What licence do I need to skipper a pleasure boat in Portugal?

The short answer

In Portugal pleasure boats are sailed with a carta de navegador de recreio of the right category, issued by the DGRM [1][2]. There are five categories, from marinheiro júnior to patrão de alto-mar [2].

Licences or equivalent documents issued by the administration of another EU member state are automatically recognised in Portugal, with no need to get the Portuguese licence [2].

Table by category

Category	Up to what length	Up to where
Marinheiro júnior	6 m and 4.5 kW installed; daytime only	1 mile from the low-water line and 3 miles from a port of shelter [1][2]
Marinheiro	over 18: up to 12 m; aged 16 to 18: 6 m and 22.5 kW; daytime only	3 miles from the coast and 10 miles from a port of shelter [1][2]
Patrão local	the source gives no length limit	within sight of the coast; 25 miles from a port of shelter and 6 miles from the coast [1][2]
Patrão de costa	the source gives no length limit	up to 40 miles from the coast [1][2]
Patrão de alto-mar	the source gives no length limit	no area limit [1][2]

The licence is valid across the national territory and obliges holders to comply with local rules, including anchoring rules and any restrictions (article 35.5) [2].

What an EU foreigner needs

With a licence or equivalent document issued by the administration of an EU member state: automatic recognition, with no Portuguese licence issued (article 39.1 and 39.2) [2].
With a licence from a non-EU country: the DGRM may recognise it if it was issued under similar requirements, and must issue the recognition statement within five days (article 39.3 and 39.5) [2]. It doesn't affect you if your licence is from the EU.

Sources

[1] DGRM, "Navegadores de Recreio" (competences of each category). Read on 3 Oct 2026: https://www.dgrm.pt/am-nr-navegador-recreio

[2] Decreto-Lei n.º 93/2018, of 13 November (Regulamento da Náutica de Recreio), articles 35, 36 and 39. Read on 3 Oct 2026 in the reproduction by the Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa; the official original is the Diário da República: https://www.pgdlisboa.pt/leis/lei_mostra_articulado.php?n…

Check your case

The free checker tells you which licence you need for your boat and your area. It's guidance, not legal advice: the authority has the last word.

Open the boat licence checker

Then, sail another owner's boat

The Seafolk is a club of owners who swap boats for a few days: you sail theirs, they sail yours. It isn't a rental and no money passes from one to the other.

It's new: 28 members and 3 boats. Join now and you're among the first.
Founding place free until 31 Dec 2026; from 1 Jan 2027, €90 a year for life. Founding places are capped at 1,000 boats.
Open: staying aboard at the dock, without sailing, or sailing with a professional skipper. Bareboat (sailing it yourself) is closed.
It's for people who already own a boat: with no boat in the network there is nothing to swap.

Claim my founding place

Br, Ignacio López, founder — The Seafolk