Boat licence by country: what a visiting skipper needs

Licence: In Belgian coastal ports and at sea a 'general steering licence' (algemeen stuurbrevet) is required for motor craft able to exceed 20 km/h and for any craft over 15 m hull length. Some official foreign licences are recognised as equivalent (2014 guidance).

Licence: Anyone operating a foreign-flagged boat or yacht in Croatian waters must hold a certificate authorising them to operate it. Canada's travel advice says recreational skippers must have an International Certificate of Competence (ICC).

Charter: For operating Croatian-flagged boats, the Ministry recognises foreign certificates as listed in its published MoU table, with limits set for each certificate. Many entries require a radio operator certificate as well if the boat has a VHF or GMDSS-VHF station.

Licence: Foreign boating certificates are generally accepted only on a boat registered in a country that recognises them. Denmark does not take part in the ICC or RYA schemes. A planing power boat of 4–15 m may need a Danish power boat certificate, depending on engine power.

Charter: A foreign certificate cannot be used to rent a Danish boat that requires a certificate; you need a Danish certificate, for example after assessment by an approved provider.

Licence: A foreign-flagged recreational craft in Estonian waters must hold the certificates its flag state requires. On Estonian boats, no skipper certificate is needed for craft with up to 25 m² of sail or 25 kW engine power, in daylight and good visibility, within 5 nautical miles of the coast.

Licence: Operators of pleasure craft over 24 m must hold an International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft (ICC). Traficom notes the ICC is widely accepted as proof of competence when renting boats.

Charter: The skipper of a crewed (manned) charter boat must hold Traficom's certificate for operators of charter boats. No separate bareboat rule was found.

Licence: A French boating licence (permis plaisance) is required for motor boats over 4.5 kW (6 hp). EU citizens may skipper a French-flagged motor boat with a valid EU-issued licence within its limits.

Charter: When renting a pleasure boat, ask the rental company for the boat's mandatory special inspection register (registre de vérification spéciale), which records maintenance and safety-equipment checks.

Licence: No German licence is needed for boats whose combustion engine is at most 11.03 kW (15 hp). Visitors resident abroad staying up to one year need no German licence if their home country requires none; if it requires one or applies UNECE Resolution 40, they need that certificate or an ICC for the waters concerned.

Charter: Under Law 4256/2014, pleasure boats up to 24 m overall may be chartered without a master and crew (bareboat). The skipper's qualifications and how they are certified are set by ministerial decision.

Licence: Italian rules: a nautical licence (patente nautica) is required beyond 6 NM from the coast on any boat. Within 6 NM it is needed if the engine exceeds 30 kW (40.8 hp) or certain engine-capacity limits, and always for jet skis. Official guidance on recognition of foreign licences for visitors was not found.

Licence: Latvia's Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD) says Latvia does not exchange foreign recreational skipper licences for Latvian ones; it gives the example that an Estonian citizen's own licence is treated as valid in Latvia.

Licence: Malta's Small Ships Regulations say no one may drive a mechanically driven small ship (under 24 m) or tow a water-skier in Maltese waters without a nautical licence from Transport Malta. The regulation defines this rule by reference to small ships registered in Malta.

Licence: To get the vignette, the skipper of a foreign yacht must show certificates of competence for themselves and the crew. These may be issued by the flag state (consistent with STCW where it applies), by a state with a recognition agreement with Montenegro, or under Montenegrin rules.

Licence: A Dutch boating licence (Klein Vaarbewijs) is required for pleasure craft 15–25 m long and for motorboats under 15 m that can exceed 20 km/h; Klein Vaarbewijs II is needed on the Wadden Sea, IJsselmeer, Markermeer and the Scheldt estuaries. Dutch licences double as an ICC. The official pages found do not say which foreign licences are accepted.

