Spain has two kinds of boat surveying work. The compulsory inspections, the ITB, are done by accredited inspection bodies. Pre-purchase, insurance and damage surveys are commissioned privately.
Route 1: inspector for an accredited body
Real Decreto 1434/1999 puts the periodic, intermediate, additional and extraordinary inspections of recreational boats in the hands of entidades colaboradoras de inspección. Article 6 sets what a body must show to be authorised:
- Independence. No control by boatbuilders, equipment suppliers, yards, insurers or anyone with a commercial interest in recreational boats. Staff must have no tie that could affect their independence.
- Qualified staff. Enough managers and technical staff with the qualifications and experience the work needs, and a permanent training plan.
- Equipment. Calibrated tools such as thickness gauges, gas detectors and sound level meters.
- Insurance. Liability cover of at least €1,202,024, updated yearly for inflation.
- Reach. National coverage, with inspections done within 15 days of a request, and centres covering no more than 200 km each, each with at least one permanent inspector.
Bodies are accredited by ENAC: Applus, for example, lists its ENAC accreditation for periodic inspections under the decree. The law sets requirements for the bodies, so the way in for an individual is a job with one of them, with a technical background they can show the accreditor.
The work is structured. Annex II of the decree lists every item checked, from keel bolts and seacocks to EPIRB battery dates, and defines the serious deficiencies.
Route 2: independent surveyor
Pre-purchase, insurance and damage surveys are private work for buyers, insurers and lawyers, outside Real Decreto 1434/1999. Clients judge you on your experience and your reports. An international qualification such as the IIMS diploma or YDSA membership gives them something to check.
An ITB inspector's checklist is a good base for this work: it covers the same systems. The difference is the report. A buyer wants condition, value and the cost of each defect, written so they can negotiate.
Practical steps
- Get a technical base: a yard, marine engineering, naval architecture or professional time at sea.
- Learn the decree's Annex II and Real Decreto 339/2021 on equipment. Both are free on the BOE.
- Apply to an accredited inspection body, or work alongside an independent surveyor.
- Add an international qualification and professional indemnity insurance before you take private work.
The general route is in how to become a marine surveyor. For the buyer's side, see buying a used boat in Spain.