How To Check On Your NSW Fishing Licence

New South Wales (NSW) is one of the Australian states with strict recreational fishing rules. They insist on a mandatory fee or licence to be purchased for all recreational fishing. If you’ve purchased your fishing licence, you probably need some way to keep track of it, check your details, renew it on time, and update your information.

Here’s how to check your NSW Fishing Licence in 5 easy steps:

Download the Service NSW app.
Create or Log In to your MyServiceNSW Account.
Click the ‘+’ sign next to ‘Licences & Credentials’ or select ‘Add a digital licence or credential’.
Follow the instructions to add your licence.
Check your licence.

In the rest of this article, I will explain in detail how to create a MyServiceNSW account and add your licence to it so you can easily check it online. If you want a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to check your licence online, keep reading!

1. Download The Service NSW App

The Service NSW App is an application created by the Australian Government. This app allows you to access government services online.

One of the most popular features of this app is the ability to add your licences to the app itself. Through this feature, all you will need is your phone or tablet, instead of carrying the hard copies of your licences. However, digital licences do not replace physical copies entirely.

The Government will still send you physical copies of your licence you just don’t have to carry them everywhere.

You can go to The Google Play Store or the Apple Store to download the Service NSW App. The Service NSW App is available for both Android and iOS devices.

To find more information about the Service NSW App, you can go to the Service NSW Mobile App page on the Service NSW website.

2. Create Or Log In To Your MyServiceNSW Account

The next step is to create your MyServiceNSW account. Or, if you already have an account, simply log into it.

To create an account, you need to follow these steps:

Go to www.service.nsw.gov.au.
In the Menu, click on ‘MyServiceNSW Account.’
Choose ‘Create Account.’
Enter your email address.
Create a password of a minimum of seven characters (including at least one number and one capital letter).
Read and agree to the Terms and Conditions
Tick the “I Am Not a Robot” box.
Click ‘Next’.
A Verification Email will be sent to your email address with a security code.
Enter the security code on the ‘Activate your account’ page.
Click on ‘Create Account.’

That’s it! Once your account has been created, you can sign in to it on your browser or the Service NSW App. This will take you to your dashboard. You can also Add and Verify your phone number (if you have one).

Note: Your MyServiceNSW Account is private to you. Thus, you should ensure that you keep your login details to yourself and never share your password with anyone else. Do not use a shared email address for your MyServiceNSW account.

3. Add Your Fishing Licence

To add your fishing licence, follow one of the following steps:

Click on the ‘+’ sign next to ‘Licences and Credentials’ or
Select ‘Add a digital licence or credential’ from the carousel.

This step can be done via the app or the browser.

When you select one of these prompts, you can choose which licence to add. Select your Recreational Fishing Licence. If you don’t have a fishing licence yet, you can also apply for one through the app.

4. Follow The Instructions To Add Your Fishing Licence

The instructions to add your licence will be displayed on the app. Each step will be shown individually, along with explanations to help you along.

First, when you click on ‘add a digital licence or credential’, select Recreational Fishing Fee from the options. Once you have selected the fishing licence, you can follow the instructions to link your account to your existing fishing licence or apply for a new one.

5. Check Your Fishing Licence

Once you have added your fishing licence to your account, you can use it for multiple purposes.

You can use the Service NSW app to do the following regarding your Recreational Fishing Licence.

Check the status of your Recreational Fishing Licence.
Renew Your Recreational Fishing Licence.
Apply for a new Recreational Fishing Licence.
Pay your fines (if you have any).
View your demerits.
Set reminders to renew or pay for your Recreational Fishing Licence.

Apart from the points mentioned above, you can also access a wide range of services with the Service NSW App. Some of the things you can use your MyServiceNSW Account for are as follows.

Adding or applying for licences.
Registering your vehicles.
Setting reminders for payments.
Add your Covid-19 Vaccination Certificate to your account for a digital copy.
Apply for and use vouchers for a number of services.
Apply for your NSW Digital Drivers Licence.

After adding your Recreational Fishing Licence to your MyServiceNSW account, you can view this licence by clicking on the ‘My Licences’ section on your dashboard. This section will display all of your linked licences on your device.

The digital version of your Recreational Fishing Licence is convenient because you don’t need to carry the physical copy of the licence. If an NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) officer asks for your licence, you can show the digital copy and it will be accepted.

You can even use the app to pay the one-time Recreational Fishing Fee instead of purchasing the extended Recreational Fishing Licence. Once you have made the payment online, you can simply download the receipt of payment and show that to the DPI officers.

Final Thoughts

Checking your Recreational Fishing Licence is easy with the Service NSW App. All you need to do is create a MyServiceNSW account, log into the app, and add your licences there.

Once you’ve added the licence, you can check its status at any time, set reminders to pay for a renewal, and even renew it right through the app itself!

You only need to follow the instructions to add your licence to your MyServiceNSW account, and you’re good to go! If you are in Canberra you can find fishing licence info here as its a little different from NSW