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Chartering in Spain: which certificate will the base want to see?
Short answer
Spanish law lets charter boats be hired out on a certificate from your country of nationality or
residence if it is in the European Economic Area or on a list annexed to the rules.
British skippers should get the base's written confirmation before booking.
Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca and the Costa Brava are an easy flight from Britain and Ireland, and many crews ask before booking whether their certificate will do. Spain sets out its recreational boating qualifications in Real Decreto 875/2014. One provision matters most to visiting charterers: Spanish-flagged recreational boats may be hired to anyone holding a valid recreational certificate from their country of nationality or residence, provided that country is in the European Economic Area or listed in an annex to the decree. Irish and Dutch skippers with a suitable sea-going certificate are therefore covered. For the United Kingdom, which left the European Economic Area, the question turns on that annex, so it is worth a written answer from the base rather than an assumption.
Small hire boats up to five metres and 15 hp could until now be driven in Spain without any certificate, by day and within two miles of the departure point. Following an amendment by Real Decreto 1188/2025, from 1 October 2026 that exemption applies only to private use, so anyone hiring needs a certificate even for the small boat. A charter yacht always needed one. What matters there is that your certificate is for the sea; an inland-only qualification is not enough. Many bases accept the ICC and common sea-going qualifications such as an RYA Day Skipper or Yachtmaster with an ICC, and ask about experience as well, for instance miles logged. For the VHF set, a radio operator's certificate such as the SRC is often expected, usually from at least one person aboard.
Ask the base to confirm in writing that it accepts your certificate for the boat you are booking; if you rely on residence rather than nationality, be ready to prove it. Afloat, a check will mean showing the boat's papers, your certificate and the crew list, so keep documents to hand. In the Balearics anchoring on the Posidonia seagrass meadows is prohibited, and the base's area notes show where. For damage you do to others with a chartered boat you answer personally, so sort out your own liability arrangements before you travel, even though no rule requires it.
Worth remembering
Your certificate
works if the issuing country is in the EEA or on the annex
The base
decides which boat it covers
Get written confirmation before you book that the base accepts your certificate for that boat.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Do I need a Spanish licence to charter in Spain?
Not if you hold a valid certificate from your country of nationality or residence within the European Economic Area, or from a country on the list annexed to the decree. Which boat the base gives you on it is the base's decision.
Is my RYA certificate accepted in Spain?
Many bases accept RYA sea-going qualifications with an ICC, but since the United Kingdom is outside the European Economic Area the legal footing depends on the annex to the decree. Get the base's answer in writing before you book.
Can I hire a small boat in Spain without a licence?
Not from 1 October 2026. The exemption for motor boats up to five metres and 15 hp then applies only to private use, and a hired boat needs a certificate.
Related
Not sure whether you qualify?
Whether it is “Chartering in Spain: which certificate will the base want to see?” or another question: send us your residence and the flag your boat flies. You will get a straight answer in one email; including a no, if that is the answer.
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