Licence: To skipper a Norwegian recreational boat under 15 m that is over 8 m or has more than 25 hp, people born on or after 1 January 1980 need a boating licence. Licences from EEA states are valid; others are valid if they substantially meet Norwegian requirements and are in a Scandinavian language or English.

Licence: A patent (licence) is required for sailing yachts with a hull over 7.5 m or motor yachts over 10 kW. Under Art. 37a(6) of the Inland Navigation Act, a person qualified in another country may skipper in Poland within the scope of that country's document.

Charter: Skippering a bareboat (charter) yacht needs no qualifications beyond those for a private recreational yacht.

Licence: Recreational skipper licences (or equivalent documents) issued by EU member states are automatically recognised in Portugal; no Portuguese licence is needed.

Licence: On a foreign-flagged yacht whose flag matches the skipper's nationality, the licence required is the one required by the law of the skipper's country. To skipper a Spanish-flagged boat (e.g. a charter yacht), citizens of the EEA and of countries listed in Annex IX of RD 875/2014 need authorisation from the Capitanía Marítima, based on a recreational licence from their country of nationality or residence. Without a licence (from age 18): private use of a motorboat up to 5 m with at most 15 CV and no power-reducing device, sport use of a sailing boat up to 6 m, or a beach or floating craft — by day only and no more than 2 nm from the port, marina or beach you left (RD 875/2014 art. 10 as amended by RD 1188/2025, in force since 1 October 2026). Since that date, renting one of these boats needs the corresponding licence. Jet skis are never covered by this exemption.

Licence: No licence is required for recreational boats under 12 m long and under 4 m wide, except personal watercraft (förarbevis). The master of a recreational vessel over 12 m long and over 4 m wide needs skepparexamen, kustskepparexamen or higher.

Licence: Under Türkiye's 2026 regulation on private boats, foreign nationals in Türkiye may use their own private boats, delegated boats and bareboat-chartered boats within the limits of a boating certificate issued by another country. Harbour masters may have doubtful foreign certificates checked with the issuing authority before allowing them to be used.

Charter: Private boats certified under tourism rules and chartered bareboat for leisure may be skippered by the charterer if they hold an amateur sailor certificate (ADB), within the boat-length limit of that certificate.

Charter: A charter boat may not cruise Anguilla's territorial sea unless its owner holds a cruising permit from the Comptroller of Customs. On summary conviction, the fine is $10,000.

Charter: A boat used commercially or for hire is not a pleasure vessel and cannot get the Temporary Cruising Permit; it must be entered with Customs as a commercial vessel.

Charter: Visiting yachts may not charter, rent or lease, or do any other paid activity, while in Barbados.

Charter: Charter boats cruising BVI waters pay a cruising-permit fee per person per day to HM Customs. Under the 2017 amendment, the rate was US$6 for home-based and US$16 for foreign-based charter boats. Check current rates with Customs.

Licence: No licence is needed to skipper a sailing yacht at sea. A French licence is required for motorboats over 4.5 kW (6 hp); on a French-flagged boat a foreign licence can be used under conditions — a non-EU visitor may use a licence from their own country within its limits, with a translation.

Charter: On a French-flagged charter boat, French licence rules apply (see licence). Renters should ask the charter company for the boat's 'registre de vérification spéciale', the annual safety-equipment check record required by Division 240.

Licence: No licence is needed to skipper a sailing yacht at sea. A French licence is required for motorboats over 4.5 kW (6 hp); on a French-flagged boat a foreign licence can be used under conditions — a non-EU visitor may use a licence from their own country within its limits, with a translation.

Charter: On a French-flagged charter boat, French licence rules apply (see licence). Renters should ask the charter company for the boat's 'registre de vérification spéciale', the annual safety-equipment check record required by Division 240.

Licence: No licence is needed to skipper a sailing yacht at sea. A French licence is required for motorboats over 4.5 kW (6 hp); on a French-flagged boat a foreign licence can be used under conditions — a non-EU visitor may use a licence from their own country within its limits, with a translation.

