Navigability certificate: what it is and how to obtain it

Every sailor must know the documentation that you must carry on your boat when you go to sea, because they can be requested at any time by the Civil Guard and Not having them can be grounds for sanctions.. One of the most important is the navigability certificate: in this post we tell you everything you need to know about it.

What is the navigability certificate?

This is the document that contains the basic boat information and safety equipment which it must have. It corresponds to the technical sheet of a vehicle and must necessarily reflect the following data:

• Name and tuition of the boat
• Vessel identification number (NIB)
• Technical data, including approval
• Kind of propulsion
• Zone approved navigation
• Certificate of the Technical Ship Inspection
• Equipment generator
• System of bilge and fire of the boat
• Inventory of rescue equipment, anchoring and navigation material
• Team of radio installed

How is it obtained?

The merchant navy It is the body in charge of issuing seaworthiness certificates for ships in Spain. To obtain it, you must fill out the corresponding form including the data of the vessel, as well as the applicant and the representative, among others.

Next, you must go to one of the Associates (the complete list can be consulted at the Maritime Captaincy to which the ship belongs) so that they can carry out the relevant inspection, which ensures that the boat meets all the requirements. This process usually takes between 15 and 30 days, approximately.

If everything is in order, the certificate of navigability will be available after a few days.

Requirements

To request the navigability certificate, the following requirements must be met:

• A maximum length of 24 meters or, failing that, capacity for 12 crew members.
• Application of the Certificate of Navigability correctly completed.
• Presentation of National identity document, original and photocopy (original and photocopy of the passport in the case of foreigners).
• documentary evidence of the property of the boat, the sales receipt or the title of ownership being valid.

Where to get it?

As we have already pointed out, the body in charge of issuing navigability certificates is the Merchant Marine, through different approved collaborating entities, who act as “inspectors” of the vessel's requirements before providing the certificate.

Validity

The validity of the navigability certificate is indefinite, does not have an express expiration date, although it must be renew if any of the characteristics change of the vessel it collects, such as the name or the navigation area, for example. It should be noted that, to be valid, the navigability certificate must always accompany the navigation permit.

Can the navigation area be changed in the Certificate?

This is a very common question. Yes, it is possible to vary the navigation area of a boat, although depending on its year of construction the procedure will be different.

The boats built from 1998Including, both in the European Union and imported, they have the CE marking based on a Written declaration of European conformity, a certificate issued by the shipyard or builder of the boat. For practical purposes, this means that the navigation area must always be in accordance with what this declaration indicates and the only way to change it is to obtain a new certificate signed by a naval engineer.

On the contrary, for ships built before 1998 that do not have the CE marking, it is possible to request a change of navigation area under the protection of a Extraordinary ABI or in one technical report made by a naval engineer, which includes:

• Detailed description of the boat
• Stability and minimum freeboard study
• Study of the boat, defining in detail the characteristics of the laminate
• Study of maximum load capacity

Application regulations

The standard that refers to the certificate of navigability of a vessel is the RD 1435/2010, of November 5, which refers to the application for the certificate and the prior conditions that the vessel must meet to obtain it. 

Furthermore, in the law 4/2000, of December 29, reference is made to the fees payable in the processing of the certificate.

How much does it cost to get the navigability certificate?

Regardless of the official rates, which mark the Ministry of Transport, the processing of the navigability certificate It does not have a fixed price, since the cost depends directly on the size of the boat and the prices set by the inspection entity, although it may vary between 200 euros of a boat 6 meters in length up to more than 1200, in the case of larger ships.