Portugal's five boat types and where each may go
1The lesson in plain words
Portuguese-registered recreational boats use types 1–5. Your boat's type sets its navigation area.
One law
Portuguese recreational boating is governed by Decreto-Lei 93/2018, the RJNR (legal regime for recreational boating), in force since 1 January 2019. A design category describes the boat's weather capability. The boats are called ER (embarcações de recreio). The DGRM (the maritime administration) issues licences and runs inspections of types 1–3. The AMN (National Maritime Authority) registers boats and runs type 4–5 inspections.
Five types
Type 1: ocean, unlimited (design category A). Type 2: offshore, up to 200 nautical miles (NM) from the coast (A/B). Type 3: coastal, up to 40 NM from the coast (A/B/C). Type 4: restricted coastal, within 25 NM of a porto de abrigo (port of shelter) and 6 NM of the coast (A/B/C). Type 5: sheltered waters, within 3 NM of a port of shelter (A/B/C/D).
Sheltered waters
Águas abrigadas (sheltered waters) are waters within 3 NM of a port of shelter, plus small bays, lakes, rivers, canals and reservoirs. The definition assumes wind no stronger than Beaufort force 4 and significant wave height no more than 0.3 m—the average height of the highest third of waves. Type 5 boats need no navigation lights if they sail only between sunrise and sunset. A rowing-only type 5 boat stays within 1 NM of the coast.
Night and jet skis
Jet skis and motorised boards may not sail between sunset and sunrise unless the local AMN office authorises it in advance. Each port authority (Capitania) lists its ports of shelter and local rules in its edital (local notice), so read it before you sail.
Near the beach
At a bathing beach, the first 300 m from the water's edge are for swimmers only: no boats. Use the marked access corridors, at the minimum speed needed to steer, at right angles to the shore. At other maritime beaches, you may navigate, anchor and practise water sports subject to local notices and area restrictions.
2Key data
- Type 1 / type 2
- No limit / up to 200 NM from the coast
- Type 3
- Up to 40 NM from the coast
- Type 4
- 25 NM from a port of shelter and 6 NM from the coast
- Type 5
- Sheltered waters, within 3 NM of a port of shelter
- Bathing beach
- No boats within 300 m; perpendicular corridors only
- Design categories
- 1: A · 2: A/B · 3–4: A/B/C · 5: A/B/C/D
3Key points
- 1
DL 93/2018 classes Portuguese-registered ER as type 1 to 5 by design category and distance.
- 2
Type 4: 6 NM from the coast and 25 NM from a port of shelter. Type 5: 3 NM from a port of shelter.
- 3
The type number follows the registration number on the stern, e.g. NAME-123456-4PT.
- 4
No boats within 300 m of a bathing beach; jet skis do not sail at night without permission.
4Frequent mistakes
Wrong: A type 4 boat may go 25 NM offshore.
Right: Type 4 must stay within 6 NM of the coast as well as within 25 NM of a port of shelter.
Wrong: A type 5 boat may never go out at night.
Right: Other type 5 boats may operate at night with navigation lights. Jet skis and motorised boards also need prior AMN permission. The lights exemption applies only by day.
5Practice case & exam keys
Your boat is marked NAME-123456-5PT. In calm daylight your open-coast route, outside bays and inland waters, reaches 5 NM in a straight line from the nearest listed port of shelter. You then plan to anchor 150 m off a bathing beach. Is either plan allowed?
Show the answer
No. The open-coast route is outside the 3 NM shelter limit. Choose a destination within that limit and sheltered-water conditions. Anchoring 150 m off the bathing beach is inside the closed 300 m strip. Stay outside it; use a marked corridor only to approach at minimum steerage speed, perpendicular to shore.
Exam keys
- Types: 1 unlimited; 2 = 200 NM; 3 = 40 NM; 4 = 25 NM from shelter and 6 NM from coast; 5 = 3 NM from shelter.
- Águas abrigadas assume wind ≤ Beaufort 4 and significant wave height ≤0.3 m.
- Bathing beaches: 300 m closed to boats; corridors at right angles to the shore.
- Jet skis and motorised boards: no navigation from sunset to sunrise without AMN permission.
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