FAQ

When is a sailing licence required and which one?

For sailing in Belgian inland waters, a sailing licence is mandatory for piloting a pleasure vessel which:

• Is either 15 metres or longer in length;
• Or it can sail faster than 20km/h (irrespective of its length).

And so, you do not need a sailing licence to kayak, row, or surf.

There are two types of sailing licence:

• Holders of a general licence may sail in all Belgian inland waters, without exception.
• Holders of a limited licence may sail in all Belgian waters, except for the Beneden-Zeeschelde.

The requirements for obtaining a sailing licence are as follows:

1. The applicant must be at least 17 years of age. The licence is not granted until the applicant is at least 18 years of age.
2. The applicant must be physically fit. He or she must undergo a medical examination with a doctor of his or her own choice. The doctor examines the candidates general health and tests vision and hearing.
3. There is a theory examination. This examination tests the candidate’s knowledge of sailing regulations in the water, manoeuvres, safety regulations, navigation, etc. The candidate is not obliged to prepare for this examination, but preparation does increase the chances of success considerably.
4. The candidate must have practical experience. He or she sails together with someone who holds a sailing licence and teaches the candidate to sail by providing practical experience. If you have had at least twelve hours of practical experience, hand in your service log book to the federation. The federation will then send your application to the Ministry which issues the well earned licence!

You can obtain a licence even sooner. If you take a practical training course at a sailing school, six hours of practical experience are enough.
More info: http://www.mobilit.fgov.be/nl
The price is € 37.50 for the examination and € 37.50 for the licence and a tax stamp to the value of € 5.00.

The Evaluation Commission has recognised a number of licences as equivalent to a general or limited sailing licence: (see below).

Pleasure sailing abroad: A number of foreign licences (see below) are equivalent to a general or limited sailing licence.

The recognised federations help with the entire procedure. Contact one of these federations (the conditions are the same everywhere) and they will draw up your file. Furthermore, they can give you all the relevant information about the dates of the theoretical examination, the examination programme, useful documentation, courses etc.

An Evaluation Commission is op basis van objective criteria entrusted with the task of investigating the equivalence of pleasure sailing licences on the basis of objective criteria.
Holders of one of the following Belgian licences may sail on the shipping routes.
Moreover, they can submit a written application to the Evaluation Commission for a general or limited sailing licence, something which may be mandatory abroad. The application must be accompanied by a copy of the applicant’s identity card/passport and his or her current sailing licence.
Holders of another Belgian licence can also submit an application for a pleasure sailing licence on the basis of equivalence. The application must be accompanied by a copy of the applicant’s identity card/passport and his or her current sailing licence.

Address of the Evaluation Commission:
Ministerie van Verkeer en Infrastructuur
Bestuur van Maritieme Zaken en Scheepvaart
Evaluatiecommissie stuurbrevet pleziervaart
Aarlenstraat 104
1040 BRUSSEL
tel : 02-233 12 81
fax: 02-230 19 69

The following foreign pleasure sailing licences are recognised in Belgium. However, this does not mean that Belgian licences are automatically recognised abroad:

Holders of one of the above-mentioned licences may sail in Belgian inland waters without a Belgian sailing licence. They will not be issued with a Belgian sailing licence under any circumstances unless they go through the entire official procedure. For foreign licences not included in the list above, please contact the Evaluation Commission.

Certificates of competence (e.g. steering certificate, sailing licence etc.) are not required in Belgium for pleasure sailing at sea. People who nevertheless want an official certificate (something which may be mandatory for hiring vessels abroad) can take an examination in Belgium to obtain the Certificate of Coastal Officer (coastal sailing) or the Certificate of Offshore Navigation (sea shipping).

Additional information and registration forms are available from:

Secretariaat Brevetten Pleziervaart op Zee
Perronstraat 6
8400 OOSTENDE
tel : 059-33 95 03
fax: 059-33 07 29
e-mail: dorinda.vandermeeren@vici.fgov.be