Charter: On a French-flagged charter boat, French licence rules apply (see licence). Renters should ask the charter company for the boat's 'registre de vérification spéciale', the annual safety-equipment check record required by Division 240.

Licence: No licence is needed to skipper a sailing yacht at sea. A French licence is required for motorboats over 4.5 kW (6 hp); on a French-flagged boat a foreign licence can be used under conditions — a non-EU visitor may use a licence from their own country within its limits, with a translation.

Charter: On a French-flagged charter boat, French licence rules apply (see licence). Renters should ask the charter company for the boat's 'registre de vérification spéciale', the annual safety-equipment check record required by Division 240.

Charter: Commercial yachts (including charter boats) operating in Saint Lucia need an occasional or annual licence, priced by length.

Charter: Charter boats must hold an SVG Cruising Licence. For bareboat charter, the Ministry of Tourism says experienced sailors complete a sailing résumé for the charter company; it does not mention a national licence.

Charter: A boat used for anything other than recreation counts as a non-pleasure craft. Different rules apply, and permits and licences from other government departments are needed.

Licence: The skipper must carry the boat's registration certificate and their nautical-sports qualification (piloto, patrón, timonel or conductor náutico). The conductor náutico certificate covers motorboats up to 140 HP. We found no official page on recognising foreign licences.

Licence: The Port Authority says every master operating in Belize waters must hold a valid Certificate of Competency (Master's Licence). The page does not say whether foreign qualifications are recognised.

Licence: Brazil accepts amateur skipper licences only when a foreign maritime authority issued them. The licence fields must be in Portuguese, Spanish or English, and must be accompanied by your passport (Mercosur citizens may use a photo ID instead). Brazil does not convert a foreign licence into a Brazilian one (CHA): anyone who wants one starts at the Arrais-Amador level.

Charter: Recreational boats may be rented only for the renter's own recreation or sport. A foreign yacht chartered for recreation needs a Temporary Registration Certificate (AIT) from the local Capitania.

Licence: Foreign recreational boating licences may be recognised in Chile by equivalence, on conditions the Director General sets by resolution. A foreign licence is therefore not accepted automatically.

Licence: Anyone skippering a recreational boat must hold a licence from the Colombian Maritime Authority (DIMAR) or the equivalent document from another country.

Charter: The charter regulation published by the tourism board (ICT) defines charter (charteo) as the hire of foreign-flagged recreational vessels at least 24 m long. Vessels with a charter licence may stay up to one year, extendable for further one-year periods.

Licence: A French recreational licence (permis plaisance, coastal option) is required to skipper a motorboat over 4.5 kW (6 hp) at sea. No licence is needed for a sailing boat. We found no official page on foreign licences.

Charter: Anyone offering recreational boats, Mexican or foreign-flagged, to third parties for nautical tourism needs a Nautical Tourism Permit (Permiso de Turismo Náutico) from the Navy (SEMAR).

Charter: Yacht leasing (arrendamiento de yates) needs an operating licence from the Panama Maritime Authority, valid 10 years, with a fee of B/.1,500 per year per authorised company (Resolution DGPIMA No. 010-2021).

Licence: When clearing a foreign-flag recreational boat, the Prefectura checks that the skipper holds a licence ('brevet') valid for the navigation zone. That zone is set by the flag state's seaworthiness certificate or by DIRME.

Charter: The safety certificate ('Constancia') that DIRME issues to foreign-flag recreational boats states that the boat may not be used for any paid activity.

Licence: Visiting yachts need at least one qualified operator holding e.g. an STCW master/officer certificate, an operator's certificate from an administration, or an RYA/MCA Yachtmaster, plus a passed local knowledge exam or approved course. Locally licensed powered pleasure vessels need a Hong Kong Pleasure Vessel Operator Certificate of Competency.

