Legal frame Spain: Real Decreto 875/2014, Disposiciones adicionales 3ª–5ª and Anexo IX (UK–RYA table added by RD 339/2021); RD 1188/2025; Balearic Decreto 44/2025 art. 4.2; RDL 2/2011 art. 307. Portugal: Decreto-Lei 93/2018 arts 35, 39 and 54; DL 149/2014; DGRM recognition lists (Oct 2022, Dec 2023).
Spain: the ICC is in the statute book
Spain is not on the Annex IV list at all, yet it is the most explicit of the nine about British certificates. After Brexit, RD 339/2021 added a UK–RYA table to Anexo IX of RD 875/2014:
| RYA document | Spanish attributions |
|---|---|
| ICC ("según especifique el certificado") | ≤24 m within 12 nm, or motor ≤10 m within 5 nm |
| Day Skipper | ≤24 m, 12 nm |
| Coastal Skipper / YM Coastal | ≤24 m, 20 nm |
| YM Offshore | ≤24 m, 150 nm |
| YM Ocean | ≤24 m, unlimited |
| Powerboat Level 2 | motor ≤10 m, 5 nm |
Spanish-flag hire boats (DA 3ª). A charter or rental boat may be let to a holder of a título de recreo or certificado habilitante issued by the country of nationality or residence, if that country is in the EEA or in Anexo IX, and only within its attributions. Irish titles qualify as EEA titles; Spain publishes no table for them, so the Irish issuer's own limits apply. If you rely on a residence-country title, you must have lived there when it was issued.
Your own UK-flag boat (DA 5ª). The skipper needs the title required by the law of their nationality where that matches the flag. Read literally, a British skipper on a British yacht needs nothing, because UK law requires nothing. The RYA still says "Required. ICC recommended". Carry it.
From 1 October 2026 the licence-free class (motor ≤5 m and ≤15 CV, sail ≤6 m, within 2 nm, daylight) applies to motor boats for private use only. Renters need a title.
WARNING — The charter base must say no In the Balearics, Decreto 44/2025 obliges the lessor to check that your title is sufficient and not to sign the contract if it is not. Skippering beyond your title is a "grave" offence under the ports law, with fines up to €180,000, and the lessor who allows it commits one too.
For rental detail see Renting a Boat or Jet Ski in the Balearics.
Portugal: EU automatic, UK by declaration
Portugal is not on the Annex IV list either. Its rule is DL 93/2018 art. 39:
- EU titles "issued by the administrations" of member states are recognised automatically. DGRM's indicative EU list (Oct 2022) names the Irish ICC with National Powerboat (coastal, 80 GT, ≤24 m).
- Third-country titles, the UK included, "may be recognised" by the DGRM (Direção-Geral de Recursos Naturais, Segurança e Serviços Marítimos), which issues a declaration of recognition within five days. DGRM's list (Dec 2023) covers RYA Powerboat Level 2, Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper, Yachtmaster Coastal, Offshore and Ocean. The UK ICC is not on it.
Bareboat rental boats follow the recreational rules, and the operator must verify your qualification before handing over. Commanding without an adequate title costs €300–3,000 for an individual and €600–12,000 for a company.
TIP — Apply before you fly If you are a UK holder heading for a Portuguese-flag yacht, apply for the DGRM declaration on your Day Skipper or Yachtmaster, not on the ICC. Five days is the official figure; leave a margin.
Rules for foreign-flag yachts in Portugal were not found in the text read; the RYA's advice is "Required. ICC recommended".