Which skipper licence the Balearics accept
The Spanish PER covers 15 metres and 12 nautical miles, and it is the ticket that unlocks almost the entire Balearic bareboat fleet.
For a bareboat charter in Balearic waters you need a recognised recreational skipper licence, and the Spanish reference is the PER, the Patron de Embarcaciones de Recreo. It covers vessels up to 15 metres and navigation up to 12 nautical miles from the coast, night sailing included, which is the envelope almost every charter catamaran and motor yacht on the island fits into. Licences issued by other EU member states are accepted in their own right.
What the PER lets you do
The limits are three: 15 metres of hull, 12 nautical miles of distance from shore, and no commercial carriage of passengers. Inside that box you may navigate at night, and the qualification carries a radio authorisation. Twelve nautical miles is a generous circle around Mallorca, enough for the entire coast, the Bay of Palma, Cabrera on a settled day and every anchorage a charter week realistically visits. It is not enough for Ibiza, which lies roughly 55 nautical miles from Palma.
What it takes to get one
Candidates must be at least 16 years old, hold a medical certificate confirming physical and mental fitness, and pass a theory examination followed by a practical assessment. Training providers quote course fees of roughly 600 to 1,200 euros depending on the school and the format, before examination and medical fees. Under 18s need parental authorisation.
| Licence | Vessel length | Distance from coast | Typical use in Mallorca |
|---|---|---|---|
| PNB | Up to 8 m | Up to 2 nm | Day boats, small ribs |
| PER | Up to 15 m | Up to 12 nm | The standard bareboat ticket |
| Patron de Yate | Up to 24 m | Up to 60 nm | Larger yachts, island hopping |
| Capitan de Yate | Up to 24 m | Unlimited | Offshore passages |
Foreign licences
A national boating licence issued by an EU member state is accepted for charter in Spain, and charter companies will ask to photograph it together with the passport at handover. Holders of RYA and other non EU certificates should confirm acceptance with the operator in writing before paying a deposit, because the answer depends on the certificate and on the boat. The one rule that never bends: the licence has to cover the boat you are actually taking, not a smaller one.
What the charter company will check
Expect the operator to record the licence number, the radio authorisation, the passport and the second crew member nominated as co skipper. Since 15 August 2025 Spanish rules on identification and passenger logging have been tightened for charter operators, so a handover that once took twenty minutes now includes a documented crew list. Bring the original licence. A photograph on a phone is regularly refused.
Once you have the ticket, the next constraint is not paperwork but the seabed. Balearic law protects the Posidonia meadows and dictates where an anchor may touch bottom, as set out in our guide to the anchoring rules.
Sources
Is the PER valid outside Spain?
How long does the PER take?
Can a 16 year old charter a yacht?
Does the licence cover the radio?
What if my licence covers a smaller boat than the one I booked?
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