The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is acting as the UK Single Issuing Authority (UKSIA) to issue fishing vessel licences on behalf of the UK sea fish licensing authorities of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to manage UK fishing vessel access to non-UK waters, and foreign vessel access to UK waters.

The UK is an independent coastal state and vessels from the EU and other coastal states wishing to access UK waters will require a fishing vessel licence issued by the UKSIA.

In addition to their UK licence, UK vessels require external waters licences to fish in waters outside of British Fishery Limits, including waters of the European Union and other coastal states such as Norway and the Faroe Islands, and in the waters of regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) to which the UK is a contracting party.

The UK fisheries authorities (Marine Directorate of Scottish Government, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, Welsh Government and the Marine Management Organisation) remain responsible for the administration and management of UK vessel licensing within the UK EEZ.

From 1 January 2021 vessels have been required to hold an external waters licence to fish outside of ‘British Fishery Limits’ (UK EEZ). Before applying for an external waters licence, please check that the area you intend to operate is outside of British Fishery Limits. View the map. Access for UK vessels to Crown Dependencies (CDs)’ territorial seas is through the relevant CDs who issue these fishing licences.

Applications for external waters licences must include a valid email address to which the licence will be issued and, for vessels 12m and over in length, an International Maritime Organization (IMO) number. Vessels will not be licensed without this information. If you have not notified your Sea Fish Licensing Authority or the SIA of a valid email address, or your email address has changed, you must send this to your administration port along with your vessel name, RSS number and PLN and we will update our records.

Vessels 12 metres and over in length must have an International Maritime Organization (IMO) number and permanently mark this in a visible place either on the ship’s hull or superstructure. If you do not already have an IMO number, you can apply for free at http://imonumbers.ihs.com. You must notify the UK SIA of your IMO number by emailing it to your administration port along with your vessel name, RSS number and PLN and we will update our records accordingly.

Fishing by UK vessels in EU waters is subject to authorisation by the European Commission and requires a valid external licence issued by the UKSIA. The list of UK vessels has been published below with a copy of the licence conditions.

If your vessel is on the list but you have not received a licence please contact the UKSIA via the email address in the ‘Contact the SIA’ section on this page.

If you intend to operate outside of British Fishery Limits and wish to apply for an external waters licence, please complete the application form and submit to the SIA via the email address in the ‘Contact the SIA’ section on this page.

Northern Irish vessels are only permitted to access waters within 0 and 6 nautical miles of the territorial sea adjacent to the Republic of Ireland if expressly authorised at Part 1 section 3 of their UK external waters licence.

Access to waters of Norway and the fishery protection zone around Svalbard have been agreed for 2025. Vessels with access to the relevant fishing opportunities can apply for an external waters licence by completing the application form below and submitting it to [email protected]. The UKSIA will verify applications with your fisheries administration and forward valid applications to the Norwegian Fisheries Directorate for approval. Upon receipt of approval the UKSIA will issue the external waters licence by email.

Please complete the application form at this link and send it to the UKSIA at [email protected].

You can apply at any time but you cannot undertake activity in Norwegian waters until you are in receipt of a valid external waters licence issued by the UKSIA and your vessel appears in the list of authorised vessels.

If you have any queries please contact the UKSIA at [email protected] or call 02080265062 or visit the UKSIA website.

Access to waters of the Faroe Islands

The United Kingdom and Faroes Islands have now concluded consultations on fisheries arrangements for 2024 and the UK Single Issuing Authority (UKSIA) will soon be able to license vessels under this agreement.

If you have access to fishing opportunities in Faroe Islands waters you can apply using the application form below.

Please complete the application form and return it to [email protected]. Applications received by midday (12:00hrs) on 15 March 2024 will be prioritised for processing, any applications received after this date will still be processed but it may take longer for you to receive your licence. Please be aware that it may take up to 14 days to process any application made and you must not fish in Faroe Island’s waters until you have received a valid licence.

If you have any queries, please contact the UKSIA at [email protected] or call 02080265062, and check the UKSIA website regularly for any updates.

