Frequently Asked Questions related to Boater Safety Education

The BoaterSafetyUSA course fee is X plus a $10.00 Texas Parks and Wildlife fee. We offer a money-back guarantee if you don’t pass the final exam. 
 

We accept all major credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners' Club, JCB, and Signature Debit Cards. We also take Google Pay & Apple Pay. If you are trying to use a debit card that does not have a credit function, then it won't work, as we don't have a way for you to input your PIN. If you've been able to use your debit card online in the past, it's most likely a signature debit card, which will work on our website.

You will pay for the course up front with a full money-back guarantee.
 

Our course is 100% free to try; if you’re not satisfied, you don’t pay. You pay for the certificate at the end of the process. Once your certificate is issued, there is no refund, as it has already been filed with Texas Parks & Wildlife. 

Your billing statement will ONLY show "BoaterSafetyUSA.com" for any charge related to us. If it says something else, it is not a charge from us.

You may complete the course at your own pace. The course can be completed in one sitting or completed a little at a time over several days.

 Yes, Si.

You can access your course by clicking on the "My Courses" link in the top right. If you do not see the my courses link in your menu, make sure you are logged into your account first.

When the timer has run out, click the "Next" button below the video and materials to continue to the next section and save your progress. 

The timer is the required amount of time you must spend on a section learning the material. Once the timer has run out and you have completed the video you can proceed to the next section by clicking the "Next" button. 

Once the required time for you to learn a section has run out, you can click the "Next" button below the video and transcript to proceed to the next section.

Warning: Be sure to finish a section in progress before leaving. Unless you are at the beginning of the section, leaving a section in the middle will cause you to lose your progress. 

Once you've finished the current section and reached a safe spot, click the unit you would like to visit in Course Navigation. Note that you can only go to previous or current units. You can not skip ahead to a unit. 

Desktop: Simply click the section you want to go back to from the left hand "course navigation"

Tip: Don't leave a section in progress, as you will lose your progress. Please wait until you finish it, then click the next button. Then go to the previous section. 

Mobile: Click "Course Navigation" below the logo at the top. This will open a course navigation menu. Click the previous section you wish to visit. 

Step 1: Click on the closed captioning icon.

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Step 2: Select English

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Step 1: Click the video transcript icon. 

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Step 2: Search the transcript by keyword to find the exact section of the video you want. 

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Step 1: Click the video transcript icon.

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Step 2: Scroll to the section you want. 

On the video player bar, click the icon to the right of the closed caption or "CC" icon. The icon looks like a document with a pin in it. Please see the image below. 

<ADD SCREENSHOT>

Yes, the BoaterSafetyUSA course is approved and accepted by the Texas Parks & Wildlife, license # XXX.

You do not have to be a Texas resident to take this online course. It is valid for life and for use in all US States.

Yes. Most U.S. states, territories, and Canadian provinces recognize Texas Boater Education Certificates that meet NASBLA (National Association of State Boating Law Administrators) standards, as well as Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator Cards approved by Transport Canada.

This mutual acceptance—known as “reciprocity”—allows visiting boaters to legally operate vessels in other regions without needing to obtain an additional certification.

Texas Parks and Wildlife:

4200 Smith School Rd.

Austin, TX 78744

(512) 389-4800

(800) 792-1112

NASBLA:

1020 Monarch Street, Suite 200

Lexington, KY 40513

859.225.9487

Once you've finished the course and passed the required exams, you can print and download your course completion certificate right away.

Your temporary certificate will remain valid for 60 days. Please allow at least two weeks to pass before trying to print your permanent card or contacting TPWD regarding your certification.

Steps to access and print your permanent card:

1. Visit https://tpwd.texas.gov/.

2. From the main menu, select Boating, then choose Boater Education.

3. Click on Print Your Certification Card.

4. Enter your Name and Date of Birth — ensure they match exactly as used during course registration — then click Search.

5. Once your details are confirmed, select Print to generate your permanent certificate.

Each student is required to read and sign an honor statement confirming that they will complete the multiple-choice assessments with honesty and integrity.

By signing, the student acknowledges that:

• No additional web browsers or tabs will be open during the exam.

• No communication devices (such as phones, tablets, or messaging apps) will be used to obtain or share information.

• All answers submitted will represent their own independent work.

• They will not give or receive any unauthorized assistance while completing the exam.

This statement serves as a pledge that the student will adhere to the exam’s academic integrity standards.

Each unit will have an assessment that you must pass at 80% to proceed to the next unit. Students who fail an end-of-chapter evaluation will be required to review the entire chapter again before retaking the end-of-chapter assessment. You will get XXX attempts to pass.

At the end of the course, you will need to complete the final exam with an 80% pass rate. 

You can take your multiple-choice assessment by completing all the required sections in a Unit. Each Unit will have a unit quiz at the end. You will proceed through each section of a unit by watching the video and reading the materials (if you prefer to read them rather than watch the video). Once you complete all the sections, you will come to a unit review that will recap what you learned, followed by a unit quiz. 

Per NASBLA and State laws regarding Boater Education Certification, if you failed a unit quiz, you must completely re-take an entire unit before being allowed to re-take a new quiz. Note that the new quiz will have at least 50% new questions. 

Yes. At the end of the course, you’ll take the Certification Exam. A score of at least 80% is needed to pass. You may attempt the exam as many times as necessary. If you exit the exam before finishing, your progress will be saved — when you log back in, you’ll resume from the next unanswered question.

