Boat rental without a licence
1,435 boats you can drive without a boating licence, in 133 destinations. Where to find them and what the rules are.
Licence rules by country
| Country | Without a licence | Licence-free boats |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | In Italy you can drive a boat without a licence within 6 nautical miles of the coast if its engine does not exceed 40.8 hp (30 kW) and the engine displacement limits. A nautical licence (patente nautica) or a recognised foreign licence such as the ICC is required for more powerful engines or beyond 6 miles. | 766 · from €65 |
| Greece | In Greece you can rent a motorboat without a licence if it has an outboard engine of up to 30 hp (up to 15 hp on RIBs and other inflatables), sailing only between sunrise and sunset and within the area set by the rental company. More powerful boats, and any yacht you skipper yourself, require a recognised licence such as the ICC, so check the exact conditions on the listing. | 444 · from €50 |
| France | In France you can drive a motorboat without a licence if its engine does not exceed 6 hp (4.5 kW), and sailing boats at sea need no licence at all. Above 6 hp you need the French permis plaisance (coastal option at sea) or a recognised foreign licence such as the ICC. | 156 · from €50 |
| Netherlands | In the Netherlands you can drive a boat without a licence if it is no longer than 15 m and cannot go faster than 20 km/h. A boating licence (the Dutch Klein Vaarbewijs or an equivalent) is required for faster motorboats and for pleasure craft over 15 m, so check the exact conditions on the listing. | 28 · from €160 |
| Turkey | Under Turkey’s boating regulation, boats with an engine under 10 hp can be driven without the amateur skipper’s certificate (ADB). For more powerful rented boats you need an ADB or a foreign licence such as the ICC, used within the limits it grants, and operators often also ask for proof of experience. Most rentals come with a skipper, so check the exact conditions on the listing. | 21 · from €150 |
| Guadeloupe | As in mainland France, in Guadeloupe you can drive a motorboat without a licence if its engine does not exceed 6 hp (4.5 kW). Above 6 hp you need the French permis plaisance (the coastal option covers up to 6 nautical miles from a shelter) or a recognised foreign licence such as the ICC. | 8 · from €185 |
| Germany | In Germany you can drive a motorboat without a licence if its engine does not exceed 15 hp (11.03 kW), or 7.5 kW for an electric motor. Above that you need a Sportbootführerschein (Binnen for inland waters, See at sea) (issued as an ICC); the Rhine and Lake Constance have their own rules, and on some inland waterways houseboats can be rented after a briefing with a charter certificate, so check the exact conditions on the listing. | 3 · from €209 |
| Poland | In Poland you can drive a motorboat without a licence if its engine does not exceed 10 kW (about 13.6 hp). Houseboats up to 13 m with up to 75 kW whose top speed is limited by design to 15 km/h can also be driven without a licence, after a safety briefing from the rental company. More powerful boats require a qualification such as the Polish motorboat helmsman licence (sternik motorowodny), so check which licences the rental company accepts. | 3 · from €225 |
| Martinique | As in mainland France, in Martinique you can drive a motorboat without a licence if its engine does not exceed 6 hp (4.5 kW). Above 6 hp you need the French permis plaisance (coastal option at sea) or a recognised foreign licence such as the ICC. | 2 · from €170 |
| Portugal | In Portugal recreational boats may only be driven by someone with an appropriate licence: the boating law (Decree-Law 93/2018) has no general licence-free category for motorboats, so to rent a boat without a skipper you need a Portuguese carta de navegador de recreio or a licence recognised in Portugal (licences from EU countries are recognised automatically). Licence-free rentals exist only as limited exceptions in designated areas, so check the exact conditions on the listing or book with a skipper. | 1 · from €60 |