If you intend to operate in the waters of a Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) you will need a specific external waters licence in addition to your base domestic licence. If your vessel has access to fishing opportunities in NEAFC, ICCAT or IOTC waters you can now apply to the UK Single Issuing Authority (UKSIA) for an external waters licence to fish in 2024. Apply using the form below and submit to the SIA.

Application for UK external waters licence to access RFMO (PDF, 318 KB, 7 pages)

You can apply at any time but you cannot undertake activity in NEAFC, ICCAT or IOTC waters until you are in receipt of a valid external waters licence issued by the UKSIA and your vessel appears in the list of authorised vessels https://www.gov.uk/guidance/united-kingdom-single-issuing-authority-uksia#UK-vessellist.

The relevant RFMO conditions below apply to those vessels appearing on the UK vessel list for external waters below with a corresponding positive entry in the columns headed “NEAFC Waters Access” . Your foreign vessel licence is subject to licence conditions. It is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of the licence conditions and any variations made to them.

If you have any queries please contact the UKSIA at [email protected] or call 02080265062 or visit the UKSIA website United Kingdom Single Issuing Authority (UKSIA) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Until you are issued a valid licence for the waters in which you intend to operate you must not fish and all fishing gear must be lashed and stowed if transiting.

If you have not notified your Sea Fish Licensing Authority or the SIA of a valid email address, or your email address has changed, you must send this to your port of administration along with your vessel name, RSS number and PLN and we will update our records. In future, licences will only be issued by email.

Vessels 12 metres and over in length must have an International Maritime Organization (IMO) number and permanently mark this in a visible place either on the ship’s hull or superstructure. If you do not already have a IMO number you can apply for free at http://imonumbers.ihs.com. You must notify the UK SIA of your IMO number by emailing it to your port of administration along with your vessel name, RSS number and PLN and we will update our records accordingly.

You must not fish in third country waters until you have received a valid external waters licence issued by the UKSIA, and you must check that your vessel is on the UK vessel list for external waters published on this webpage with an indication in the appropriate third county waters column. If any of the details on your external waters licence are incorrect or for any other enquires relating to your external waters licence, please contact the UKSIA at [email protected].

Since 1 January 2021 all foreign vessels are required to have a valid foreign vessel licence issued by the UKSIA to fish in UK waters including the UK EEZ, relevant areas of the UK 6-12nm zone, and in the 0-6nm zone around Northern Ireland. View the map

Until you are issued a valid licence for fishing in the UK EEZ or 6-12nm zone you must not fish and all fishing gear must be lashed and stowed if transiting. Enquiries regarding the licensing process for UK waters must be directed to your flag state fisheries authority.

Your foreign vessel licence is subject to licence conditions which are published on the UKSIA website. It is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of the licence conditions and any variations made to them, and applicable UK law, including customs rules, when operating in UK waters.

Applications for Norwegian vessels to fish in UK waters are submitted by the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries to the UKSIA. For details on how to apply you must contact your flag state fisheries authority directly. Where an application is approved, the UKSIA will issue a foreign vessel licence directly to the vessel owner by email. If any of the details in the licence you receive are incorrect, you should inform your flag state fisheries authority immediately.

A list of Norwegian vessels issued foreign vessel licences can be found in our approved Norwegian vessel section.

Your foreign vessel licence is subject to licence conditions. It is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of the licence conditions and any variations made to them. You can find the conditions in our approved Norwegian vessel section.

Applications for EU vessels to fish in UK waters are submitted by the European Commission to the UKSIA on behalf of EU Member States.

Where an application is approved, the UKSIA will issue a foreign vessel licence directly to the vessel owner by email. If any of the details in the licence you receive are incorrect, you should inform your flag state fisheries authority immediately.

A list of vessels issued foreign vessel licences can be found in our approved EU vessel section.

Your foreign vessel licence is subject to licence conditions. It is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of the licence conditions and any variations made to them. You can find the conditions in our approved EU vessel section.