TBD

You get two attempts to score at least 80%. Should you fail on both tries, you'll need to start the course over but won’t be charged.

You can get your quiz results by navigating to the "My Courses" link in the menu. Then click on continue course and it will lead you to the course overview with all of your unit quiz grades. 

To operate certain types of watercraft legally in Texas, individuals must meet specific age and boater education requirements:

Vessels Covered

These rules apply to anyone operating:

• A motorboat with more than 15 horsepower,

• A personal watercraft (PWC), or

• A sail or wind-powered vessel longer than 14 feet.
   

Age and Supervision Requirements

• Under 13 years old:
  Children younger than 13 may operate a vessel only under direct supervision by someone who:

  • Is 18 years of age or older,

  • Legally qualified to operate the watercraft, and

  • Physically present on board while the vessel is in motion.
     

• Ages 13 and older (born on or after September 1, 1993):
  Individuals in this group may operate a vessel without supervision only if they have successfully completed a boater education course approved by Texas Parks and Wildlife.

In Texas, a person cannot operate a windblown vessel over 14 feet in length, a motorboat with more than 15 horsepower, or a personal watercraft if he/she was born on or after September 1, 1993, unless he/she has passed a boater education class or equivalency examination prescribed by the department.

NOTE: Children under 13 are specifically prohibited from operating a PWC unless accompanied on board by a person at least 18 years of age.

To operate a PWC, the operator must meet one of the following:

• Born on or after September 1, 1993, and passed a boater education class or equivalency examination prescribed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, or

• Born before September 1, 1993, or,

• Persons requiring boater education who have not completed it must be accompanied by a person 18 years of age (who can legally operate) or older, or

• At least 13 years of age and have passed a boater education course or equivalency examination prescribed by the department.

After you pass and pay for the course, you’ll be able to print your Temporary Boater Education Certificate right away. This document is your official proof of course completion. You can choose to print it immediately or receive a PDF version by email. Keep in mind that the temporary certificate is valid for 60 days from the completion date.

About 60 days after you finish all course requirements, Texas Parks and Wildlife will send you an email with a link to access and print your permanent Boater Education Certificate.

Desktop:

Click on "My Courses" in the top right of the menu.

Click "View Certificate."

Click "Download Certificate."

Mobile:

Click on the Menu button (the three lines directly right of the logo in the top right).

Click "My Courses" 

Click "View Certificate"

Click "Download Certificate"

Once you've finished the course and passed the required exams, you can print and download your course completion certificate right away.

Your temporary certificate will remain valid for 60 days. Please allow at least two weeks to pass before trying to print your permanent card or contacting TPWD regarding your certification.

Steps to access and print your permanent card:

1. Visit https://tpwd.texas.gov/.

2. From the main menu, select Boating, then choose Boater Education.

3. Click on Print Your Certification Card.

4. Enter your Name and Date of Birth — ensure they match exactly as used during course registration — then click Search.

5. Once your details are confirmed, select Print to generate your permanent certificate.

Participants only have to do it once. It is valid for life and for use in all US States.

Yes. Our course works perfectly on all modern devices. Phones, Tablets, and Computers. As long as the device has a web browser, our course will work. So even smartTV's will work.

Desktop:

Click the "Login" link in the top right of the header menu. 

Mobile:

Click on the Menu button (the three lines directly right of the logo in the top right).

Click "Login."

Desktop:

Click on the account tab in the top right of the menu.

Click Logout.

Mobile:

Click on the Menu button (the three lines directly right of the logo in the top right).

Click "Account." 

Click Logout.

Desktop:

Click on the account tab in the top right of the menu.

Click "My Courses." 

Mobile:

Click the Menu button (the three lines directly to the right of the logo in the top right).

Click "My Courses." 

You can simply click here. Then fill in your email address. This will send a link to your email address for you to reset your password. 

If it says "No account found" please reach out to us at [email protected] with the following information: 

1. The email address you think you registered with. 

2. Your full name.

3. Your correct email address you wish to have associated with your account. 

Simply shoot us an email to [email protected] with the following, and we will be happy to get this updated for you:

1. Your Email Address so we can locate your account.

2. Your correctly spelled name.

3. The reason for the name change. We do not accept name changes unless it's a legitimate reason.

4. Misspellings

5. Married Names

6. Any other account info you might need to be updated. 

Simply shoot us an email to [email protected] with the following, and we will be happy to get this updated for you: 

1. Your current Email Address on file so we can locate your account.

2. Your full name.

3. The updated email address you wish to use. 

4. Any other account info you might need to be updated. 

If you are getting an error on your quiz, please submit the error code, your email address, full name, and unit number you are getting the quiz error for to [email protected], and we will investigate this ASAP. 

The most typical way to get this error is by trying to retake a failed quiz by clicking the back button. This is not allowed, causing an error in the system. We can fix this for you; we just need you to submit the details requested above. 

We are aware of a bug with one specific version of the "Safari" browser that keeps a student from submitting their quiz results. To solve this, please log in to your account using Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. 

We are sorry about the inconvenience and will create a fix as soon as Apple patches their "Safari" browser. 

Misspellings happen; the buttons on a phone screen can be pretty small. Shoot us an email to [email protected] with the following, and we will be happy to get this updated for you: 

1. Your Email Address so we can locate your account.

2. Your correctly spelled name.

3. Any other account info you might need updated. 

To replace a lost, destroyed, or damaged Boater Education Certificate, please visit: https://tpwd.elementlms.com/am-i-certified/.