Home / Boating schools / Brazil
Boating schools in Brazil
In short
The Navy issues amateur licences in steps, from Arrais-Amador for inland waters to Capitão-Amador with no distance limit from the coast.
When a certificate is required
Recreational boats are operated with an amateur licence from the Navy under NORMAM-211/DPC, and personal watercraft with the separate Motonauta category.
Duration and minimum age
For Arrais-Amador the Navy requires proof of six hours of practical training aboard a recreational boat. Each higher step requires the one below.
Who issues the certificate
Marinha do Brasil, Diretoria de Portos e Costas, www.marinha.mil.br/dpc
Finding a school
Where the boating schools in Brazil are listed
No list of single schools, it dates within a season. We name the bodies that keep the registers.
Harbour authorities
Capitanias dos Portos
The Navy's harbour authorities hold the examinations and issue the licences, by location.
www.marinha.mil.br/dpcThe certificates
What each certificate covers
Arrais-Amador
Inland waters
Mestre-Amador
Coastal navigation between Brazilian and foreign ports, requires Arrais-Amador
Capitão-Amador
Navigation between Brazilian and foreign ports with no distance limit from the coast, requires Mestre-Amador
Motonauta
Personal watercraft, under NORMAM-212
Context
How training works in Brazil
Brazil places recreational boating under the Navy, and the steps follow the cruising area. Arrais-Amador is the licence for rivers and lakes, Mestre-Amador for the coast and Capitão-Amador for passages with no distance limit. The steps are taken one after the other, and the governing standard, NORMAM-211/DPC, was reissued in February 2026.
Examinations and licences are handled by the Capitanias dos Portos, the Navy's harbour authorities. They are also the place to ask which documents a visitor needs on board.
Recognition, charter, cover
What the certificate means outside the classroom
Recognition abroad
We found no explicit rule on foreign licences in the Navy's material. The Capitania dos Portos for the area gives the binding answer.
What the charter base asks for
Charter companies set their own requirements. Ask before you book.
All countries at a glanceWhat matters for cover
Whether Brazilian waters fall within the cruising area of a policy is a question for the policy wording, not the certificate. Check before the passage.
All countries at a glanceQuestions and answers
Common questions about boating in Brazil
Which boating licences exist in Brazil?
Arrais-Amador for inland waters, Mestre-Amador for the coast, Capitão-Amador with no distance limit, and Motonauta for personal watercraft.
Who issues them?
The Navy through its harbour authorities, the Capitanias dos Portos, under NORMAM-211/DPC.
Is a foreign licence accepted?
We found no explicit rule. Ask the Capitania dos Portos for the area.
Last reviewed: 08 November 2026. The authority of the country you boat in has the final word.
We insure boats whose owner or flag is in Germany, Austria or Spain.
Other countries
Do you run a boating school?
A training boat runs commercially, with a liable instructor: that needs its own arrangement.
