Changes to the Boat Safety Scheme Certificate from April 2013

Changes to the BSS Certificates from April 2013

The process of sending the blue copy of the Boat Safety Scheme Certificate (BSSC) to the boats registration or licensing body is ending on the 31 March 2013 with the introduction of a new-look, receipt-style certificate.

Behind the change is the access all participating navigation authorities have to the BSS online database to double check your boat’s certificate validity. Existing BSS examination data is already held on a central database and authorised BSS Examiners have been inputting in to this for over two years.  It holds only examination and boat data, no owner or personal information is included.

The change also means that new BSS Certificates, no longer need special pre-printed coloured forms, instead they will be provided by Examiners either as electronic files or printed out by the examiner on plain paper in black ink.

After a successful boat examination, the owner will get a copy of the new-look, receipt-style certificate, also called a BSS Examination Report, to keep for their own records.

Where relevant, it may include any failure notifications and advisory information, combined in one multi-page document.

Existing BSS Certificates will continue to remain valid until reaching the expiry date.