Sportbootführerschein Binnen

The Sportbootführerschein Binnen (SBF Binnen), is a German official pleasure-craft licence for the operation of sport boats on the German inland waterways. It is part of the unified German Sportbootführerschein system introduced in 2017, in which the respective scope of validity is recorded on a single licence card.

Legal basis

The legal basis of the Sportbootführerschein Binnen is the German Sportbootführerscheinverordnung (Sport Boat Licence Ordinance). Under that ordinance, anyone wishing to operate a sport boat on the German inland waterways requires a licence for the respective type of propulsion. The licence is evidenced by the Sportbootführerschein with the scope of validity Binnenschifffahrtsstraßen.

The current unified Sportbootführerschein ordinance entered into force on 10 May 2017 and replaced the earlier separate ordinances for inland and sea licences. Since then, there has been a single licence document on which one or both scopes of validity, inland and sea waterways, may be recorded.

Scope

According to official federal information, the Sportbootführerschein with the scope of validity Binnenschifffahrtsstraßen is required for the private operation of sport boats with engine propulsion of more than 11.03 kW when using an internal-combustion engine or more than 7.5 kW when using an electric motor on the German inland waterways.

A licence for sailing craft is required only on the inland waterways listed in Annex 8 to the ordinance.

ELWIS also states that the card is issued as an International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft under UNECE Resolution No. 40. Previously issued German sport boat licences remain valid.

Requirements

Under the ordinance, an applicant for a Sportbootführerschein for engine-powered sport boats must be at least 16 years old. For sailing craft, the minimum age is 14. Applicants must also be medically fit, reliable, and must have demonstrated the required competence by passing an examination. Applicants under the age of 18 require the consent of their legal representative.

Medical fitness must be certified by a physician in accordance with the ordinance. The regulation also permits supporting evidence for eyesight and hearing from recognized testing bodies.

Examination

The competence required for the Sportbootführerschein Binnen must be demonstrated in an examination. Under the ordinance, the examination normally consists of a theoretical part and a practical part. The individual parts may be taken at different times and before different examination committees, including those of the other delegated association.

The details of the theoretical and practical examination are laid down in the annexes to the ordinance. To pass, all parts of the examination must be completed successfully within one year from the first part-examination. A failed part may not be repeated on the same day.

Official federal information lists separate question catalogues for the inland and sea scopes of validity.

Administration

The administration of the Sportbootführerschein system is delegated by the federal authorities to the Deutscher Segler-Verband and the Deutscher Motoryachtverband. Examination committees of these associations conduct the examinations and issue the licence on behalf of the state under the governing ordinance.

Position in the German certification system

The Sportbootführerschein Binnen is the basic official German licence for sport boats on inland waterways. Together with the Sportbootführerschein See, it forms the entry level of the German recreational licensing system. More advanced or specialized qualifications include, among others, the Sportküstenschifferschein, the Sportseeschifferschein, and the Sporthochseeschifferschein for sea-going navigation, while larger sport craft on inland waterways may require a Sportschifferzeugnis.

Unlike the advanced certificates, the Sportbootführerschein Binnen is a mandatory legal licence within its scope of application rather than merely a higher-level qualification.