The Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) has announced a comprehensive modernisation of recreational boating licence regulations. This initiative is part of a larger reform of the recreational boating licence system. The plan is to bundle the regulations for sport and leisure boating into a single regulation. Initial discussions on this reform took place at the beginning of the year. The project is now making further progress: As the BMV announced on FridayThe consultation of federal states and associations has begun.
Association licences will be full certificates of competence in future
One of the key innovations is the recognition of association licences as fully-fledged certificates of competence. In future, these are to be issued independently by associations and replace the previous official recreational boating licence. According to the ministry, this is intended to streamline procedures without compromising on safety. Training and examination content would continue to be specified and regularly reviewed. Christian Hirte, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport, comments:
The Recreational Navigation Ordinance is intended to summarise the regulations for recreational and leisure navigation in a single ordinance. The key point is the restructuring of the driving licence system. The current system of licensing is based on outdated principles and no longer meets current legal requirements. We will therefore modernise the regulations and reduce bureaucracy.
Abolition of "relics of German division"
Another change concerns the requirement for sailing boats to hold a licence on Berlin waters. This regulation, which the ministry describes as a "relic from the times of German division", is to be abolished in favour of a uniform regulation for all German federal sea and inland waterways. However, motorised sailing boats will continue to be subject to the licence requirement for motorboats, provided they have the appropriate motorisation.
- Here you will find basic information on Topic Recreational boating licences.
This means a noticeable relief for water sports enthusiasts, as they can expect standardised regulations on all federal waterways in future and will no longer be confronted with special regional regulations.
International recognition
The BMV also emphasises that international recognition will remain in place despite the changes. The association licence will continue to be the international recreational craft licence, it says. This is particularly important for water sports enthusiasts who also want to travel abroad with their boat.
The ministry also plans to open up the possibility of issuing recognised association certificates for sailing boats as international driving licences, even without a driving licence requirement. This regulation ensures that German water sports enthusiasts can also sail their boats without any problems in countries where stricter regulations apply. According to the BMV, international compatibility was an important aspect when designing the new regulations.
Equal treatment of electric drives
The reform will also bring changes for recreational craft with electric drives. The previous special regulation for the driving licence requirement for electric boats will be abolished. In future, regardless of the type of drive, a licence will again be required if the recreational craft has more than 11.03 kilowatts of power. According to the BMV, this ensures a technology-neutral regulation and eliminates the unequal treatment of different types of propulsion.
Implementation schedule
The consultation with the federal states and associations will run until 14 November 2025 and the ministry intends to complete the subsequent legislative process this year so that the regulation can enter into force at the start of the 2026 recreational boating season. The changes to the recreational boating licence system will essentially apply after a transitional period from 1 January 2028. This should give associations, instructors and water sports enthusiasts sufficient time to adapt.
