Licences and moorings
More information on types of licence required by visiting boaters and long-term moorings customers.
You need a Scottish Navigation Licence to keep and use a powered boat or sailing vessel on Scottish Canals' waterways.
Unless you lift the vessel out of the water and remove it from our land when it is not in use, you must also have a home mooring for it. A home mooring is somewhere you can moor your boat on the Scottish waterway system (excluding lochs, when it is not being used for cruising or sailing.
Understanding moorings and licences
Short-term / Navigation licence
If you are sailing or cruising on Scottish Canals for short periods (up to 30 days) a short-term licence will cover both the navigation and use of visitor moorings needed for visits to our waterways for short periods.
Long-Term licence
If you plan on having a boat on the canals for longer than 1 month, you will need to have a long-term mooring and appropriate licence.
Short-term licences
If you simply wish to visit our Waterways for a short period, please see the separate information for Scottish Canals Short-Term Licences and prices.
Long-term moorings and licences
There are a variety of moorings available on Scotland’s Canals for rental periods of three to twelve months. See this section to understand long-term licences and moorings, where to find them and prices.