Decide
Who decides whether you need a licence to drive a pleasure boat?
The lesson in plain words
- Each country sets its own rules
- Boating licences are national law.
- No treaty creates one licence for pleasure craft that every country must accept.
- The flag state (the country whose flag your boat flies) and coastal state (the country whose waters you use) can both set rules.
- That is why this module has one unit per country.
- What decides the licence
- Most countries use a few factors: engine power in kilowatts (kW) or horsepower (hp), hull length, the speed the boat can reach, and distance from the coast or a shelter.
- A shelter is a refuge your boat can safely reach, use and leave in the conditions.
- Some licences also limit you to daylight.
- A bigger boat or a longer trip may need a different qualification.
- Small boats may need none
- In Spain, since 1 October 2026, adults aged 18 or over may use private motorboats up to 5 m and 15 CV (metric hp) without a licence, with no power reducer.
- Sailboats up to 6 m are exempt for sport use.
- Go by day, within 2 nautical miles (NM) of your departure port, marina or beach.
- Hired motorboats and sailboats need the corresponding qualification; jet skis have separate rules.
- At sea, Germany requires a licence above 11.03 kW combustion or 7.5 kW continuous electric power.
- Inland waters have their own rules
- Rivers, canals and lakes often follow separate inland rules.
- In Europe many inland waters use CEVNI (the European inland waterway code) or a national version of it, and some need a separate inland licence or a CEVNI test.
- Using your licence abroad
- Before boating abroad, check whether your licence is accepted under the boat's flag-state rules and the local country's rules.
- Check both even on a home-flag boat.
- The ICC (International Certificate of Competence) helps to prove your skill abroad; the Foreign waters unit explains it.
- The boating-licence guide compares countries.
Key data
- Common factors
- Engine power, length, speed, distance from coast or shelter
- Spain: licence-free private motor/sport sail, age 18+ (1 Oct 2026)
- Motor ≤5 m/15 CV (metric hp), no reducer; sail ≤6 m; day; ≤2 NM
- France: motorboats at sea
- Licence above 4.5 kW (6 hp); seagoing sailing boats exempt
- Germany, at sea
- Above 11.03 kW combustion or 7.5 kW continuous electric
- Netherlands, inland: Klein Vaarbewijs
- 15–<25 m; motorboats <15 m capable of >20 km/h through water
Key points
- Boating licences are national: there is no single licence every country must accept.
- Power, length, speed and distance from the coast or a shelter decide which licence you need.
- Small, low-powered boats are often licence-free, but the limits differ between countries.
- Inland waters may need their own licence or a CEVNI test.
- Abroad, check both the flag state's rules and the local country's rules.
Check what you have read
Your licence covers this boat and distance, but permits daylight use only. May you return after dark?
True or false?
Decide each statement before you see the answer.
Small boats never need a licence.
Small, low-powered boats are often licence-free, but the limits differ between countries.
Inland lakes and rivers follow the sea rules.
Inland waters may need their own licence or a CEVNI test.
Power, length, speed and distance from the coast or a shelter decide which licence you need.
My licence is valid on any boat in any country.
Practice case & exam keys
Situation
You hold a coastal licence from your home country. On holiday abroad you want to rent a 6 m motorboat with a 40 hp outboard on a route reaching 3 NM from the nearest usable shelter. What do you check before you sign?
Show the answer
Check the boat's actual flag and the local rental rules. Confirm the qualification needed for its length and power, whether distance is measured from the coast or a shelter, and whether your licence or an ICC is accepted. Check the insurer's requirements and carry the required licence and ID.
Exam keys
- No single boating licence is accepted everywhere; each country sets its own rules.
- Usual factors: power, length, speed, distance from coast or shelter.
- Licence-free limits differ widely between countries.
- On a foreign-flag or rented boat, check the flag and local rules.