Regarding your boating licence

[aye-aye-captain]

Hello the community!

For those not currently sailing in the Caribbean, hope you have a nice winter !

I was wondering, before going overseas, where do you go/ which website do you visit to check if your licence is applicable in the country of destination.

Any resources which could help me would be amazing.

Thanks !

[Paul L]

No one in the Carib will ask. Technically you need to have the licensing required by the vessel's flag country, ie the country of registration.

[aye-aye-captain]

Thanks for your reply Paul.

I wasn't specifically talking about the Caribean - it was more of a light and friendly intro

I was asking in general, before going to a specific country (e.g from the US to Italy), where do you check for licence regulation ?

[john61ct]

Googling sailing forums with the country name and

site:

operator, or just posting and asking.

Short-term visitors often get different treatment from local owners.

I suppose in the old days calling or writing to your local consulate, but who's got time for that 8-)

[skipmac]

Go to www.noonsite.com connect to a country on their menu and it will show you requirements for that country. As far as I know most of the EU countries don't care but I have read that Croatia and possibly Montenegro require you have a license and show proof.

[john61ct]

Great resource

[hellosailor]

License for what? Operating a commercial charter? A recreational sailboat?

Heck, in the vast majority of the US there's no "license" involved for recreational boating at all. There are states that require a certificate of competency for persons under a varying age, but "licenses" come from the government, and that's different. And unheard of here, for recreational boaters.

[JeanneP]

More and more states require a boating license/boater education ID if your boat has a 10hp or greater engine. I.e., even outboards on dinghies are included.

Florida: Florida Boating License
Florida Boater Safety Course
In Florida, anyone born on or after January 1, 1988, who operates a vessel powered by 10 horsepower or more, must pass an approved boater safety course and have in his/her possession photographic identification and a boater safety identification card issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Better, go here: https://www.boaterexam.com/
By state, what is required.

[Paul L]

The US state license rerequirements do not apply to foreign flagged vessels.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

License for what? Operating a commercial charter? A recreational sailboat?

Heck, in the vast majority of the US there's no "license" involved for recreational boating at all. There are states that require a certificate of competency for persons under a varying age, but "licenses" come from the government, and that's different. And unheard of here, for recreational boaters.

Yes, I think the OP is under the impression that to visit a country you have to have their maritime liscense. No, it is the same as your automobile, you don’t have to have a Florida liscense if you are driving from Virginia. Wow, where do some of these people get these notions ?

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by aye-aye-captain

Hello the community!

For those not currently sailing in the Caribbean, hope you have a nice winter !

I was wondering, before going overseas, where do you go/ which website do you visit to check if your licence is applicable in the country of destination.

Any resources which could help me would be amazing.

Thanks !

Hi Captain:

Might you please clarify your inquiry:

As to "going overseas", which seas and destination countries are you inquiring about?
Are you asking about a license of the boat operator or rather regarding the vessel itself?
Are you inquiring about recreational or commercial vessels and purposes?
Size and type of vessel would be useful also.

The laws of the jurisdiction you are going to are the most relevant ones when you are there, but the rules from whence you came and to which you transit are also applicable.

[Paradoxus]

You might want to look into the ICC or International Certificate of Competence, issued by the RYA. It is a serious exam which you can do in the US, see www.nauticed.org. The ICC is recognized pretty much throughout Europe as a sailing license.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by Paul L

The US state license rerequirements do not apply to foreign flagged vessels.

Nor to out of state visitors.


I actually think a license is a good idea. Not to prove competency, but to GIVE applicants something that can be TAKEN AWAY for demonstrated incompetence or ignorance of rules of prudent seamanship. That would be a great incentive to at least learn the Rules of the Road, of which the average boater is almost entirely ignorant and uncaring. Sorry, I know. My pet peeve. But one problem that we have is if you lose your boat due to being an idiot, all you have to do is buy another, and all is once again right in the world. You are then free to screw up again. Eventually at least SOME of the more dangerous waterborne imbeciles would no longer be legally entitled to operate a vessel, and violators would face a criminal charge. That is a real attention getter.


But as of now, in most countries, skippers of visiting foreign yachts are required to have only the license or certificate required by the nation of registry. So if your yacht is registered in one of the 50 U.S. states, and you are required to have a license or certificate by that state, it should suffice. If it is a documented vessel and not registered in a state, then AFAIK you are not required to have any license to operate it as a purely recreational vessel, and most host countries would not kick you out for not having a license that does not even exist in the first place. I am sure there are exceptions. I think maybe Croatia? Heard something about that. Definitely, Caribbean nations are used to American yachties with no licenses and it is absolutely not an issue. Better have your FCC licenses though. You could get asked to show them, possibly.

