Recreational Craft Skipper
(PER)
Everything you need to know about the PER licence and how to prepare for the official exam with the SailVoyager nautical chart simulator.
Practice exams
Practise with real official exam papers. Automatic grading with the exact pass criteria: overall, buoyage, COLREGS and nautical chart.
PER · Comunidad de Madrid · Noviembre 2025
4 tests (Test 01 to 04) · 45 questions each · Official pass criteria.
PER · Comunidad de Madrid · Junio 2025
2 tests (Test 01 and Test 02) · 45 questions each.
PER · Región de Murcia · Junio 2025
45 questions · 1h 30min · Official pass criteria.
What is the PER?
The Patrón de Embarcaciones de Recreo (PER) is an official nautical licence issued by Spain's Directorate General of the Merchant Marine (DGMM). It is the most widespread recreational boating licence in Spain.
The PER authorises skippering recreational motor and sailing craft up to 15 metres in length, navigating up to 12 nautical miles from the coast, day or night.
Motor craft
Authorises skippering any recreational motor craft up to 15 metres in length.
Sailing craft
With the corresponding sailing practice, also authorises sailing boats up to 15 metres.
Night navigation
The PER also authorises night navigation, with no time restrictions.
International waters
Allows navigation up to 12 miles from the coast. The limit for recreational licences is always the distance from shore, not sovereignty — even a PNB holder may cross a maritime border as long as they stay within 5 miles of shelter.
Requirements to obtain the PER
To sit the official PER exam you must meet the following requirements:
- ✓Minimum age: 18 years old at the time of the exam.
- ✓Nautical medical certificate: Issued by an authorised doctor. Certifies physical and mental fitness to navigate.
- ✓Pass the official theory exam: Organised by the Directorate General of the Merchant Marine or regional authorities with transferred powers.
- ✓Navigation practice: 16 hours of practical training on a real vessel with a certified instructor.
- ✓Sailing practice (optional): If you want sailing included in your licence, you need additional specific sailing practice.
- ✓Short Range Radio Operator Course (ROCA): A 12-hour theory and practice course (8h simulator + 4h theory) at an academy. Without this certificate, the Merchant Marine will not issue the licence even if you have passed the exam and completed sea practice.
- ✓Administrative fees: Payment of the fees required to issue the licence.
Syllabus for the PER exam
The PER theory exam consists of multiple-choice questions on the following topics:
Naval nomenclature and architecture — Parts of the boat, nautical terms and types of vessels.
Navigation and Nautical Chart — The most important topic. Courses, bearings, leeway, currents and dead reckoning.
Meteorology — Winds, fronts, weather forecasting and meteorological phenomena at sea.
Safety and regulations — COLREGS, signals, lights, buoyage and mandatory safety equipment.
Propulsion and steering — Engines, propellers, berthing and anchoring manoeuvres.
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The Nautical Chart in the PER exam
The nautical chart is the most feared exercise in the PER exam and the one that causes the most fails. It is the highest-weighted block in the final mark and requires specific practice to master.
What is required in the exam?
In the official exam, an official nautical chart is provided and the student must solve exercises such as:
- ✓ Plot courses and bearings on the chart
- ✓ Calculate the vessel's position from two simultaneous bearings
- ✓ Solve leeway and current problems
- ✓ Calculate dead reckoning times and distances
- ✓ Identify chart elements: depth contours, lighthouses, buoys and beacons
- ✓ Read and apply the compass rose and distance scale
⚠ The chart used in the PER exam is the official chart of the Spanish Navy Hydrographic Institute. Not valid for real navigation.
Why use SailVoyager to prepare for the PER
SailVoyager is an online nautical chart simulator designed specifically to prepare for the PER exam. Practising with the simulator lets you become familiar with the chart and exercises before the real exam.
Identical chart to the exam
Practise with the same chart you will use in the official exam, in interactive digital format.
Practise at your own pace
Access 24 hours a day from your computer or tablet. No schedules, no travel.
Recommended by academies
Nautical academies across Spain use SailVoyager as a support tool for their students.
No installation required
Works directly from the browser. All you need is a computer or tablet and an internet connection.
Frequently asked questions about the PER
Prepara el PER desde tu ciudad
SailVoyager funciona desde cualquier lugar de España. Elige tu ciudad para ver información específica sobre convocatorias, capitanías y consejos locales.
PER en Madrid
Capitanía Marítima de Madrid · Exámenes frecuentes en la capital.
PER en Barcelona
Costa Mediterránea · La Barceloneta y el Port Olímpic como referencia.
PER en Valencia
Marina Real Juan Carlos I · Puerto deportivo de referencia del Mediterráneo.
PER en Málaga
Costa del Sol · A pocos kilómetros del Estrecho de Gibraltar.
PER en Sevilla
Capitanía Marítima de Sevilla · Tradición náutica del Guadalquivir.
PER en Bilbao
País Vasco · Una de las flotas deportivas más activas del norte.
PER Online
Prepara el PER desde casa · Sin desplazamientos, a tu ritmo.
PER en Alicante
Marina Alta · Una de las flotas de recreo más activas del Mediterráneo.
PER en Palma de Mallorca
Islas Baleares · Port Andratx y la Bahía de Palma como referencia náutica.
PER en Tenerife
Islas Canarias · Navegación todo el año en el Atlántico.
PER en Gran Canaria
Las Palmas · Puerto de Mogán y Marina de Pasito Blanco.
PER en Santander
Cantabria · Bahía de Santander y el litoral cántabro.
PER en A Coruña
Galicia · Rías Altas y puerta de entrada al Atlántico norte.
PER en Vigo
Rías Baixas · Navega hasta las Islas Cíes y las islas atlánticas.
PER en Cádiz
Bahía de Cádiz · El Estrecho de Gibraltar como escenario de examen.
PER en Cartagena
Murcia · Mar Menor y litoral mediterráneo. La capitanía con más convocatorias.
PER en Gijón
Asturias · Litoral cántabro y puertos del norte.
PER en Ibiza
Pitiusas · Navega entre Ibiza y Formentera con total autonomía.
PER en Menorca
Baleares · Más de 200 calas accesibles solo en barco.
PER en Mallorca
Baleares · La isla con mayor densidad de embarcaciones de recreo de España.
PER en Murcia
Mar Menor · Una de las capitanías con más convocatorias PER del año.
PER en Irún
Gipuzkoa · Sede del examen náutico en el País Vasco oriental.
PER en Castellón
Costa del Azahar · Mediterráneo norte valenciano en crecimiento náutico.
PER en Asturias
Cantábrico · 300 km de litoral y una de las capitanías más activas del norte.
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