The rule, in one paragraph
Spanish law requires whoever is in charge of a recreational yacht to hold a licence appropriate to the boat and the waters. For Spanish nationals that means a Spanish title (PNB, PER, Patrón de Yate or Capitán de Yate). For visitors, Spain recognises the equivalent licence issued by your own country, and the ICC (International Certificate of Competence) is the standard international format of that recognition. So the question is rarely “do I need a licence?” — it is “does the one I have count here?”
The practical gatekeeper is not the Guardia Civil. It is the charter company, which is responsible for who takes its boats out and will refuse the handover if the paperwork is missing. What follows is how that check works at Sailing Dreams and, in our experience, across the Balearics.
What counts, by country
| You sail from | What works for bareboat | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UK & Ireland | ICC (sail), or RYA Day Skipper practical | Day Skipper practical is what earns the ICC; carry the ICC if you have it, the Day Skipper certificate if not. Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster are welcome. |
| Spain | PER or PNB with sail endorsement | A motor-only PER does not cover a sailing yacht. PER extends to 12 nm and, with the Baleares extension, allows inter-island passages and the crossing to the mainland. |
| Germany & Austria | SBF See (Sportbootführerschein See) | SKS or SSS also accepted. SBF Binnen alone is not enough for coastal sailing. |
| France | Permis Plaisance option côtière or hauturière | Accepted as a national licence. No sail endorsement exists in the French system, so we ask about sailing experience separately. |
| Italy | Patente nautica entro 12 miglia or senza limiti | Must be a vela or vela e motore licence for a sailing yacht. |
| Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Scandinavia | ICC via the national federation, or the national coastal certificate | Dutch Klein Vaarbewijs alone is inland-only; add the ICC or a coastal certificate. Swiss Hochseeschein is fine. |
| USA & Canada | ASA 104 / US Sailing Bareboat Cruising, or an ICC obtained through the RYA | No national licence exists, so certificates plus a sailing résumé are assessed together. Canadian PCOC alone is not sufficient. |
| Australia & New Zealand | ICC, or Yachting Australia / Yachting NZ coastal skipper certificates | State boat licences are for powerboats and do not cover sail; add a sailing qualification. |
Whatever the certificate, it must be held by the skipper of record — the person who signs the charter contract as skipper and is aboard for the whole week. It cannot be borrowed from a friend who is joining for the weekend.
The VHF certificate
Independent of the sailing licence, someone on board needs a marine VHF operator certificate to use the radio legally: the RYA Short Range Certificate, the German UBI/SRC, the Spanish operator certificate that comes bundled with the PER, or the national equivalent. It does not have to be the skipper. Charter companies in Spain ask for it at booking because the yacht’s radio licence assumes a qualified operator aboard.
What we actually check
There is no exam, no trial sail and no assessor. Check-in is a two-to-three-hour walk through the yacht with our base team, and the conversation about experience happens long before that, when we are choosing the boat together.
If you do not have a licence
Then take a local skipper. It is the same boat, the same freedom over the route, and a professional aboard who holds the licence and the responsibility. Most first-time charterers in the Balearics do this, and a good many licensed skippers do too, because the skipper knows which cala is sheltered from tonight’s wind and which restaurant will send a tender for you. If you would rather not think about lunch either, the Hidden Secrets charter adds a chef.
Getting a licence before you come
If you have sailed a lot but never formalised it, the quickest routes are the RYA Day Skipper practical (five days, taught worldwide) followed by an ICC application, or, for German speakers, the SBF See through any DSV school. Spanish residents should go for the PER with the sail endorsement and the Baleares extension in one course. Allow a few weeks between the course and the charter for the paperwork to arrive.
Practical notes
- Charter contract: the skipper of record signs it and is named on the crew list we file with the port authority.
- Crew list: passports or EU ID cards for everyone aboard, sent to us a week before departure.
- Deposit: held against the insurance excess, released after check-in. A damage waiver reduces it substantially.
- Motor yachts: most motor yacht charters in the Balearics come with a skipper by default; the same licence logic applies if you want to run one yourself.
- Not sure? Send us a photo of what you hold and a few lines on what you have sailed. We will tell you straight away whether it works and which boats it fits.