Applications for Faroese vessels to fish in UK waters are submitted by Vørn to the UKSIA. For details on how to apply you must contact your flag state fisheries authority directly. Where an application is approved, the UKSIA will issue a foreign vessel licence directly to the vessel owner by email. If any of the details in the licence you receive are incorrect, you should inform your flag state fisheries authority immediately.

A list of Faroese vessels issued foreign vessel licences can be found in our approved Faroese vessels section.

Your foreign vessel licence is subject to licence conditions. It is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of the licence conditions and any variations made to them. You can find the conditions in our approved Faroese vessels section.

Under Annex 38 to the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (the ‘TCA’), during the adjustment period the UK and EU have rights of access for fishing in specific parts of each other’s waters between 6 and 12 nautical miles from baselines in ICES divisions 4c and 7d-g for qualifying vessels. Access is to fish in the zones and for the species specified in the table below. A qualifying vessel is one that fished for those species in the appropriate zone, in at least 4 of the 5 years between 2012 and 2016, or its direct replacement.

Evidence of qualification must include positional data showing fishing activity in the relevant UK 6-12nm zone with corresponding catch data recording catches of any of the permitted species for that zone (see table below). The catch data must be provided for the same date/time period as the positional data. This evidence must be provided for at least one day in each of four years out the five years between 2012 and 2016.

The UK will consider a range of evidence sources in its decision as to whether a vessel is a qualifying vessel:

Positional data

For vessels equipped with vessel monitoring systems (VMS) this type of data must be provided showing fishing activity within the relevant zone in all four years.

Vessels under-12 metres in overall length that were not equipped with VMS during the period but had an automatic identification system (AIS) installed must provide AIS data where VMS is not available.

Vessels under-12 metres which were not equipped with VMS or AIS throughout the period must provide chartplotter data clearly demonstrating the date/position/speed of the vessel, where VMS and AIS data are not available.

Where available, official sightings data at a position defined by latitude and longitude of fishing activity within the relevant zone of UK 6-12nm waters will also be considered.

All under-12m vessels must provide positional data (VMS, AIS, chartplotter or official sightings) for at least two out of the required four years. For the remaining years they must provide alternative evidence (see next section).

Alternative evidence

Vessels under-12 metres in overall length which do not have VMS, AIS or chartplotter or offical sightings data may provide alternative evidence of fishing activity within the relevant area, for up to two out of the required four years. This may be officially recognised scientific survey data such as Valpena data for French vessels (but only in relation to Valpena rectangles of which at least 50% is in the relevant zone of UK waters) or equally reliable and specific scientific survey data for vessels from other EU member States.

Again, this alternative evidence must correspond to the same date/time period as the catch data.

Where positional data is available which contradicts the alternative evidence supplied, that data will take precedence over the alternative evidence.

Catch data

Catch data must be provided from statutory returns including logbooks or, where appropriate, sales note data.

The catch data must record the permitted species for the relevant zone as indicated in the table below.

Catch data cannot be considered as evidence of qualifying activity on its own. For example, catch data recorded by ICES rectangle must be supported with positional data indicating that the catching activity was specifically carried out within that part of the ICES rectangle in the relevant zone of UK 6-12nm waters (see previous sections on positional data and alternative evidence).

Annex 38 of the TCA states that access to the relevant part of the UK and EU 6-12nm zone is granted for qualifying vessels, which includes direct replacements of the original qualifying vessels. The UK’s approach to licensing direct replacement vessels is based on ensuring that a replacement vessel is the same or similar to the original qualifying vessel it is replacing. This approach maintains the stability of the fisheries and also provides a limited but necessary degree of flexibility, while ensuring that no additional capacity is added to the fisheries beyond the level in place during the reference period 2012-2016.

The principles for the UK’s approach to direct replacements are outlined below:

There are two exceptions to principles four and six above:

Licensing

Applications with supporting evidence for qualifying vessels are submitted to the UKSIA by the European Commission on behalf of a vessel’s flag member state.

The UK will assess applications and, in addition to the evidence provided, may use additional data sources including commercially available data in its evaluation. This includes AIS data which is commercially available.

