Puerto Rico
- Who issues it
- Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA), Oficina del Comisionado de Navegación [Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, Office of the Commissioner of Navigation].
- Minimum age
- 12 years
- Buoyage
- IALA region B
Do you need a licence?
Residents born after 1 July 1972 need a licence for motorboats requiring PR registration; others are outside this rule. Under 10: maximum 10 hp. Under 12: an adult must accompany operators above 10 hp. Under 14: an adult must accompany jet-ski operators.
Licencia de Navegación · Boating licence
From 12
- What it lets you do
- Motorboats requiring Puerto Rico registration, including jet skis; age and local operating restrictions apply.
- How you get it
- Approved course and written exam on boat handling and seamanship; 80% to pass.
- Where to study
- Read the guideStudy it in Academy
Professional deck titles
Rating Forming Part of a Navigational Watch (RFPNW)
STCW II/4- What it lets you do
- Deck rating supporting the navigation watch on seagoing ships.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Able Seafarer-Deck
STCW II/5- What it lets you do
- Qualified deck rating carrying out watchkeeping and other deck duties.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Master or Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch of Vessels of Less Than 500 GT Limited to Near-Coastal Waters
STCW II/3- What it lets you do
- Commands or keeps the navigation watch on ships below 500 GT, limited to near-coastal waters.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch (OICNW)
STCW II/1- What it lets you do
- Watch officer: 500 GT or more, or a separate oceans endorsement restricted to ships below 500 GT.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Chief Mate
STCW II/2- What it lets you do
- Senior deck officer; separate endorsements cover 500 to below 3,000 GT and 3,000 GT or more.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Master
STCW II/2- What it lets you do
- Commands ships; separate II/2 endorsements cover oceans below 500 GT, 500 to below 3,000 GT and 3,000 GT or more.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Radio certificates
Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit
- What it lets you do
- No exam; basic radiotelephone operator permit.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit-Limited Use
- What it lets you do
- No exam; station-specific permission for eligible station licensees.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Marine Radio Operator Permit
- What it lets you do
- Radiotelephone permit; basic radio law and procedures.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
General Radiotelephone Operator License
- What it lets you do
- Qualification to adjust and maintain maritime transmitters.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Radiotelegraph Operator License
- What it lets you do
- Morse-code and advanced radiotelegraph qualification.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Restricted GMDSS Radio Operator's License
ROC- What it lets you do
- Restricted operator certificate; exam covers GMDSS in sea area A1.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
GMDSS Radio Operator's License
GOC- What it lets you do
- General GMDSS operator certificate.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
GMDSS Radio Maintainer's License
- What it lets you do
- Qualification in GMDSS radio maintenance.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
GMDSS Radio Operator/Maintainer License
GOC- What it lets you do
- Combined GMDSS operating and maintenance qualification.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Ship Radar Endorsement
- What it lets you do
- Endorsement covering ship radar installation and maintenance.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Six Months Service Endorsement
- What it lets you do
- Endorsement recording qualifying shipboard radiotelegraph service.
- Where to study
- Study it in Academy
Ready to study for it?
The Academy is free with an account: lessons for every topic, timed mocks marked like the real exam, and your progress saved.
Official sources: Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto — Ley de Navegación y Seguridad Acuática de Puerto Rico, Ley 430-2000, amended through August 2026 · DRNA — Licencia de Navegación, revised October 2025 · DRNA — Procedimientos para recibir servicios educativos; minimum age and licence application · US Coast Guard, National Maritime Center — STCW Guidance: II – Deck · Federal Communications Commission — 47 CFR Part 13, Commercial Radio Operators · US Coast Guard — 33 CFR 62.21, U.S. Aids to Navigation System