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Getting a Recreational Boating Licence in Portugal

Researched and written with AI tools from official sources. How we make our guides

The five Portuguese skipper licence levels, how to train and sit the exam, the fees, using a foreign licence, and registering your boat.

The Portugal Brief 7 min read

Getting a Recreational Boating Licence in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You want to skipper a motorboat, sailing boat, or jet ski on Portuguese waters.
  • You already hold a skipper licence from another country and want to know if it counts here.
  • You are buying a small boat and need to know about registration and insurance.

Not for you if: you only want to fish from the shore or a boat someone else skippers. Read Recreational Sea Fishing in Portugal instead.

To command a pleasure boat in Portugal you need a recreational skipper licence (carta de navegador de recreio). It comes in five levels, from Junior Sailor to Offshore Skipper. You get it by taking a course at an approved school and passing an exam. The maritime administration, DGRM (Direção-Geral de Recursos Naturais, Segurança e Serviços Marítimos), issues it. In 2026 DGRM's exam fee, which includes the licence if you pass, is €137.30 for the three lower levels and €220.70 for the two higher ones. Licences from EU countries are recognised automatically. Your boat must also be registered before you use it.

The five licence levels

Each level lets you command a bigger boat further from shelter. A "port of refuge" (porto de abrigo) is a harbour on DGRM's official list where a boat can shelter.

LevelWhat it lets you doMinimum age
Junior Sailor (Marinheiro Júnior)Boats up to 6 metres and 4.5 kW, in daylight, up to 1 mile from the low-water line and 3 miles from a port of refuge8
Sailor (Marinheiro)Daylight only, up to 3 miles from the coast and 10 miles from a port of refuge. Aged 16 to 18: boats up to 6 metres and 22.5 kW, plus jet skis. Over 18: boats up to 12 metres16
Local Skipper (Patrão Local)Within sight of the coast, up to 6 miles from the coast and 25 miles from a port of refuge18
Coastal Skipper (Patrão de Costa)Up to 40 miles from the coast18
Offshore Skipper (Patrão de Alto Mar)No area limit18

Distances are nautical miles. If you want to explore a bay, an estuary, or a stretch of coast in daylight, Sailor or Local Skipper is usually enough. The two higher levels are for longer coastal and ocean passages.

A licence holder may steer a bigger boat than their level allows, but only when someone with a high enough licence is in command on board. In Madeira and the Azores, the regional service can allow Local and Coastal Skippers to cross between islands beyond their usual limits.

Who can get a licence

You must meet all of these conditions:

  • You are old enough for the level (see the table).
  • You can read and write. For Coastal or Offshore Skipper you also need the minimum compulsory schooling.
  • You can swim.
  • You have consent from a parent or guardian if you are under 18.
  • You have a medical certificate (atestado médico) showing you are physically and mentally fit. It must be issued in the six months before you apply.

A Junior Sailor who turns 16 can move up to Sailor by passing a short assessment exam.

How to get the licence, step by step

  1. Choose your level. Match it to the boat you will use and how far from shore you will go.
  2. Get your medical certificate. It must be less than six months old when you apply.
  3. Enrol on a course. Training is given by the Infante D. Henrique Nautical School (ENIDH), the fisheries and sea training centre FOR-MAR, and private schools accredited by DGRM. DGRM publishes the list of accredited schools on its training page.
  4. Sit the exam. For courses at accredited schools, DGRM sets and marks the exam. The school organises the paperwork. Schools set their own course prices; DGRM does not publish them.
  5. Receive your licence. DGRM issues it electronically and gives you an access code. A physical card is optional and costs extra.

Former naval officers, merchant navy officers, and students of the Naval School or ENIDH can ask DGRM for a licence without an exam, under the equivalence route.

What it costs

These are DGRM's fees for 2026.