EU vessel owners must direct enquiries regarding their applications and evidence to their national fisheries authority.

Table of permitted zones and species:

Vessels flying the flag of Belgium

Sea area of United Kingdom waters between 6 and 12 nautical miles of the baselines in ICES areas 4c and 7d-g	Permitted Species*
An area between: (i) a line drawn due north from Cromer lighthouse and (ii) a line drawn due east from North Foreland lighthouse.	Demersal
An area between: (i) a line drawn due east from North Foreland lighthouse and (ii) a line drawn due south from Dungeness New lighthouse.	Herring Demersal
an area between: (i) a line drawn due south from Dungeness New lighthouse and (ii) a line drawn due south from Selsey Bill.	Demersal
an area between: (i) a line drawn south-east from Straight Point lighthouse and (ii) the northernmost boundary of ICES area 7g (Latitude 52°N)	Demersal

* “demersal” means all sea fish except salmon, migratory trout, mackerel, clupeoid fishes, sand eels, Norway pout, smelts, eels, great weevers, crustaceans and molluscs (other than squids).

Vessels flying the flag of France

Sea area of United Kingdom waters between 6 and 12 nautical miles of the baselines in ICES areas 4c and 7d-g	Permitted Species*
an area between: (i) a line drawn due east from Lowestoft lighthouse and (ii) longitude 2 degrees 56 minutes W;	All descriptions of sea fish
an area between: (i) longitude 2 degrees 56 minutes W and (ii) a line drawn due south from Eddystone lighthouse;	Demersal
an area between: (i) a line drawn due south from Eddystone lighthouse and (ii) a line drawn south-west from Longships lighthouse;	Demersal Lobster Crawfish scallops
an area between: (i) a line drawn south-west from Longships lighthouse and (ii) a line drawn north-west from Hartland Point lighthouse.	Demersal Lobster Crawfish
Such part of the area within 12 miles of the baselines adjacent to Lundy Island, but outside 6 miles from all baselines, as lies to the north and east of a line drawn north-west from Hartland Point lighthouse.	Demersal
Such part of the area within 12 miles, but outside 6 miles, from the baselines and between: (i) a line drawn north west from Hartland Point lighthouse and (ii) the northernmost boundary of ICES area 7g (Latitude 52°N) as lies outside 12 miles from the baselines adjacent to Lundy Island.	Demersal

* “demersal” means all sea fish except salmon, migratory trout, mackerel, clupeoid fishes, sand eels, Norway pout, smelts, eels, great weevers, crustaceans and molluscs (other than squids).

Vessels flying the flag of Federal Republic of Germany

Sea area of United Kingdom waters between 6 and 12 nautical miles of the baselines in ICES areas 4c and 7d-g	Permitted Species
an area between: an area between: (i) a line drawn due east from North Foreland lighthouse and (ii) a line drawn due south from Dungeness New lighthouse.	Herring

Vessels flying the flag of the Netherlands

Sea area of United Kingdom waters between 6 and 12 nautical miles of the baselines in ICES areas 4c and 7d-g	Permitted Species
an area between: (i) a line drawn due east from North Foreland lighthouse and (ii) a line drawn due south from Dungeness New lighthouse.	Herring

Republic of Ireland vessels are only permitted to access waters within 0 and 6 nautical miles of the territorial sea adjacent to Northern Ireland if expressly authorised at Part 1 section 3 of their UK foreign vessel licence.

Member State	European Union waters within 6 and 12 nautical miles from baselines of the coastal states of:	Permitted Species*
France	Belgian/French frontier to Cap d’Alprech west (50° 42 30” N — 1° 33’ 30” E)	All Species
Netherlands	Texel south point, west to the to the northernmost border of ICES 4c (line of latitude 53°30’N)	Demersal
Ireland	Mine Head south to Hook Point	Demersal Herring Mackerel
Ireland	Hook Point to the northernmost border of ICES 7g (line of latitude 52°N)	Demersal Herring Mackerel Nephrops Scallops

* “demersal” means all sea fish except salmon, migratory trout, mackerel, clupeoid fishes, sand eels, Norway pout, smelts, eels, great weevers, crustaceans and molluscs (other than squids).

