You can pay the NSW fishing licence for three days ($7), one month ($14), a year ($35) or three years ($85)
To Purchase Your NSW Recreational Fishing Licence – CLICK HERE
When fishing in NSW waters, both freshwater and saltwater, you are required by law to pay the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee and have receipt for payment in your possession. This also applies when spear fishing, hand lining, hand gathering, trapping and bait collection and prawn netting or when in possession of fishing gear in, on or adjacent to waters – there are some exemptions.
All money raised by the recreational fishing fee is placed into the Recreational Fishing Trusts and spent on “improving recreational fishing” in NSW.
Are You Exempt ?
Exemptions from the recreational fishing licence.
You require a NSW recreational fishing licence to fish in fresh and salt water in NSW unless you are:
- Under the age of 18
- An adult assisting a person under the age of 18 to take a fish using a single rod or to take prawns using a single dip or scoop net
- A person fishing in a private dam with a surface area of two hectares or less
- An Aboriginal person fishing in freshwater; or, when fishing in saltwater, an Aboriginal person that is a party to a registered native title claim, or is taking part in a traditional cultural activity as a member of their local land council, or in the company of a member of the local land council
The holder of:
- current Commonwealth Pensioner Concession Card issued by Centrelink
- current Commonwealth Pensioner Concession Card issued by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs
- Commonwealth Department of Veterans Affairs Gold Treatment Card endorsed “Totally and Permanently Incapacitated”;
- Commonwealth Department of Veterans Affairs Gold Treatment Card endorsed “Extreme Disablement Adjustment”;
- letter from the Commonwealth Department of Veterans Affairs stating that the person receive a disability pension of 70 per cent or higher, or an intermediate pension
Please note that Senior’s Cards, Health Care Cards and Repatriation Health Cards will not exempt you from buying a fishing licence.
Centrelink advises that only the person who signs the card where it reads “Signature of cardholder” is the holder of that card. If an additional person is listed on the card (usually a spouse), this relates to health care benefits and not to other exemptions/concessions available to the pensioner concession card-holder.
For full exemption details please visit NSW Government Primary Industries – CLICK HERE
To Purchase Your NSW Recreational Fishing Licence – CLICK HERE