How to Register a Boat in New Hampshire: Fees, Forms, and Decals

To register a boat in New Hampshire, submit a completed Boat Registration Application (RDMV 612), proof of ownership, your boat’s Hull Identification Number, a photocopy of your ID, and payment to the Division of Motor Vehicles by mail, through an authorized boat agent, or at a DMV drop box.¹ Every motorized vessel on the state’s public waters needs a current registration and a displayed bow number before it leaves the launch, and sailboats 12 feet or longer need one too, even without a motor.²

A few boats are exempt: sailboats under 12 feet, human-powered craft like canoes and rowboats, U.S. government vessels, and out-of-state boats already registered elsewhere that stay on New Hampshire waters no more than 30 consecutive days. Bolt a motor onto any otherwise-exempt boat and the exemption is gone.³

What to Gather Before You Apply

Pull the paperwork together first. You’ll need:

A completed Boat Registration Application, form RDMV 612, available as a PDF from the NH DMV website.⁴
Proof of ownership. For a new boat, that means the manufacturer’s statement of origin. For a used boat, a bill of sale showing the date, a description of the boat, and the signatures and addresses of both buyer and seller. A previous registration certificate from the seller helps too.⁵
The Hull Identification Number, a 12-character code usually stamped on the starboard side of the transom. If the boat is homemade or was built without a HIN, a New Hampshire law enforcement officer must complete a Verification of Vessel Identification form (RDMV 690) before the DMV will process the registration.⁶
A photocopy of your current driver’s license or non-driver ID.
Payment for the fees below.

The application asks for the boat’s make, model, year, length, hull material, and propulsion type. Have those details in hand before you start filling it out.

What You’ll Pay

New Hampshire stacks three charges on every boat: a base registration fee, a set of surcharges, and a separate boat fee that works like a property tax.

The base fee tracks length:

16 feet or less: $24
Over 16 to 21 feet: $34
Over 21 to 30 feet: $52
Over 30 to 45 feet: $72
Over 45 feet: $92

On top of that, everyone pays surcharges: $12.50 for the lake restoration and preservation fund, $5 for statewide public boat access, $3 for navigation safety, and $1 for fish and game search and rescue. Register for tidal or coastal use and there’s an additional $2.⁷ Inland-only totals $21.50 in surcharges; add coastal use and it’s $23.50.

Then there’s the boat fee under RSA 72-A:3. It depends on hull type, length, motor configuration, and age, and runs from around $10 for a small older outboard to well over $1,000 for a large newer cruiser.⁸ Because the schedule is dense, the DMV suggests calling the Boat Registration office at (603) 227-4030 for the exact figure on your vessel.⁹

Three Ways to Submit

Once the package is complete, you have three routes to the DMV:¹

Drop the sealed envelope at a DMV drop box.
Visit an authorized boat agent. These include certain town clerk offices, marinas, and private businesses that the DMV has authorized to process registrations. Not every town clerk does boats, so check the DMV’s list before driving over. Some agents add a small service fee.¹⁰
Mail everything to NH Dept. of Safety, DMV – Boat Registrations, 23 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03305. Include a phone number so the DMV can call you for a credit card payment.

Once processed, you’ll get back a registration certificate, a unique bow number that stays with that boat for its lifetime in New Hampshire, and validation decals. The certificate has to stay on board whenever the boat is operating, and any law enforcement or fish and game officer can ask to see it.²

If You’re Buying Used

New Hampshire does not issue boat titles. Your registration certificate is the state’s record of ownership, which means a used-boat purchase turns on the bill of sale, not a title transfer. Get a bill of sale that lists the sale date, a description of the boat, and signatures and addresses for both parties, and keep the original.⁵ The seller’s registration does not carry over; you file a fresh RDMV 612 in your name. If the boat already had a New Hampshire bow number, it keeps that number under your new registration. Buying from out of state? Bring whatever ownership documents the other state issued, because the DMV will want them.

Displaying the Bow Number and Decals

Bow numbers begin with “NH” followed by four digits and one or two letters, such as NH 3717 ZW.⁹ The display rules are specific:

The number appears on both sides of the forward half of the vessel, reading left to right.
Characters must be at least three inches tall, block style, in a color that contrasts with the hull.
Separate the “NH” prefix and the letter suffix from the digits by a space or a hyphen (NH 3717 ZW or NH-3717-ZW).
Validation decals go on both sides of the bow, within six inches to the right of the number and on the same line.

Sailboats between 12 and 20 feet are the exception. They display only the validation decals, placed within two feet of the foremost point of the bow on each side.

Renewing Each Year

Every New Hampshire boat registration expires on December 31 of the year it was issued, regardless of when it was purchased.² Register in October, renew in December of the same year. The DMV mails a renewal notice showing the amount due, and that notice doubles as the renewal application. Renew by mail, at an authorized agent, at a DMV location, or through a drop box.

Lost the certificate or decals? File form RDMV 110 with a photocopy of your driver’s license and a $20 fee payable to “State of NH-DMV” for a replacement certificate; replacement decals use form RDMV 125.⁵

One More Requirement Before You Operate

Registration makes the boat legal. Operating it is a separate question. Anyone 16 or older who operates a motorboat over 25 horsepower on New Hampshire waters must carry a boating education certificate. You can earn it through a classroom course, home study, or an approved online course. New Hampshire also accepts NASBLA-approved certificates from other states, credentials from the U.S. Power Squadrons or Coast Guard Auxiliary, and an unexpired commercial boating license from the Coast Guard or New Hampshire, so if you already have one of those you don’t need to sit through another course.¹¹

1
New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles. New Boat Registration
2
New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 270-E:3 – Registration
3
New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 270-E:4 – Exemptions From Registration and Boat Fee Decal
4
New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles. Boat Registration Application RDMV 612
5
New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles. Vehicles, Boats and Title Transactions
6
New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles. Verification of Vessel Identification
7
New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 270-E:5-a – Boat Fee Decal Required
8
New Hampshire General Court. New Hampshire Code 72-A:3 – Amount of Fee
9
New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles. Boat Registrations
10
New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles. Authorized Boat Agents
11
NH State Police. Boating Education