The following maps are available showing the areas of European Union waters within 6 and 12 nautical miles to which qualifying vessels have access:

EU Waters UK access EU Waters ROI UK Access

If you wish to apply for a licence to access EU waters within 6-12nm please complete the application form below and submit it to the [email protected] with your supporting evidence.

Please find here the link for vessels operating in Scottish waters. The Sea Fisheries (Remote Electronic Monitoring and Regulation of Scallop Fishing) (Scotland) Regulations 2024. The technical specifications (technical specifications) set out the exact technical requirements needed for REM systems. The guidance (guidance) is aimed at supporting pelagic vessels to prepare for REM system test trips which will be carried out from 7 September 2025, ahead of the legislation coming into force on 7 March 2026.

You can reach the SIA via telephone on 0208 026 5062 or email [email protected] with your name, telephone number, vessel name and PLN number and a brief outline of your enquiry and a member of the team will call you back as soon as possible.

External waters licences are issued by email for access to EU, Norwegian, Faroe Islands and Regional Fisheries Management Organisation waters. Before fishing in any external waters, you must check that you are on the 2025 list of approved vessels and in receipt of your external waters licence.

If your vessel is on the list but you have not received your licence by email, contact the UKSIA immediately. If your vessel does not appear on this list, or you wish to apply for an external waters licence, please contact the SIA using the details above.

It is the responsibility of the licence holder and vessel master to ensure they are familiar with the conditions set out in your fishing vessel licence. Please ensure that you do not fish outside of the times permitted by your licence. Validity dates can be found at part 1 section 3 of the licence issued to you.

Below is the list of Norwegian vessels for which a foreign vessel licence has been issued for UK waters in respect of access to the UK EEZ (12-200nm limit), with validity as indicated in the relevant columns. This list is also maintained and published on behalf of Scottish Ministers for the purposes of section 44 of the Fisheries Act 2020.

The foreign vessel licence conditions for Norwegian vessels and most recent notification of variation that applies to these licences are also available below.

Below is the list of EU vessels for which a foreign vessel licence has been issued for UK waters in respect of access to UK EEZ (12-200nm limit), UK 6-12nm (ICES 4c, 7d-g) and Northern Ireland 0-6nm under the Voisinage arrangements, with validity as indicated in the relevant columns. This list is also maintained and published on behalf of Scottish Ministers for the purposes of section 44 of the Fisheries Act 2020. The Foreign vessel licence conditions and most recent notification of variation that applies to these licences are also available below.

Below is the list of Faroese vessels for which a foreign vessel licence has been issued for UK waters in respect of access to the UK EEZ (12-200nm limit), with validity as indicated in the relevant columns.

This list is also maintained and published on behalf of Scottish Ministers for the purposes of section 44 of the Fisheries Act 2020. The Foreign vessel licence conditions and most recent notification of variation that applies to these licences are also available below.

The Crown Dependencies are the Bailiwick of Guernsey (Guernsey, Alderney and Sark) (“Guernsey”), the Bailiwick of Jersey (“Jersey”) and the Isle of Man.

Under article 502 of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the United Kingdom and the European Union, the EU and the UK on behalf of each of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, have granted each other access to certain parts of their territorial seas.

This access reflects the actual extent and nature of fishing activity that it can be demonstrated was carried out by qualifying vessels from 1 February 2017 to 31 January 2020 (the reference period), under the treaty arrangements which were then in force (the former London Fisheries Convention and the former Granville Bay Agreement). A qualifying EU vessel is one which can demonstrate that it fished in the territorial sea around the relevant Crown Dependency on at least 11 days in any of the 12-month periods ending on 31 January 2018, 31 January 2019 or 31 January 2020.

Guernsey implemented access to relevant waters in two stages. Following initial interim arrangements during 2021, in most cases licences to fish in those waters took effect from 1st February 2022. Then, from 1st February 2023, conditions were added to licences to reflect the limits set by the TCA on the extent and nature of fishing.