ServiceFee
Exam and licence, Junior Sailor, Sailor, or Local Skipper€137.30
Exam and licence, Coastal or Offshore Skipper€220.70
Renewal, replacement card, or equivalence for Portuguese professionals€47.90
Portuguese licence issued in place of a non-EU licence (equivalence)€101.50
Recognition of a non-EU licence (a declaration)€47.90

You pay by Multibanco reference, shown on DGRM's invoice. Budget separately for the course and the medical certificate.

If you already hold a foreign licence

Licences from EU countries are recognised automatically. You do not need a Portuguese licence. DGRM publishes a list showing which category of each EU licence matches which Portuguese level.

Licences from outside the EU can be accepted in two ways, if DGRM is satisfied they were issued under conditions similar to Portugal's:

  • Recognition. DGRM gives you a declaration that your foreign licence is recognised. The law gives it five days to issue the declaration. You keep using your foreign licence.
  • Equivalence (equiparação). DGRM issues you a Portuguese licence without an exam. Your foreign licence must still be valid.

Both requests are made online through DGRM's BMar portal. For equivalence you upload a scan of your valid foreign licence, a passport-style photo with a white background, and your scanned signature. DGRM may ask for evidence of the course content and hours behind your licence. Check DGRM's equivalence table for your certificate before you apply. DGRM's help line is +351 213 035 805, on weekdays from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 16:00.

Keeping your licence valid

Your licence does not need renewing until you turn 70. From 70 you renew it every five years, and from 80 every two years. Apply at least 30 days before it expires, online through BMar, with a medical certificate.

If your licence has already expired, you can still renew it, but you must pass an exam first. DGRM publishes renewal exam dates on its website, in Lisbon, Leixões, Figueira da Foz, Olhão, Funchal, and Ponta Delgada.

Tell DGRM within 90 days if your name or address changes, or if you no longer meet a licence condition.

Registering your boat

A pleasure boat must be registered before you use it. Registration is done by the maritime authority, through the local harbour master's office (capitania), not by DGRM. For boats that will go further than restricted coastal waters, DGRM first classifies the boat and issues technical information for the registration. The registration gives the boat its logbook (livrete), which is issued electronically.

You must update the registration when the boat changes owner, or when its name or main features change. The authority has 10 days to issue a new logbook after a change of owner.

Exemption. Tenders of 2.5 metres or less, with 4.5 kW or less, need no registration, inspection, or fee.

Not covered at all. The boating rules do not apply to canoes, kayaks, pedal boats, and other beach craft with no motor or sail that stay within 300 metres of the shore. Boards, with or without a sail, are not covered either.

Insurance and documents on board

Third-party liability insurance is compulsory for:

  • every boat classified for coastal or offshore waters
  • any boat for sheltered waters that has a motor
  • any sailing boat for sheltered waters longer than 7 metres

Carry these documents on board:

  • the boat's logbook
  • your skipper licence
  • the insurance policy, where insurance is required
  • proof that you paid the annual circulation tax (IUC), where it applies
  • where required for your boat, the radio station licence, inspection records, and life raft inspection records

You do not need paper copies of documents that DGRM has linked to the boat's electronic logbook. Inspectors can see them online.

Rules on the water

  • Beaches. At bathing beaches, boats may not enter the swimming zone, up to 300 metres from the water's edge. Use the marked access lanes, at low speed, at right angles to the shore.
  • Jet skis. Riders and towed water-skiers must wear a life jacket. Jet skis may not be used between sunset and sunrise without special permission.
  • Local rules. Your licence is valid across Portugal, but you must also follow local rules on anchoring and restricted areas.

The boat radio

Local, Coastal, and Offshore Skipper licences also let you operate the boat's radio on the maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS). You do not need a separate radio operator certificate. If you hold a lower level and your boat has a fixed radio, ask DGRM what you need.

If you plan to fish from your boat, you also need a fishing licence. See Recreational Sea Fishing in Portugal and, for reservoirs and rivers, Fishing Portugal's Rivers and Reservoirs.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Fees and procedures change; check with DGRM before you apply.

Sources

This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.

Last verified October 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

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