Courses for sailing and boating licences
Current courses for powerboat licences, sailing licences and radio licences, sorted by date. You'll find all dates in the course list.
Guide · Sailing licences
Sailing licences at a glance: which licence for what?
Which sailing licence you need depends on what you plan to do. For a cabin charter with a skipper you don't need one. For a motorboat over 15 hp, a charter yacht or long passages at sea, you need different licences. Here you'll find all the German licences, plus those from Austria, Switzerland and Great Britain.
Updated: 2 November 2026 · Editorial team toernfinder.de
Overview and current courses
The essentials at a glance
For cabin charter
No licence needed
Required from
Motorboat over 15 hp
Charter in Croatia
SBF See or SKS plus radio certificate
Official licences
SBF, SKS, SSS, SHS, radio, pyro
Courses on Törnfinder
74 Dates
Which sailing licence for what?
There is a suitable licence for every purpose. Most sailors start with the Sportbootführerschein See and then go on to do the SKS.
- Cabin charter with a skipper: no licence needed. The skipper runs the boat and you sail as a guest or crew member. More at Cabin charter.
- Motorboat over 15 hp on maritime waterways: Sportbootführerschein See.
- Motorboat over 15 hp on inland waterways: Sportbootführerschein Binnen. Under sail, it is only compulsory on certain Berlin waters.
- Chartering a sailing yacht: usually the Sportbootführerschein See or the SKS, plus a Radio certificate (SRC). What the charter company requires is set out in the charter terms and conditions.
- Longer sailing trips and larger yachts: SSS and SHS.
- Rocket flares on board: Pyroschein.
German sailing and boating licences
In Germany there are official licences for pleasure craft, radio certificates and the proof of competence for distress signalling equipment. Some of them build on one another.
| Licence | What for | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| SBF See | Motorboats over 15 hp on maritime waterways | from age 16 |
| SBF Binnen | Motorboats over 15 hp on inland waterways | Motor from age 16, sail from age 14 |
| SKS | Yachts in coastal waters up to 12 nautical miles | SBF See, 300 nautical miles |
| SSS | up to 30 nautical miles, North Sea and Baltic Sea, Mediterranean | SKS, 700 nautical miles |
| SHS | worldwide voyages | SSS, 1,000 nautical miles |
| SRC | VHF marine radio | from age 15 |
| LRC | Medium wave, short wave and satellite radio | from age 18 |
| UBI | Radio on inland waterways | from age 15 |
| Pyroschein | Distress signalling equipment of category P2 | official pleasure craft licence, from age 16 |
Details of the exam and fees can be found on the pages for the individual licences.
Sailing licence for charter abroad and the ICC
Which licence is valid abroad is determined by each country itself. Charter companies often have additional requirements. So before booking, check with the charter company what is required for your sailing area and your yacht.
The ICC
The ICC (International Certificate of Competence) is a boat licence of uniform international design, based on a recommendation of the United Nations. Germany has no separate ICC document: the German pleasure craft licence is already issued in this format.
Example: Croatia
For yachts under the Croatian flag, Croatia recognises the Sportbootführerschein See and the SKS for yachts up to 18 metres, and the SSS and the SHS for larger ones as well. If the yacht has a VHF radio, you also need a radio certificate. All the details can be found in the article Boat licence for charter in Croatia.
Without your own licence
If you don't have a licence, you charter a private yacht charter with skipper or book a Cabin charter. Then the skipper sails the boat.
Sailing licences from Austria, Switzerland and Great Britain
Austria, Switzerland and Great Britain also have their own licences for sailing at sea. Who can take them and what they cover is regulated differently in each country.
Austria: Befähigungsausweis FB1 to FB4
In Austria, the licence for yachts at sea is called the Befähigungsausweis. It is graded into four cruising areas: FB1 up to 3 nautical miles from the coast, FB2 up to 20 nautical miles (coastal cruising), FB3 up to 200 nautical miles and FB4 worldwide. It is based on the Jachtverordnung of 2020. Austrian citizens and people whose main residence is in Austria can obtain it. Colloquially, the FB2 is often called the Küstenpatent.
Switzerland: Hochseeausweis and inland licences
For yachts at sea, Switzerland has the Hochseeausweis. The exam is administered by the Cruising Club der Schweiz and the Swiss Yachting Association. Requirements include a minimum age of 18 and 1,000 nautical miles of practical experience, at least 700 of them after the theory exam. On Swiss lakes, you need a Category D licence for sailing boats with a sail area of more than 15 m², and a Category A licence for motorboats of more than 6 kW.
Great Britain: RYA certificates
The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) trains sailors in stages: Competent Crew, Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Coastal, Offshore and Ocean. RYA courses are also available in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands, and tuition and exams are usually in English. The RYA generally issues the ICC only to British nationals and residents of the UK. How the Yachtmaster compares with the SSS and SHS is explained in the article RYA Yachtmaster compared.
Sources: Jachtverordnung and FAQ of the Österreichischer Segel-Verband, Hochseeausweis-Verordnung of the Schweizerisches Seeschifffahrtsamt, Kanton Zürich (Schiffsführerprüfung), Royal Yachting Association. As at November 2026.
VDS and VDWS sailing licences: official or not?
Certificates from associations such as the VDS or the VDWS are not official licences. They certify that you have completed training, but they do not replace a licence that is required by law.
Sailing schools issue such certificates, for example, after a basic dinghy course. Some boat rental companies and charter companies accept them as proof that you can sail. Where an official licence is compulsory, for example for a motorboat of more than 15 hp, an association certificate is not enough.
Frequently asked questions about sailing licences
Short answers to the questions asked most often.
Which sailing licence do I need?
You don't need one for cabin charter with a skipper. For motorboats of more than 15 hp on maritime shipping lanes, you need the Sportbootführerschein See, and on inland shipping lanes the SBF Binnen. To charter a sailing yacht, charter companies usually require the SBF See or the SKS and a radio certificate.
Do you need a licence to sail?
Under sail, no official licence is usually required in Germany as long as the boat has no engine over 15 hp. There are exceptions on certain Berlin waterways, and Lake Constance has its own licence. Charter yachts almost always have a more powerful engine, though, and charter companies require a licence.
What is the difference between SBF See and SKS?
The SBF See is the compulsory licence for motorboats of more than 15 hp on maritime shipping lanes. The SKS is voluntary, builds on the SBF See and covers yachts under sail and engine in coastal waters up to 12 nautical miles.
Do I need an ICC?
Germany has no separate ICC document. The German powerboat licence is already issued in the internationally standardised format. It is best to check with the charter company what is required in the country where you are chartering.
Can I take the Austrian FB2 as a German?
As a rule, no. The Austrian certificate of competence (Befähigungsausweis) can be obtained by Austrian citizens and by people whose main residence is in Austria.
Is the RYA Yachtmaster recognised in Germany?
RYA certificates are British certificates. Whether they are valid for your yacht and your sailing area depends on the yacht's flag state and on the charter company. For motorboats over 15 hp in German waters you need a German Sportbootführerschein.
Is the VDS sailing certificate an official licence?
No. VDS and VDWS certificates confirm that you have completed training, but they are not official licences and do not replace any compulsory licence.
Find your sailing licence course
Compare courses from different schools for boat licences, sailing licences and radio certificates, and get in touch with the provider directly.