Charter: A local pleasure vessel may be let for hire only with the Director of Marine's endorsement and a written charter agreement (plus valid licence, inspection and insurance). Visiting yachts must not be rented out or carry paying passengers.

Charter: A foreign yacht visiting Indonesia as a tourist vessel may not be used commercially (e.g. chartered out).

Licence: To act as skipper of a motorboat or yacht in Japan you need a Japanese 1st or 2nd class small vessel licence; jet skis need the 'special' licence. Boats under 3 m with engines under 1.5 kW (and a propeller safety device) are exempt. The MLIT pages we checked do not mention recognition of foreign licences or the ICC.

Licence: Any pleasure craft used in Singapore port waters must be licensed, and powered pleasure craft must be driven by the holder of an MPA Powered Pleasure Craft Driving Licence (PPCDL) or Advanced PPCDL.

Licence: Anyone operating a powered water-leisure craft must pass the licence exam and hold a Korea Coast Guard operator licence. The only exemption for foreigners in the Act is for those taking part in international competitions held in Korea. Steering while on board with a licensed operator is also allowed, under conditions set by ministerial ordinance.

Licence: Yachts under 24 m are skippered on a Taiwanese 2nd-class yacht licence (1st class for 24 m and over). Foreigners can only sit the licence test if they have permission to stay or reside in Taiwan for at least one year. The rules we checked do not mention recognition of foreign licences.

Charter: Bareboat charter ('whole-boat rental') yachts are owned by licensed yacht businesses and are rented only to people who hold a yacht skipper qualification.

Licence: Fiji's Pleasure Craft Regulations (which apply to Fiji-registered pleasure craft) require the owner or operator of a propelled pleasure craft to know basic navigation and the COLREGs and hold at least a Boat Master Licence or an equivalent certificate. Under the Small Craft Code, holders of RYA or US Coast Guard amateur qualifications (or equivalents MSAF recognises) may be issued an equivalent licence without further examination, at MSAF's discretion.

Charter: Unless it qualifies as a 'super yacht', a visiting yacht may not be used commercially in Vanuatu, including chartering, hiring or paid sailing tours. Super yachts need permission to charter from the Licensing section of Ports and Marine.

Charter: Before any water-sports or boat trip, check that the operator holds a valid Ministry of Tourism permit and that the boat carries enough life jackets.

Licence: French rules apply. The motorboat licence with the coastal option allows navigation up to 6 nm from a shelter. Boats owned by people whose main residence is in France must follow French licence and safety-equipment rules whatever their flag. No rule specific to foreign visitors was found.

Licence: French rules apply. The motorboat licence with the coastal option allows navigation up to 6 nm from a shelter. Boats owned by people whose main residence is in France must follow French licence and safety-equipment rules whatever their flag. No rule specific to foreign visitors was found.

Charter: A private yacht may be chartered for tourism or events only after the required licences are obtained, with a qualified crew and in line with safety standards.

Licence: In Abu Dhabi, every motorised craft must be registered, and at least one person on board must hold a valid boating licence issued through the Unified Marine Permit Center. Crewed tours and charters handle the licensing themselves.

Charter: A private yacht cruising for recreation usually gets a six-month Cruising Permit. Commercial charter needs a one-year Navigation Permit from the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.

Licence: Under Decree-Law 37/2015 on recreational boating, the Maritime Administration may recognise foreign recreational skipper licences for skippering Cabo Verde-registered boats if they need similar requirements, or automatically where reciprocity applies.

Licence: A non-resident skipper's foreign government-issued certificate or licence for that type of boat counts as a Kenyan certificate for three months after arrival, if carried on board. Within those three months the skipper must get a Kenya Maritime Authority certificate of competence.

Licence: A visiting skipper who is not resident in South Africa may use a foreign government-issued certificate of competence or licence (including the ICC) for that type of boat for three months after arrival, and must carry it on board.

Charter: Foreign visitors chartering a boat on holiday fall under the same three-month recognition of their home skipper certificate or ICC.