Important Information about legal obligations to charter a yacht in Croatia

Before you can go on board of your chartered boat, the Harbour Masters (Kapitanerie), Port Police and Coast Guard ask insistingly for the existence of a legal proof of a charterer´s knowledge proven with an international valid official sailing licence of the charterer´s homecountry, or a croatian licence.

It must include the VHF-licence, because in Croatia all charterboats are obliged to have a VHF-device on board.

If one charters such a boat (and he can´t charter without one!), he MUST have that VHF-licence as well!

The skipper is obliged to have this papers with him (in original, no copy) and the papers must be official sailing boat or yachting licences, no paper sissued by private clubs or so.

If your country does not issue sailing-licences, and allows sailing under certain circumstances without licence (for instance Netherlands or Scandinavian countries), please ask the chartercompany for the currently legal regulations, because that is about to change at any time!

IfKapitanerias ask to make a croatian licence,or accept the home-regulation, as international usual is subject of each Kapitanerija itself.

Controls by the Coast Guard could take place outside the harbours as well, and a skipper, who sails without a legal paper must end his sailing trip immediately, might pay a fine of some hundred Euros or more! The payment must be done cash! The sailing trip will be stopped, until there is a skipper with legal papers on board!

It is recommended to fax your sailing licence to the chartercompany in advance and make sure, that there will be nor unwanted surprises!

If you do not have a licence or if you have a licence that does not contain a VHF-licence, you can achieve a licence from the croatian officials. There are instant-courses held on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays.

The examination itself needs 15-20 minutes after an average waiting time of 2-3 hours, and after you get a croatian licence, which is valid in croatian waters only! The costs are 150-200 €

The chartercompanies help to arrange the courses and registration for the examination.

One needs:

currently valid passport + 2 passport-pictures

Some subjects of the examination are:
a.. Navigation
b.. lights on board and navigational lights
c.. security on board and on sea
d.. right of way
e.. nautical VHF spelling

* no practical examination,

* all charterercompanies reserve the right of giving you the boat only if you have appropriate practical knowledge!

* Please note as well: it is NOT possible to have more people on board, than licenced for the boat! As well small children count as a person on board!

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Other ports on request