The arrangements Guernsey have put in place to implement this access can be found on their government’s website at https://www.gov.gg/fishing. They include arrangements for licensing replacement vessels.

Similarly, Jersey also implemented access to relevant waters in two stages. In most cases licences were issued to EU vessels in 2021. Then, from 1st February 2023, further conditions were added to licences to reflect the limits set by the TCA on the extent and nature of fishing.

The arrangements Jersey have put in place to implement this access can be found on their government’s website at Fishing boat licensing (gov.je).They include arrangements for licensing replacement vessels.

The Crown Dependencies are responsible for authorisation and licensing of fishing vessels within their waters. Applications for EU vessels to fish in the waters around a Crown Dependency are submitted by the European Commission to the UK Single Issuing Authority (SIA) on behalf of EU Member States. The SIA operates as a single point of contact between the Crown Dependencies and the European Commission for the purposes of exchanging information for licensing and authorisations.

Applications are forwarded to the relevant Crown Dependency and where an application is approved, that Crown Dependency will issue a licence directly to the owner of the relevant EU vessel by email. The Crown Dependencies may charge a fee for fishing vessel licences. If any of the details in the licence that you receive are incorrect, you should inform your flag State fisheries authority immediately.

The EU vessels listed below are licensed by Guernsey to fish in the relevant waters around Guernsey (in line with the TCA).

These licences are subject to licence conditions. The template conditions can be found on the Government of Guernsey’s website. Additional access conditions may also be included in the licences of specific vessels in order to reflect the TCA.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you are aware of the licence conditions and any variations made to them.

Further details and applicable legislation are available at https://www.gov.gg/fishing.

The EU vessels listed below are licensed by Jersey to fish in the relevant waters around Jersey (in line with the TCA).

These licences are subject to licence conditions. The template conditions can be found on the Government of Jersey website . Additional access conditions may also be included in the licences of specific vessels in order to reflect the TCA.

It is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of the licence conditions and any variations made to them.

Information on foreign vessel licensing in Isle of Man territorial waters can be found here. To date the European Commission has not put forward any vessels for access to Isle of Man waters under the TCA and therefore there are no specific arrangements in place for access. The arrangements put in place by Guernsey and Jersey do not prejudice the right of the Isle of Man make their own arrangements for implementation in the future.

The UK fisheries authorities (Marine Directorate of Scottish Government, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, Welsh Government and the Marine Management Organisation) remain responsible for the administration and management of UK vessel licensing within the UK EEZ.

Website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understand-your-fishing-vessel-licence Phone: 0300 123 1032

Website: https://www.gov.scot/policies/marine-and-fisheries-licensing Phone: 0300 244 4000

Website: https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/topics/fisheries/fishing-vessel-licensing

Website: https://gov.wales/sea-fisheries

At 11pm on 31 December 2020 the majority of European Union fisheries legislation was retained as UK law and continues to apply to UK fishing vessels and foreign vessels fishing in UK waters (where appropriate). At the same time relevant national fisheries legislation also became applicable to foreign vessels. Fisheries is a devolved matter in the UK and alongside national legislation and retained EU law there are specific regulations that apply in English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish waters. Links to the legislation are below:

The official website for all UK regulations is https://www.legislation.gov.uk/

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) publishes a non-exhaustive list of fisheries legislation called the ‘Blue Book’.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fishing-regulations-the-blue-book

Guidance and legislation applicable in Scottish waters can be found at the following links:
https://www.gov.scot/policies/marine-and-fisheries-compliance/
https://www.gov.scot/publications/marine-and-fisheries-compliance-legislation/

Northern Ireland legislation applicable to non-UK vessels fishing in NI waters https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/northern-ireland-legislation-applicable-non-uk-vessels-fishing-ni-waters

UK Vessels

Norwegian Vessels

EU Vessels

EU vessels licensed by Jersey for 2023

Published 31 December 2020
Last updated 14 March 2025 + show all updates