Nautical medical certificate: what it is, how long it’s valid and where to get it

The medical or psychotechnical certificate is a compulsory requirement to obtain or renew any Spanish boating licence (Navigation Licence, PNB, PER). 📋 It’s a simple step, but it’s important to know what they check and where you can get it in Catalonia to avoid surprises. ✅

What is it and what is it for?

It is a medical and psychotechnical report certifying that you have the minimum physical and psychological fitness to skipper a boat safely.

What is assessed? (It’s not a big exam, it’s a check-up)

• Eyesight: visual acuity and colour perception (very important for buoyage). Colour-blind? You can still get your licence: I explain it in can I get a boating licence if I’m colour-blind?
• Hearing: hearing ability (essential for VHF radio).
• Psychotechnical fitness: basic coordination and reflexes (usually the standard driving tests).

Validity and renewal

• The certificate expires 90 calendar days after the day it is issued (you’ll see it written on the certificate itself). So if you are doing the PER or the PNB, get it once you’ve passed the theory and done the practical sessions, just before applying for your licence.
• The Navigation Licence never expires. With the PNB and the PER, on the other hand, what you renew is the card: every 10 years, and every 5 from age 70 (art. 26.2 of Royal Decree 875/2014), with a new medical certificate.
• The medical fitness check is required to obtain the licence (art. 21.1).

Where to get it in Catalonia

You must go to an authorised driver medical assessment centre (CRC), the same ones that issue certificates for driving licences.