To fish from a boat in Andalusia, every angler needs their own licence. The process is simple, but the rules are halfway through a change and it pays to know which part applies today.
The recreational sea fishing licence in Andalusia is issued by the Junta de Andalucía department responsible for fishing, and you apply online. It is personal and non-transferable, every person who fishes needs one, whether from the shore, a boat or a kayak, and you must carry it while fishing, on paper or in digital form. It is regulated by Decree 205/2023.
To apply online, the Junta states that you need a digital certificate; you can also apply in person, by appointment. The process carries a fee, except for the exemptions set by the rules. Alquiler Náutico does not issue fishing licences, so every angler must have theirs before the trip and carry it on the day they board.
Decree 205/2023 of 29 August, published in the Official Gazette of Andalusia (BOJA) on 4 September 2023, which regulates recreational sea fishing in Andalusia’s inland waters and repeals Decree 361/2003. Under its Article 4, the licence is issued by the department responsible for recreational sea fishing and is compulsory for every type of fishing.
There is an important catch. Several parts of the 2023 decree, including how the licence is obtained and how long it lasts, come into force once the Junta launches the software application and approves the order that implements it. Until then, some articles of Decree 361/2003 and its 2004 order still apply, so before applying it is worth checking the current procedure on the Junta’s online services site.
Anyone fishing in Andalusia’s inland waters, in any form: from the shore, from a boat or spearfishing. The decree also counts fishing from a kayak, a canoe or a paddle board as fishing from a boat. The licence is personal and non-transferable, so it cannot be lent and you cannot use someone else’s.
To fish under your own licence, the decree requires anglers to be over 14. If the applicant is a minor, Decree 361/2003, still in force on this point, requires the consent of the person with parental authority or guardianship. On Alquiler Náutico fishing trips, every angler carries their own personal licence, even though the boat and the skipper belong to the company.
According to the Junta de Andalucía, the licence can be processed online, for which you need a digital certificate, or in person using the forms at the regional delegations or the district agricultural offices, by appointment. Under the 2023 decree, applications go through the Junta de Andalucía’s single electronic registry.
Do not leave it until the day before. Decree 361/2003, still in force on this point, gives the authorities up to three months to decide, and if that period passes without an answer the application may be taken as granted. The sensible thing is to apply as soon as you have the date of the trip and to check beforehand that your digital certificate works on the computer you will use.
Under the rules that still apply until the implementing order arrives, the Junta explained in 2021 that the shore fishing licence (class 1) and the boat fishing licence (class 2) are valid for three years, while the collective licence for boats (class 3) and the breath-hold spearfishing licence (class 4) are valid for one year.
Decree 205/2023 changes that scheme: the licence will be able to last 1 day, 3 days, 1 month, 1 year, 2 years or 3 years, as the applicant chooses, and it can be renewed if the conditions have not changed. That is the option that best suits someone here on a week’s holiday, but it depends on that part of the decree being in force: check the procedure before paying.
Not as a general rule. Decree 361/2003, which still applies on this point, requires the application to include proof of payment of the fees set by current legislation, so the process has a cost. The amount does not appear in the decree: the Junta de Andalucía states it when you process the licence.
The 2023 decree provides that people over 65, and those receiving the national minimum living income or Andalusia’s minimum income for social inclusion, will get it free of charge. That exemption is in Article 5, one of the articles waiting for the implementing order, so confirm it in the procedure before assuming you will not pay.
The Andalusian decree itself sets out what Law 5/2023 on sustainable fishing says: in offshore waters a licence issued by a coastal autonomous region is always required, and an inland waters licence issued by an autonomous region is also valid in offshore waters and in the inland waters of the other regions in the same fishing ground.
It also works the other way round. Licences granted by another Spanish authority, another autonomous region or a member state of the European Union are valid for fishing in Andalusia’s inland waters; the decree asks for them to be validated, free of charge, for entry in the Andalusian register. A United Kingdom licence does not fall into that category, because the UK is not an EU member state.
Carrying it and showing it if officers ask for it. Keeping to the limit of 5 kilos live weight per licence per day, or 4 kilos gutted, not counting one of the fish, and marking every catch as soon as it is landed on board with a cut to the lower lobe of the tail fin. The catch is for your own consumption and may not be sold.
With the licence in order, the boat provides the rest. The fishing boats go out with a skipper and carry rod holders, a live well, an echo sounder, a cool box and tackle for anyone who does not bring their own. Half-day trips last 4 to 5 hours and full-day trips 8, leaving between 7 and 8 in the morning. To book, call +34 669 06 27 56.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
No. Alquiler Náutico is not a sailing school and does not issue fishing licences. The licence is issued by the Junta de Andalucía and each angler obtains it themselves before the trip.
Yes. Decree 205/2023 allows it on paper or in digital form, but you must have it with you while fishing and show it if officers ask for it.
To fish under your own licence you must be over 14. If the applicant is a minor, the Junta requires the consent of the person with parental authority or guardianship.
The process carries a fee, and the Junta states the amount when you apply. Decree 205/2023 provides that it will be free for people over 65 once that part comes into force.
Leave us your number and we will call you. In July and August it is worth booking ahead.
Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola, local 367. You can drop in and see the boats before you book.
At no charge. Going out to see what happens is never worth it.
Life jackets for everyone on board, included in the price.
