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GLOSSARY · EUROPEAN PAPERWORK

What is the ITB on a boat in Spain? Periodic and intermediate inspections

UPDATED 10 NOVEMBER 2026 · 2 SOURCES

The ITB is Spain's compulsory inspection of recreational boats. Which boats need it, how often, who carries it out, and what a surveyor reads from it when a boat is for sale.

DEFINITION
ITB

The common name for Spain's compulsory inspections of recreational boats under Real Decreto 1434/1999, done by accredited inspection bodies and recorded on the certificado de navegabilidad.

ALSO CALLED: INSPECCIÓN TÉCNICA DE BUQUES, ITB INSPECTION SPAIN, RECONOCIMIENTO PERIÓDICO

ITB is the name owners and brokers use for Spain's compulsory boat inspections. Real Decreto 1434/1999 sets them: a periodic inspection at most every five years for private boats from 6 m and for every charter boat, and an intermediate one out of the water for some boats between the second and third year. They're carried out by accredited inspection bodies, and each one is recorded on the certificado de navegabilidad.

What a surveyor checks

Read the certificate: the type and date of the last inspection, the body that did it and the next one due. A missed inspection lapses the certificate. Annex II of the decree lists the items inspected, from keel bolts to extinguishers, and is a useful cross-check for your own survey.

In the report

"Certificado de navegabilidad: last periodic inspection by an accredited body two years ago; intermediate inspection out of the water due before next season. Book it with the haul-out."

Frequently asked

How often is the ITB?

At most every five years for private boats from 6 m and for every charter boat, under Real Decreto 1434/1999. Some boats also need an intermediate inspection out of the water between the second and third year.

Who does the ITB?

Entidades colaboradoras de inspección, private bodies authorised by the transport ministry and accredited by ENAC.

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
REAL DECRETO 339/2021 (SPAIN)

Real Decreto 339/2021, equipo de seguridad y de prevención de la contaminación de las embarcaciones de recreo

Spain's rules on safety equipment for recreational craft: which boats they cover, navigation zones 1 to 7 and how they map to CE design categories, liferafts, lifejackets, flares and extinguishers by zone, and the extras for charter boats.

What surveyors check

Related terms

Glossary
EUROPEAN PAPERWORK

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.

EUROPEAN PAPERWORK

Lista 7

The list in the Spanish ship register for private recreational boats; lista 6 is for boats used commercially, such as charter boats.

EUROPEAN PAPERWORK

Brodica

The Croatian term for a boat over 2.5 m up to 15 m, registered and inspected by the harbourmaster; craft over 15 m are yachts surveyed by the Croatian Register of Shipping.

EUROPEAN PAPERWORK

Certificat d'enregistrement

The single French registration document for pleasure craft that replaced the carte de circulation and the acte de francisation.

EUROPEAN PAPERWORK

DAFN

France's annual tax on pleasure craft, now called the taxe annuelle sur les engins maritimes à usage personnel, based on hull length and engine power.

EUROPEAN PAPERWORK

Declaration of conformity

The builder's signed statement that a recreational boat meets the EU Recreational Craft Directive, which must accompany the craft.

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