Licensing of Maritime Usages

MARA will play an important role in protecting Ireland’s Maritime Area by licensing the following activities –

  • Navigational and Maintenance Dredging
  • Marine Environmental surveys for the purposes of scientific discovery and site investigations
  • Installation or placement of navigational markers or aids to navigation not undertaken or authorised by the Commissioners of Irish Lights.
  • Installation of non-permanent platforms or pontoons
  • Depositing of any substance or object on or in the sea or seabed
  • Removal of any substance or object from the sea or seabed
  • Use of explosives
  • Maintenance of any cable, pipeline, oil, gas or carbon storage facility / structure not provided for under any other statutory approval
  • The harvesting of seaweed
  • Any other activity that the Minister Housing Local Government and Heritage (MHLGH) may determine by regulation

Anyone proposing to undertake any of these activities, from 17 July 2023, must apply to MARA for a licence, unless they have an existing foreshore consent.

All applications received will be screened for EIA.  If an EIA applies, the application will be returned and the applicant will be advised to consider applying for a Maritime Area Consent.

All applications will also be screened for Appropriate Assessment.  If screened in, the application will be subject to a minimum of 30 days public consultation.  MARA will aim to make its determination on a licence application within 30 days of the closing of the public consultation.

MARA invites potential licence applicants to partake in non–statutory pre-application meetings before a formal application is made, in order to minimise delays and ensure that all relevant information is submitted.  An application form for such a meeting is available below:

How to apply for a Licence

The application form for a licence is available at maritimeregulator.ie/apply.  An application fee of €2,000 applies.  If your application screens out for Appropriate Assessment, you will receive a refund of €1,000.

Download – Maritime Usage Licence Application Form

Details on how this fee is to be submitted and how your application will be processed is available here:

The application form must be accompanied by the maps and information outlined in MARA’s technical guidance which is available here: