Do you need a licence to hire a boat in Spain? What changed in 2026

What changed on 1 October 2026

For years you could hire a small motorboat in Spain, up to 5 metres long with a 15 hp engine, and drive it yourself without any licence. A quick briefing on the pontoon and off you went. That's over.

Royal Decree 1188/2025, published in Spain's official gazette (the BOE) on 30 December 2025, rewrites that exemption. It now covers only the «uso privado de embarcaciones de recreo a motor de hasta 5 metros de eslora y con una potencia nominal máxima de 15 CV»: the ‘private use of recreational motorboats up to 5 metres long with a maximum rated power of 15 CV’ (metric horsepower, roughly 15 hp). And the preamble spells it out for rentals: «el arrendatario deberá estar en posesión del título correspondiente», or ‘the hirer must hold the corresponding licence’. The change came into force on 1 October 2026.

So if you hire a motorboat and want to take the wheel, you need a licence, at any marina and in any season. You may still come across listings promising ‘no licence needed’; for dates after 1 October 2026, ask exactly which licence they'll want to see on the pontoon.

With a skipper, the new rule doesn't touch you: the licence belongs to whoever drives the boat.

What you can still drive without a licence

Outside of hire, the exemptions survive, with tight limits. This is how the new article 10 reads:

In other words, these are rules for people out in their own or a borrowed small boat, not a back door to hiring without a licence. If a rental company offers you a small boat ‘without a licence’, ask it in writing which rule it relies on.

The easy option: hire it with a skipper

With a skipper, the new rule simply doesn't apply to you. The person at the helm is a professional with their own licence; all you do is step aboard. And you get things a 5-metre rental boat never gave you:

• The whole boat for your group, never shared with strangers.
• A bigger, more comfortable boat, with room to stretch out in the sun.
• Someone who knows the coast: the skipper picks the cove for the day's wind and sea, and anchors where it's safe.
• Nothing to worry about: no manoeuvres in the harbour, no charts, no wondering how far you're allowed to go.

That's the price of the whole boat, skipper included, not per person: the more of you there are, the less each pays. Half days, full days and every type of boat are compared in our price guides for Sitges, Port Ginesta and Vilanova i la Geltrú.

Self-drive boat hire in Sitges: what you'll find now

Look for boats in Sitges and you may still find listings promising ‘no licence needed’. Since 1 October 2026 that no longer applies to hire: if nobody in your group holds a licence, the way out from Port d'Aiguadolç is with a skipper. The coast makes it worth it. Cala Morisca, the classic swim stop under the Garraf cliffs, is about 2 nautical miles east of the marina, close enough for a 2-hour trip. See the trips, prices and request form on boat hire in Sitges.

Self-drive boat hire at Port Ginesta, next to Castelldefels

Port Ginesta, 25 km from Barcelona, is where many visitors used to pick up a small boat for the afternoon. Same rule now: a licence to drive, or a skipper. With a skipper you can be anchored at Cala de la Ginesta, barely 0.3 nautical miles from the harbour mouth, a few minutes after casting off, or follow the cliffs to Garraf beach, under a mile away. Everything you need is on boat hire in Castelldefels.

Self-drive boat hire in Vilanova i la Geltrú

In Vilanova the boats are made for couples, families and small groups: exactly the people who used to hire a little self-drive boat. Without a licence, go with a skipper. The first coves towards Sitges, Platja dels Colls and Cala Xica, are just 0.8 and 1.3 nautical miles from the harbour, perfect for a short trip with a swim. See the options on boat hire in Vilanova i la Geltrú.

If you already hold a licence

Spain's most basic qualification, the Licencia de Navegación, covers boats up to 6 metres, in daylight and within 2 nautical miles of a port, marina or sheltered spot (Royal Decree 875/2014, article 11). Higher Spanish qualifications, such as the PNB or the PER, go further. With any of them you can hire without a skipper within its limits (boat length, distance from the coast and hours), as long as the rental company agrees.

Hold a qualification from home, such as an ICC? Whether it lets you take the helm of a hired Spanish boat is something to settle before you travel: ask the rental company in writing whether it accepts it for the boat you want, and keep the reply. Or skip the question altogether and go with a skipper.