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Most countries require a life jacket for everyone on board a recreational boat; fewer require you to wear it. Some rules apply only to small or open boats, to children, or above a certain speed.
Below: what each country’s authority says, with the official source. Whatever the law: a life jacket only works if you are wearing it when you go in.
Every entry is a plain-English summary of the authority's own wording — open “sources” to read the exact quote. 45 countries with an official answer so far.
Croatia's Ordinance on boats, small craft and yachts lists a lifejacket for every person on board, adults and children, in its equipment tables. Everyone on a boat faster than 20 knots must wear a lifejacket while underway unless they are in an enclosed space.
Under the 2024 life-jacket order (BEK 766/2024), every craft not moored in harbour (boats, dinghies, jet skis, windsurfers, surf and paddle boards) must carry a correctly sized life jacket or buoyancy aid for every person on board.
Small craft and boats under 12 m must carry a correctly sized buoyancy aid (at least 50 N) or life jacket (at least 100 N) for every person on board; more than 5 nautical miles from shore at sea (9 km on inland waters) a life jacket of at least 100 N per person is required. Transpordiamet advises wearing a life jacket.
Each person on board must have an approved, correctly sized life jacket or other flotation device, worn or kept within easy reach.
Division 240 requires a lifejacket (EIF) for every person on board: at least 50 N within 2 nm of a shelter, 100 N from 2 to 6 nm (with some exceptions), and 150 N beyond 6 nm. Children up to 30 kg need a 100 N lifejacket at any distance.
Every pleasure craft must carry a suitable lifejacket/PFD for each person. On craft under 7 m, everyone must wear one in an open boat or on deck unless moored or at anchor; under-16s must wear one on any open boat or deck. Everyone on a jet ski must wear one.
Since 1 January 2023 the skipper must make sure that children under 12 wear a correctly sized life jacket while carried on board.
No general Dutch rule requiring lifejackets on all pleasure boats was found. Under the fast-boating rules (boats under 20 m able to exceed 20 km/h, including jet skis), a driver steering while standing must wear a lifejacket and there must be one within reach for everyone on board.
In recreational boats under 8 m everyone must wear suitable flotation gear when outdoors on deck while the boat is under way. All recreational boats must carry suitable flotation gear for everyone on board.
At sea it is a legal duty: the skipper of every sea yacht must make sure non-swimmers wear a personal flotation device at all times, and that everyone wears one or a safety harness at night, in difficult weather, or when the skipper judges there is a significant risk of capsizing. No wearing rule was found for inland waters.
Portuguese-registered pleasure boats must carry enough lifejackets for everyone on board (150 N recommended), with suitable lifejackets for children (Portaria 1464/2002, as summarised by the Maritime Authority for 'Type 4' restricted-coastal boats).
Spanish-registered pleasure boats (and foreign-flagged boats used by Spanish residents) must carry at least one lifejacket with a light for each person on board.
Transportstyrelsen's guidance: a life jacket for everyone on board, worn except when there is no risk of falling in; a kill-cord should be attached. In its 2025 boating survey 72% of respondents said wearing one should be required by law.
No UK law requires pleasure vessels under 13.7 m to carry lifejackets or other life-saving appliances.
Bermuda's Marine Board (Safety) Regulations require boats to carry an approved, suitable-size life-jacket for every person on board, kept easily accessible and in good condition.
France's Division 240 (pleasure boats): even close inshore (within 2 miles of a shelter) every person aboard must have a quickly accessible lifejacket (EIF) of at least performance level 50, or wear a wetsuit/drysuit; children up to 30 kg need a level-100 EIF at any distance from shelter.
France's Division 240 (pleasure boats): even close inshore (within 2 miles of a shelter) every person aboard must have a quickly accessible lifejacket (EIF) of at least performance level 50, or wear a wetsuit/drysuit; children up to 30 kg need a level-100 EIF at any distance from shelter.
France's Division 240 (pleasure boats): even close inshore (within 2 miles of a shelter) every person aboard must have a quickly accessible lifejacket (EIF) of at least performance level 50, or wear a wetsuit/drysuit; children up to 30 kg need a level-100 EIF at any distance from shelter.
France's Division 240 (pleasure boats): even close inshore (within 2 miles of a shelter) every person aboard must have a quickly accessible lifejacket (EIF) of at least performance level 50, or wear a wetsuit/drysuit; children up to 30 kg need a level-100 EIF at any distance from shelter.
Everyone on board needs a Prefectura-approved lifejacket, and minors must wear theirs for the whole trip. Lifejackets are on the required-equipment list for recreational boats in every navigation zone (Ordenanza 1-18, Annex A).
By law, commercial passenger boats and pleasure craft must carry one approved lifejacket for each person aged one and over. On passenger trips, lifejackets must be handed out before departure and worn while the boat is underway.
