If you take the exam for the Certificate of Competency for recreational sailors, you will get the necessary basic skills, which means that you can safely maneuver most recreational vessels.
With the Certificate of Competency for recreational sailors, you may sail as a mate, together with a Yacht Master of 3rd or 1st class, on recreational vessels between 15 and 24 meters in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, around the British Isles, Norway, the Faroe Islands and along the coasts of Greenland .
A valid Certificate of Competency for recreational sailors also entitles you to sail a power boat, and with the certificate, you do not also need to have a power boat certificate.
The exam for recreational sailors gives access to the test for Yacht Master 3rd class.
The Master of recreational vessels between 15 and 24 meters must have a Certificate of Competency as a Yacht Master
Digital Certificate of Competency
Certificates of competency are now fully digital, this also applies to Certificate of Competency for recreational sailors.
Certificates issued after 4 December 2024 are digital and can therefore be displayed via the My Maritime app and our self-service, as documentation for e.g. Police on the water.
How do you obtain a Certificate of Competency?
You obtain the certificate by passing the exam for recreational sailors. The exam consists of a theoretical and a practical exam. When you have passed a partial exam or the overall exam, you will be given documentation for passing the exam by the approved provider.
The exam must establish that you can function in a safe manner as a mate in larger recreational vessels and take care of the safety of your own vessel and persons on board, taking into account the surroundings, and includes, among other things, rules of the road, terrestrial navigation, safety at sea, prevention and fighting of fire in small vessels and protection of the marine environment.
You can get lessons in sailing clubs and at evening schools, and the approved providers arrange the exam. You must therefore contact an approved provider. to register for the exam.
Questions regarding exams and training should be directed to the approved providers.
Certificate of Competency for recreational sailors
For your application for a Certificate of Competency, you must have a valid vision and hearing test certificate for recreational sailors (Danish only).
Only approved maritime medical examiners can issue vision and hearing test certificates for recreational sailors, alternatively a Danish specialist in ophthalmology.
When you have passed your exam in sailing for recreational sailors, are of legal age and not under guardianship, and have a valid vision and hearing test, you can apply for the Certificate of Competency from the Danish Maritime Authority.
If you have passed a power boat exam, this can constitute the practical part of the exam when applying for a Certificate of Competency.
When you apply, you must have your MitID and payment card ready. A certificate costs DKK 855.
Apply for Certificate of Competency for recreational sailors
The competency exam (plastic card) and rights
The competency exam is still a very good way for recreational sailors to acquire good skills to navigate safely on the water, also in recreational vessels under 15 meters, where there is no requirement for certificates.
Documentation for a passed recreational sailing exam (plastic card) no longer gives the right to sail a power boat. It is only the Certificate of Competency that gives rights to sail recreational vessels between 15 and 24 metres, as well as power boats.
With a passed competency exam you can still be issued a power boat certificate if you do not want the Certificate of Competency for recreational vessels over 15 metres.