exemption, you must renew your boat registration in person at a vehicle/boat licensing office and bring along 1 of the following items:- Your commercial fishing license.
- A receipt or letter from the Department of Fish and Wildlife stating you have paid for a current commercial fishing license.
- Provide your active-duty military ID card.
To keep your vessel excise tax exemption, you must take your active-duty or dependent ID card to a vehicle/boat licensing office to buy your decals. If you have registered to vote in the state of Washington, you no longer qualify for this exemption. - Get a new boat registration number.
Your current registration number contains an "I," "O," or "Q." Because the United States Coast Guard prohibits the use of these letters in a boat registration number, you must get a new registration number when you renew. Please visit a vehicle/boat licensing office to get a new registration number and buy your decals.
If your boat is federally documented through the U.S. Coast Guard, we'll assign a new registration number for tracking purposes only. You aren't required to display the Washington registration number on your boat. - Use the new registration number we have issued.
The United States Coast Guard prohibits the use of an "I," "O," or "Q" in a boat registration number. Because your registration number contained one of these letters, we have changed the 2-letter combination in the number and have updated your records. The 4-number combination remains the same. To avoid a citation, you'll need to change the number displayed on your boat before you use it. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you have any questions, please call a vehicle/boat licensing office.
If your boat is federally documented through the U.S. Coast Guard, the new registration number is for tracking purposes only. You aren't required to display the Washington registration number on your boat.