[Montanan]

Okay, here we go AGAIN.

States in the USA provide for temporary exemptions / waivers as to registration of vessels transiting their state waters, each state has its own laws in this regard, ditto as to their usage permit fees, property taxation, luxury tax, and / or Sale-Use taxation. Some states have requirements as to operator training and education operating "permits". Note that "vessel titling" and "vessel registration" are two distinct matters. And "licensing" [for example for a specific commercial use, e.g., fishing, chartering, passenger transit, etc." / and "permitting" is / are yet another matter(s). Each word has its unique meaning; one needs to be very specific in this regard, else confusion and errors are readily derived.

The OP stated: "I was wondering, before going overseas, where do you go/ which website do you visit to check if your licence is applicable in the country of destination." But the OP has yet to provide a clarifying response to what was meant by the word "license" so it is anyone's guess as to what the OP is wondering about and of course as to what the country or countries of destination are. Laws are jurisdictional dependent. Let's wait for the OP to reply with specifics in this regard.

By way of example of ease of confusion, I'll just copy and paste for ease of reading of this thread and provide a link to the informative website. https://www.yachtdocsonline.com/sing...d-State-Decals

"There's a lot of confusion over whether - and when - a US Coast Guard Documented vessel needs to be registered with the state. The short answer is that USCG Documented boats NEVER need to be titled with the state, but may need to be registered with the state depending on how long the boat is on the state's waters.

First, as to the titling of the vessel, a vessel may either be state titled or federally documented, but not both. Think of USCG documentation like your title - that's really what it is, even though it has another name. In fact, federal law under 46 U.S.C. § 12106 actually prohibits a USCG Documented vessel from being state titled, and a state cannot require a USCG Documented vessel to display [registration] numbers.

However, states may still require registration of USCG Documented vessels for tax and other purposes. What's the difference between the title and the registration? The title is a formal, colored document used to prove and transfer ownership. The registration typically consists of a registration card and an annual state decal which must affixed to the boat. So while the Coast Guard Documentation is your boat's title, you may have to also register with a state." Note: One can title their vessel with a state in lieu of a Coast Guard Documentation

"Registering with a state is normally required if you keep your vessel in a state for a certain amount of time [either consecutively or cumulatively within a period of time].

For example, registration is generally required in Florida if your boat spends more than 89 consecutive days in the state. The Sarasota Tax Collector has an excellent guide for how to register a USCG Documented vessel in Florida, which states that to get your registration and Florida decals you must bring the following:

Application to Register Non-Titled Vessel

Copy of documentation papers

Copy of executed bill of sale to document amount of sales tax due

Proof of payment of sales tax or proof of tax exemption

Registration fees

$50 non-resident commercial vessel fee, if applicable

So while USCG Documentation exempts your vessel from having to be state titled or display state numbers, if you keep your vessel in a state for a specific length of time you may have to register and/or pay taxes or fees."

[Cpt Pat]

The laws here in the States are a crazy-quilt mess. A sailor shouldn't have to hire a lawyer to untangle the knot of state-to-state requirements.

I hold a US Coast Guard Master-Near Coastal with Aux. Sail license. With that license, in most states, I'm exempt from state licensing requirements. But not in Colorado. Fortunately, Colorado is landlocked. In California, until recently, you could buy the Queen Mary and put any adult (even one that's legally blind) in charge provided you had no commercial cargo or paying passengers. Needless to say, the Coast Guard rescue folks here in California stay very busy (at taxpayer expense), and you'd be hard-pressed to find a sailor here who knows what red-over-green lights on your mast (rule 25c) or two short horn blasts mean. When I was in Europe, American sailors had such a bad reputation for getting in trouble, that American Sailor jokes were common. I got tired of hearing American sailors referred to as "Yankee WAFI" (wind-assisted freakin' idiot).

At minimum, everyone should know the International Rules of the Nautical Road. To gain a Master's license, you have to score 90% on the Coast Guard exam. Even the US Navy has issues on this point: https://www.defensenews.com/naval/20...ic-seamanship/

Here's one source on state licensing requirements - but I don't promise it's up to date: http://www.americasboatingcourse.com...ate.cfm?lid=10