| Malta | In Malta you can drive a boat without a licence if its engines total less than 30 hp and you are not towing a water-skier. From 30 hp you need a Transport Malta nautical licence or a recognised foreign licence such as the ICC. | 1 · from €290 |
| Montenegro | In Montenegro you generally need a boat operator’s certificate to drive a motorboat yourself, and the rules do not clearly say which foreign licences (such as the ICC) are accepted or whether very small boats are exempt, so operators decide case by case. Book with a skipper if you have no licence and check the exact conditions on the listing. | 1 · from €390 |
| Cyprus | In Cyprus licensed water-sports businesses may rent small speedboats and jet skis to adults without a licence, after a safety briefing and a signed declaration; we found no official engine power limit, and a new recreational boating law passed in 2026 is expected to set power and speed limits. For larger boats you need a boat licence, and charter companies often ask for the ICC, so check the exact conditions on the listing. | 1 · from €250 |
| Croatia | In Croatia anyone skippering a rented boat must prove they are qualified to operate it, so you need a recognised boat licence (for example the ICC or a national licence) for any rented motorboat or yacht; a proposed exemption for small rented boats (up to 5 m and 5 kW) has not been adopted. Without a licence, book a boat with a skipper and check the exact conditions on the listing. | — |
| Spain | Since 1 October 2026 Spain no longer allows renting a boat without a qualification: even small motorboats up to 5 m and 15 hp now require at least the Licencia de Navegación (a one-day course) or an equivalent licence. The licence-free exemption now covers only private use, so check the exact conditions on the listing. | — |
| Thailand | In Thailand rental boats almost always come with a captain, and driving a Thai-registered boat yourself legally requires a Thai boat licence; there is no clear licence-free category for tourists. Book with a captain and check the exact conditions on the listing. | — |
| Indonesia | In Indonesia almost all boat rentals are crewed, and the rules for tourists driving a boat themselves are not clearly defined; self-drive rentals are rare and come with strict experience checks. Plan on a boat with a captain and check the exact conditions on the listing. | — |
| British Virgin Islands | The British Virgin Islands do not require a government-issued licence to charter a boat, but charter companies ask for a sailing résumé showing experience on a similar boat, and sometimes a certificate such as the ICC, ASA or RYA. Without enough experience, book with a skipper and check the exact conditions on the listing. | — |
| The Bahamas | In the Bahamas the Port Department requires a master’s licence for anyone operating a boat commercially, but there appears to be no licence requirement for visitors driving a small rented boat for pleasure. Rental companies set their own rules and usually ask for proof of experience or a boating safety certificate, so check the exact conditions on the listing or book with a captain. | — |
| Mexico | Mexico has no clearly published licence rule for tourists renting a boat: small motorboats are sometimes rented without a licence, while for larger boats operators ask for proven experience or a certificate such as the ICC. Most rentals come with a captain, so check the exact conditions on the listing. | — |
| Estonia | Estonian law lets you drive your own boat with an engine of up to 25 kW without a skipper's certificate in daylight and good visibility, within 5 nautical miles of the shore (9 km on inland waters). Hired boats are stricter: the Maritime Safety Act says a rented recreational craft may only be navigated by someone aged 18 or over who holds a skipper's certificate, so expect to need a licence or a skipper and ask the rental company which licences it accepts. | — |
Rules change and depend on the boat; the rental listing on Click&Boat always has the exact conditions.
