A Certificate of Ownership (COO) and an Operating Licence (OL) should be obtained prior to the operation of a vessel in the waters of Hong Kong. The owner of a pleasure vessel that carries more than 60 passengers, or of more than 150 gross tonnage and not less than 24m in length, or of novel construction should first apply to the Director of Marine for an Approval-in-Principle Letter (AIP letter) before applying for the approval of plans, a survey, a COO and an OL for the vessel. The procedural requirements on how to apply for the AIP letter are available under "Public forms" of the webpage of the Marine Department (MD). In general, the AIP letter is not applicable to pleasure vessels other than the three types of pleasure vessels mentioned above. For the details, please refer to the Guidance Note of Marine Department webpage.

Application form

An application for a renewal of an OL can generally be made at any District Marine Office. The application form (MD 509) can be obtained at any District Marine Office or downloaded from the webpage of the Marine Department (MD) under "Public forms". Applicants may also photocopy the form for use. The completed application form together with the required documents and fee should be submitted to any District Marine Office during office hours by hand or by mail. All applications by mail will be processed within 6 working days and the new licence will be sent to the owner"s registered address by mail if instructed by the applicant. For the details, please refer to the Guidance Note of Marine Department webpage.

Application form

Yes. We have created a new platform for the owners to renew the operating Licence which are not required to undergo survey prior to the issue of COO and OL. The application process is summarized as follows:-

1. Submission of application via eBS;
2. Online payment;
3. Application processed by the MD;
4. Notification email to be sent to vessel owners who may check the application status ;
5. Renewed operating licence to be sent to the registered address of their principal vessel owner by post.

For the details, please refer to the Guidance Note of the Marine Department"s website : Home page ➜ Electronic services ➜ Electronic Business System ➜ Services ➜ Local vessel services ➜ Choose the Form No. EBS-8150, Application for Renewal of Operating Licence for Non-Survey Required Local Vessel
http://ebs.mardep.gov.hk/en/licence_renewal_lv_guidance_notes.php

For newly constructed vessels, the enquirer can refer to the Fees Tables set out at the Marine Department webpage.

The enquirer is required to provide such information as the class, type, length, breadth and total carrying capacity of the vessel for calculation purpose. It should be noted that the actual fee payable rests with the computation of the computer system.

For licenced vessels, the enquirer can enquire the fee payable at any District Marine Office in person, by phone, email or post. The enquirer will be required to provide the number of the Certificate of Ownership and confirm whether there are any changes to the vessel condition. The enquirer will be informed of the licence fee of the vessel which is computed directly by the computer system.

1. Applicants or vessel owners in need of an endorsement of a mortgage or hire-purchase agreement on the Certificate of Ownership (COO) of their vessels by the Marine Department (MD) should approach any District Marine Office with the required documents and fee as follows:
   1. An application letter;
   2. The COO of the vessel;
   3. The original and duplicate copy of the mortgage deed and the hire-purchase agreement; and
   4. The prescribed endorsement fee of $355.
2. No endorsement of mortgage or hire-purchase agreement will be made if the vessel"s Operating Licence (OL) has expired; whereas endorsement of second mortgage will only be made when the first mortgagee and the second mortgagee are the same one.
3. Applicants are required to pay the prescribed endorsement fee.
4. Where an endorsement as to a mortgage of or as to a hire-purchase agreement for the vessel is made on the COO, a consent letter for transfer signed by all parties involved in the mortgage or a hire-purchase agreement (as the case may be) should be included in the notification of transfer of ownership submitted upon application. The original owner of the vessel is not required to sign the consent letter.

1. Under the following circumstances, the owner of a certificated vessel should apply for cancellation of the vessel's Certificate of Ownership (COO):

   1. The vessel has been completely destroyed and removed from Hong Kong waters; or
   2. The vessel has left Hong Kong permanently.

For the details, please refer to the Guidance Note of Marine Department webpage.

Vessel owners in need of a licence extract as a proof in legal proceedings (subject to the public interest in disclosure of such information outweighs any harm or prejudice that could result from disclosure) or for financial audit may apply for an ownership extract or Operating Licence extract. Applications should be made in writing by a vessel owner, or an applicant who can produce a confirmation letter issued by the vessel owner or a court document to prove that the extract is required for legal proceedings or civil claims. Applicants should provide an application letter, proof of identity, a confirmation letter issued by the vessel owner concerned and court documents (if applicable), and pay the enquiry fees, which include the fee for the search of record of Certificate of Ownership, full licence, temporary licence or permission for a laid-up vessel ($175) and the fee for the issue of a certified extract of any document ($160).

Applications for a notification of transfer of ownership can be made at any District Marine Office. Application forms can be obtained at District Marine Office or downloaded from the webpage of the Marine Department (MD) under "Public forms". For the details, please refer to the Guidance Note of Marine Department webpage.

Notification of transfer of ownership

In case of loss of a Certificate of Ownership (COO) or Operating Licence (OL), a temporary licence or a permission for a laid-up vessel, a report should be made to any police station immediately. Upon the receipt of a police report for such loss, a written application should be submitted to the Director of Marine for a duplicate of the documents concerned. Vessel owners should bring along their documents of identification and an application letter for a duplicate of a COO, a full licence, a temporary licence or a permission for a laid-up vessel to any District Marine Office for the application. The original copy should be invalid upon the issue of a duplicate of the COO or OL. Anyone acting on behalf of a vessel owner should produce an authorisation letter from the owner and a certified true copy of his/her own Hong Kong Identity Card or passport. The replacement fee is $355. If an owner can prove that the documents were lost amidst a fire or a shipwreck, the replacement fee can be waived.

A Certificate of Ownership (COO) and an Operating Licence (OL) shall be obtained prior to operating a vessel in the waters of Hong Kong. The owner should first apply to the Director of Marine for an Approval-in-Principle Letter (AIP letter) before applying for the approval of plans, survey, COO and OL of the vessel. For the details, please refer to the Guidance Note of Marine Department webpage.

Application form

Please refer to the office hours at the Marine Department webpage.

District Marine Offices	Opening Hours on Weekdays (Closed on Saturdays, Sundays & Public Holidays)		Address & Telephone No.
	Counter	Shroff
Aberdeen Marine Office	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	100A Shek Pai Wan Road, Aberdeen Licensing & Port Formalities of Local Vessels: 2873-8362
Central Marine Office	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	East Wing, 3/F, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Hong Kong Licensing of Local Vessels: 2852-3083 Port Formalities of Local Vessels: 2852 4917 Port Formalities of Convention Vessels: 2852 3038
Cheung Chau Marine Office	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	86 Tung Wan Road, Cheung Chau Licensing & Port Formalities of Local Vessels: 2981-0225
Sai Kung Marine Office	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	4/F, Sai Kung Government Offices Building, Sai Kung, New Territories Licensing & Port Formalities of Local Vessels: 2792-1212
Shau Kei Wan Marine Office	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	10 Tam Kung Temple Road, Shaukeiwan, Hong Kong Licensing & Port Formalities of Local Vessels: 2560-1665
Tai Po Marine Office	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	3 Yu On Street, Sam Mun Tsai, Tai Po, New Territories Licensing & Port Formalities of Local Vessels: 2667-6939
Tuen Mun Marine Office	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	15 Sam Shing Street, Tuen Mun, New Territories Licensing & Port Formalities of Local Vessels: 2451-9456
Yau Ma Tei Marine Office	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	38 Hoi Fai Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon Licensing & Port Formalities of Local Vessels: 2385-5661