What is the certificado de navegabilidad? Spain's boat certificate explained

UPDATED 10 NOVEMBER 2026 · 1 SOURCE

The certificado de navegabilidad is the certificate every Spanish recreational boat carries. What it records, when it lapses, and why a buyer and surveyor read it first.

DEFINITION

Certificado de navegabilidad

The Spanish certificate that a recreational boat meets the rules, recording each compulsory inspection and the date of the next one; it must be kept on board.

ALSO CALLED: SPANISH SEAWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE, CERTIFICATE OF NAVIGABILITY SPAIN

Article 4 of Real Decreto 1434/1999 makes the certificado de navegabilidad the proof that a Spanish recreational boat meets the rules. It records each compulsory inspection, its type and the date of the next one, and it must be kept on board. CE-marked boats get it automatically when first registered; private boats under 6 m on lista 7 get one marked SIN CADUCIDAD, without expiry.

What a surveyor checks

That it's on board and matches the boat: name, registration, hull number and engines. Then the dates. If the next inspection date has passed, the certificate has lapsed and the boat can't legally be used until it passes. An inventory of equipment goes with it.

In the report

"Certificado de navegabilidad on board, matches the vessel. Next periodic inspection date passed; certificate lapsed. Arrange the inspection before the vessel is used."

Frequently asked

What happens if the certificado de navegabilidad lapses?

Under article 4 of Real Decreto 1434/1999, missing an inspection makes the certificate lapse, and sailing with a lapsed certificate, or without one, is a serious infringement.

Do small boats have a certificate without expiry?

Private boats under 6 m on lista 7 have no periodic inspections, and their certificate is marked SIN CADUCIDAD.

Standards it's judged against

REAL DECRETO 1434/1999 (SPAIN)

Real Decreto 1434/1999, reconocimientos e inspecciones de las embarcaciones de recreo

Spain's compulsory inspections of recreational boats, often called the ITB: which boats need periodic and intermediate inspections and how often, the certificado de navegabilidad, what the inspector checks, what counts as a serious deficiency and the two months to put it right.

What surveyors check