Recreational boats must carry at least one lifejacket per person on board, including child sizes. Ocean-going boats need SOLAS Class I lifejackets and coastal boats need Class II.
Recreational boats must carry at least one lifejacket per crew member, approved by the Maritime Authority or certified to ISO 12402. On bay-class and unclassified boats, everyone must wear a lifejacket at all times.
Colombian-flag recreational boats must carry lifejackets for 100% of people on board, including children's sizes. A certified lifejacket is mandatory for all water sports (except freediving and underwater swimming).
No national lifejacket rule for recreational boats was found. Coast Guard (SNG) safety advice lists one lifejacket per person on board, each with a light and reflective strip.
Boats must carry one personal flotation device per person, and DGTM Guyane recommends wearing it at all times, especially when sailing alone.
NOM-034-SEMAR-2024 covers Mexican boats up to 15 m. It requires lifejackets with a light and whistle, and Type III jackets on trips over 45 minutes. It is written for Mexican-flagged (nacionales) boats.
Recreational boats in every navigation zone (A–D) must carry one lifejacket per crew member, fitted with a whistle, light and reflective tape. Lifejackets must be within their service date and marked with the boat's name.
Every local pleasure vessel must carry a suitable life jacket for each person on board, and passengers should wear them. On small open cruisers (up to 3 m, up to 3 kW) everyone must wear one.
Since February 2018 everyone on the open deck of a small vessel (outside the cabin) must wear a life jacket. The skipper is legally responsible, and the life jacket must be an approved type with the 'sakura' mark. A skipper who breaks this rule gets 2 penalty points on their licence.
On passenger vessels with open-deck accommodation, operators must make every passenger wear a life jacket from boarding or departure and throughout the voyage. No specific rule for private pleasure craft was found.
Singapore-registered pleasure craft must carry one lifejacket per person on board. MPA advises people canoeing, kayaking, sailing or windsurfing to wear a life jacket at all times.
Under the Water Leisure Safety Act, everyone taking part in water leisure activities must wear a life jacket and other required safety equipment. Not wearing it can lead to a fine of up to 500,000 won.
A yacht must carry a life jacket, with a light and whistle, for every person it is certified to carry. On non-private (for example charter) yachts the skipper must show passengers how to put on life jackets before departure, and must make them wear one in fast currents, near reefs or in other danger. Jet-ski riders must wear a helmet and a life jacket with a whistle; canoeists and kayakers must wear a life jacket.
Marine Department ship-survey rules require every Thai sea-going motor vessel that does not make international voyages (fishing vessels excepted) to carry life-saving equipment, including a life jacket for every person on board. This is a carriage rule; no general rule obliging recreational boaters to wear one was found.
US federal boating rules apply in US territories: every recreational vessel must carry at least one wearable PFD for each person, and children under 13 must wear an approved PFD while under way unless below decks or in an enclosed cabin. Foreign boats temporarily using US waters are exempt.
Under Fiji's Navigation Safety Regulations a recreational craft must carry enough correctly sized personal flotation devices for everyone on board, in a readily accessible place. Everyone on board must wear one when tides, poor visibility, rough seas, bad weather, emergencies or other situations make it dangerous.
French Polynesia's maritime affairs directorate publishes Division 224 as the pleasure-boat safety rule: there must be as many approved lifejackets on board as there are people.
One personal flotation device per person must be carried on boats, and must be worn on other craft. A lifejacket must be 100 N up to 6 nautical miles from shelter and 150 N beyond.
French safety-equipment rules (Division 240) apply. Each person aboard must have a personal flotation device suited to their build, and the skipper must check that everyone has one.
French safety-equipment rules (Division 240) apply. Each person aboard must have a personal flotation device suited to their build, and the skipper must check that everyone has one.
No statute was found. The Saudi Red Sea Authority's yachting guidelines tell captains to keep life jackets and other safety equipment on board in working order.
In Abu Dhabi, children under 10 must wear a life jacket at all times on a boat. Every rider on a jet ski or other personal watercraft must wear one too.
Kenya's Small Vessel Safety Regulations require one approved lifejacket of the right size for each person on board (vessel categories A–D). On commercial small vessels, children under 12 must wear one on deck at all times while under way.
Lifejackets and buoyancy aids carried as required safety equipment on South African vessels, including recreational boats, must be SAMSA-approved.
No official rule found yet for: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, Romania, Slovenia, Türkiye, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Caribbean Netherlands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Sint Maarten, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Maldives, Mauritius, Oman, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Cabo Verde, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Tanzania, Tunisia.
It depends on the country and the boat: many countries only require one on board for each person, some require wearing one on small open boats, for children, or in rough conditions. See each country above.
Many countries require approved life jackets (for example to an ISO or national standard). The country entries above say where this is stated.
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