Legal requirements and documents of Seagoing Yachts and other watercraft of less than 24 m in length flying the Polish flag

1. Watercraft Registration Certificate

• Issued under the provisions of the Act of 12 April 2018 on registration of yachts and other watercraft of less than 24 m in length (Journal of Laws of 2024, item 79)
• Confirms ownership and Polish nationality of watercraft
• Specifies if the yacht is registered as recreational or commercial (in the box a6: the abbreviation “JR” means: “recreational yacht”, the abbreviation “JK” means: “commercial yacht”)

Recreational yacht means pleasure craft and may be used for private purpose only. According to Polish law, it is not allowed to use a recreational yacht for any commercial purposes, including bareboat charter and charter with a crew.

The provisions of the Act of 12 April 2018 on registration of yachts and other watercraft of less than 24 m in length do not apply to any passenger ships understood as ships carrying more than 12 passengers on board. Passenger ships have to be registered in register of sea-going vessels (Register of Ships) according to the provisions of the Maritime Code of 18 September 2001 and meet all the requirements for passenger ships.

Registration alone is not sufficient for a yacht to be legally operated. Every yacht needs to meet specific safety and technical requirements specified by polish law, confirmed by an appropriate document, and shall be manned by a properly qualified crew.

You can use the link https://verification.reja24.gov.pl/ in order to verify:

• validity of Watercraft Registration Certificate (enter the registration certificate number, you can find in the box b2)
• documents required for operation of the yacht or watercraft (enter the registration number, you can find in box a1)

2. Yacht Safety Certificate

The Yacht Safety Certificate is issued under the provisions of Article 23.1 of the Act of 18 August 2011 on Maritime Safety (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1666 as amended) after a safety inspection by the Director of Maritime Office in Gdynia or Maritime Office in Szczecin (depending on the yacht’s port of registry). The Polish Register of Shipping (PRS) is also authorised by the Polish Government to carry out yachts’ inspections and issue Safety Certificates.

The Yacht Safety Certificate is an obligatory requirement for:

• seagoing commercial yachts (irrespective of their size);
• seagoing recreational yachts of more than 15 m in length.

For seagoing recreational yachts of up to 15 m in length the Yacht Safety Certificate is recommended, but not obligatory.

During a safety inspection:

• Class Certificate or another document issued after a technical survey,
• Meeting the conditions for safe navigation of seagoing yachts, depending on their length and sailing area, e.g. equipment required by the Regulation of the Minister of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy of 28 February 2012 on the safety of navigation by seagoing yachts.

https://portal.reja24.gov.pl/documents/20123/34471/Regulation.pdf/12217a71-49a8-796a-e450-d5fd03d86def?t=1649935025280

are checked.

The Yacht Safety Certificate also specifies minimum safe manning by listing the minimum number of crew and certificates of competency required.

3. Class Certificate or document issued after technical survey

The Class Certificate is a document certifying seaworthiness of a seagoing yacht in technical terms. The Yacht, its devices and equipment are subject to technical supervision of their compliance with requirements regarding construction, reconstruction, equipment, repairs and technical inspections.

According to authorisation of the Polish Government, the Class Certificate of seagoing yacht may be issued by a Polish Register of Shipping (PRS), and, in case of yachts of up to 15 m in length, also Polish Yachting Association (PYA) may issue a technical document (Seaworthines Certificate)

4. Obligation to notify any changes to the registration authority

The yacht owner is obliged to notify the registration authority - within 30 days - about the change of the yacht owner or the actual condition of the yacht that requires an amendment of data included in the register, in particular, a change of the actual state that requires removal of the yacht from the register.

Register of yachts and other watercraft of less than 24 m in length is kept in Polish language only.

See the graphic: Documents required for operation of sea-going yachts under the Polish flag - https://portal.reja24.gov.pl/requirements-and-documents

Contact details:

1. If you need to contact a competent authority for safety inspections:

Maritime Office in Gdynia (depending on the yacht’s port of registry), Flag State Inspectorate – email: fsc@umgdy.gov.pl

Maritime Office in Szczecin (depending on the yacht’s port of registry), Flag State and Port State Inspectorate – email: fsc.psc@ums.gov.pl

Polish Register of Shipping, Inland Waterway Vessels, Yachts and Boats Survey Department – email: ki@prs.pl

2. For details related to the yacht’s registration procedure, please contact one of the registration authorities, e.g. the Polish Yachting Association or Polish Motorboat and Water Ski Association.

          https://pya.org.pl/polski-zwiazek-zeglarski/page/kontakt

          http://www.motorowodniacy.org/kontakt.html

3. If you have any questions related to e-services 24/7 - REJA24, please contact: pomoc@reja24.gov.pl