Licence-free boats
1,435 boats
12No licenceNea Peramos, Athens 5.0
Bluemax Open 19 · 2025
Boat without licence · Professional
from €265 / day
Click&Boat
7No licenceSkiathos, Sporades 5.0
Keira 4 Compass 165CC 30 60HP 2026 · 2026
Boat without licence · Professional
Up to 5 guests · 5 m
from €300 / day
Click&Boat
Great price 12No licenceCastellammare del Golfo, Sicily 5.0
Tancredi Buline Open 19 · 2024
Boat without licence · Professional
Up to 6 guests
from €120 / day
Click&Boat
9No licenceAnavyssos, Lavrio 5.0
Compass 150CC · 2019
Boat without licence · Professional
from €158 / day
Click&Boat
9No licencePoltu Quatu, Sardinia 5.0
Joker Boat Clubman 21 · 2023
Boat without licence · Professional
6.2 m
from €240 / day
Click&Boat
10No licenceAgios Nikolaos, Crete 5.0
Karel 170 · 2025
Boat without licence · Professional
Up to 6 guests
from €449 / day
Click&Boat
9No licenceSantorini, Greece 5.0
Black Boat License Free · 2025
Boat without licence · Professional
Up to 8 guests
from €350 / day
Click&Boat
9No licenceSantorini, Greece 4.9
Santorini Black Boat · 2025
Boat without licence · Professional
Up to 8 guests
from €350 / day
Click&Boat
12No licenceCorfu, Greece 4.9
Karel Ithaka · 2022
Boat without licence · Professional
from €200 / day
Click&Boat
12No licenceZakynthos, Greece 4.9
Proteus Limeni · 2020
Boat without licence · Professional
Up to 5 guests
from €180 / day
Click&Boat
12No licenceCorfu, Greece 4.9
Karel Ithaka · 2021
Boat without licence · Professional
from €200 / day
Click&Boat
5No licenceSorrento, Amalfi Coast 4.9
Romar Bermuda · 2024
Boat without licence · Professional
from €350 / day
Click&Boat
12No licenceVietri sul Mare, Amalfi Coast 5.0
Open Allegra 21 Allegra · 2020
Boat without licence · Professional
from €650 / day
Click&Boat
5No licenceSyracuse, Sicily 5.0
Kamarina 505 · 2021
Boat without licence · Professional
from €160 / day
Click&Boat
10No licencePoltu Quatu, Sardinia 5.0
Joker Boat Clubman 21 · 2023
Boat without licence · Professional
from €240 / day
Click&Boat
11No licenceBisceglie, Italy 5.0
Tancredi Blumax 19 Pro · 2025
Boat without licence · Professional
from €190 / day
Click&Boat
12No licencePorto Rotondo, Sardinia 5.0
Kardis 580 · 2026
Boat without licence · Professional
from €220 / day
Click&Boat
12No licenceBrindisi, Italy 5.0
Emmemare Marea 19 L 3 · 2025
Boat without licence · Professional
from €200 / day
Click&Boat
12No licenceBrindisi, Italy 5.0
Buonomo Marine Mariel 5 80 L 4 · 2026
Boat without licence · Professional
from €240 / day
Click&Boat
Great price 10No licenceSantorini, Greece 4.9
Santorini Premium Black · 2023
Boat without licence · Professional
Up to 4 guests
from €300 / day
Click&Boat
Great price 9No licenceSalerno, Amalfi Coast 5.0
OP Marine 19 · 2021
Boat without licence · Professional
Up to 6 guests
from €190 / day
Click&Boat
No licenceCrete, Greece 5.0
Poseidon 480CC · 2018
Boat without licence · Professional
from €310 / day
Click&Boat
No licenceCrete, Greece 5.0
Poseidon 170CC · 2019
Boat without licence · Professional
Up to 8 guests
from €320 / day
Click&Boat
No licenceKefalonia, Greece 5.0
Karel 480 Open · 2022
Boat without licence · Professional
Up to 5 guests
from €180 / day
Click&BoatRenting a boat without a licence: questions
What boat can I drive without a licence?+
Small motorboats with a low-powered engine. The limit depends on the country: see the table above. Bigger boats need a licence or a skipper.
Do I need any experience?+
No licence and no exam: the owner gives you a short briefing before departure on how to drive, anchor and where you may go.
Where are the most licence-free boats?+
Right now: Sardinia (201), Sicily (148), Amalfi Coast (77), Crete (71), and Zakynthos (55).
How far can I go?+
Licence-free boats are for coastal day trips: usually within a few nautical miles of the shore and in daylight. The owner tells you the exact area.
How Merboat works
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- 2
Book on Click&Boat
Check the dates and conditions and pay on the rental platform. The price is the same.
- 3
Set sail
Meet the owner at the marina and enjoy your day at sea.