NaCzarter Team
· Updated
How to get the Polish "żeglarz jachtowy" sailing licence or the "sternik motorowodny" powerboat licence
In Poland the "żeglarz jachtowy" sailing licence and the "sternik motorowodny" powerboat licence follow the same rules: from age 14 you sit an exam, that is a 75-question test and manoeuvres on the water. Then you apply for the document. A course is not mandatory. The exam costs 250 PLN, issuing the licence 50 PLN, pupils and students up to 26 pay half.
The rules have applied since 1 May 2013. They come from the regulation of the Minister of Sport and Tourism of 9 April 2013 on water tourism (consolidated text, Journal of Laws (Dz.U.) 2026 item 604). Before 2013 a course and a medical certificate were required; today neither is. In early November 2026 no changes for 2027 had been enacted, so you plan the 2027 season under today's rules.
What you may sail without a licence and what needs one
Whether you need a licence depends on the boat you sail. Without a licence you may helm a sailing yacht with a hull length up to 7.5 m and a motor yacht with an engine up to 10 kW. That is what the 2013 regulation and Article 37a(3) of the Inland Navigation Act say. The same Act (Article 37a(4)) also allows motor yachts up to 75 kW and 13 m of hull without a licence, with speed limited by design to 15 km/h, which in practice means houseboats. When you rent one, the owner must give you a water safety briefing, and we have a separate guide on which boats you can sail without a licence in Masuria.
- Żeglarz jachtowy (sailing licence) lets you helm sailing yachts on Polish inland waters with no length limit, which means every sailboat in Masuria. At sea it covers yachts up to 12 m of hull, up to 2 nautical miles from the shore, in daylight. It does not cover powerboats above 10 kW.
- Sternik motorowodny (powerboat licence) gives the same rights on motor yachts. Until the age of 16 only engines up to 60 kW. Towing a water skier needs a separate licence (age 18, a 25-question exam, 250 PLN).
- Offshore grades, the offshore skipper licences for sail and power (jachtowy sternik morski and motorowodny sternik morski), require age 18 and at least 2 sea voyages (200 hours in total). The exam costs 350 PLN, and the licence covers yachts up to 18 m.
The licence has no expiry date; the regulation provides for neither lapse nor periodic exams.
The exam step by step
Sailing exams are run by boards of the Polish Yachting Association (PZŻ) together with its regional associations, and by schools and centres authorised by the minister. In 2025 more than four fifths of sailing licences came from exams before boards of authorised schools and centres (PZŻ report for 2025). Powerboat exams are run by the Polish Motorboat and Water Ski Association (PZMWiNW). The licence itself is always issued by the association, and the school only organises the exam.
- Sign-up. Sailing exam dates are listed in the search tool at egzaminy.pya.org.pl, powerboat dates at egzaminy.pzmwinw.pl. You filter by grade, date range and the Warmian-Masurian voivodeship. In Masuria, exams take place at authorised schools and centres, usually at the end of a course. With the PZŻ, the application and the fee must arrive no later than 12 hours before the exam.
- Documents. Photo ID, proof of payment, a student card for the discount, written parental consent for minors.
- Theory. The single-choice test has 75 questions and lasts 90 minutes, and you pass with 65 correct answers. For the sailing licence it covers yacht construction, sailing theory, manoeuvring, pilotage, rescue, meteorology and regulations. For the powerboat licence, sailing theory is replaced by engines and personal watercraft.
- Practical. The board picks elements for you from the annex to the regulation. You must perform all of them correctly; one failed element may be repeated once. Among the items checked are tacking, gybing, approaching a buoy and a quay, heaving to, "man overboard", mooring under engine, knots. A failed exam is retaken in full after paying again.
- Licence application. After the exam you receive a certificate. You generate the application online (patenty.pya.org.pl or patenty.pzmwinw.pl), attach the certificate, a 3.5 by 4.5 cm photo and proof of the 50 PLN fee. The PZŻ says that in peak season it usually verifies an application within 10 days. With postage, allow a few weeks.
How much a licence costs in 2026 and 2027
The fees are set by § 22 of the regulation. The PZŻ price list has applied since 1 February 2026; the PZMWiNW price list gives the same amounts. The 50% discount for pupils and students up to 26 with a valid student card covers both the exam and the issue of the licence.
| Item | Full fee | Pupils and students up to 26 |
|---|---|---|
| Sailing licence exam (żeglarz jachtowy) | 250 PLN | 125 PLN |
| Powerboat licence exam (sternik motorowodny) | 250 PLN | 125 PLN |
| Issue of the licence | 50 PLN | 25 PLN |
| Total without a course, first attempt | 300 PLN | 150 PLN |
| Powerboat licence course, offer on NaCzarter | 750 PLN | no statutory discount |
| Sailing licence course, offer on NaCzarter | 1750 PLN | no statutory discount |
| Sailing licence course, market (group, residential) | approx. 1200–2500 PLN | depends on the school |
| Powerboat licence course, market (1–3 days) | approx. 800–1500 PLN | depends on the school |
Data: regulation of the Minister of Sport and Tourism (consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 item 604), PZŻ and PZMWiNW price lists and the course pages on NaCzarter, read in early November 2026. Market ranges from nationwide 2026 guides.
Dates, duration and venue of the powerboat licence course and the sailing licence course from the table are arranged by phone. Before signing up for any course, ask whether the exam and the licence fee are paid separately. Attending a course alone does not give you a licence.
Course or on your own
The rules let you turn up for the exam without a course and pay 300 PLN including the licence. You can cram the theory from a textbook, but practice is harder, because nobody learns tacking or approaching a buoy from a book. Going without a course makes sense if you have crewed for years and someone with a licence regularly handed you the helm.
For most people the better choice is a week-long residential course in Masuria, taken as a holiday, with the exam at the end. A group sailing course falls within the range in the table, depending on length, group size and accommodation. An individual course runs from 2500 to 3500 PLN. The pass rate is high. At exams held by PZŻ and regional association boards in 2024, 93.2% of candidates passed.
A teenager at the exam
You can get the licence from your 14th birthday. A minor attaches written consent of parents or guardians to the application (the PZMWiNW requires the signatures of both parents or a declaration by a sole guardian) and brings it to the exam. A powerboat licence holder under 16 may only helm yachts up to 60 kW. The sailing licence has no such restriction.
A 14-year-old with a licence may legally helm a sailboat in Masuria. Chartering works differently, because owners sign the contract with an adult and hand the yacht over to an adult, who pays the deposit and is liable for the equipment. That is a contract condition, not a legal rule. So the whole family can go on a course together.
Your first charter after the licence
The median hull length of the sailboats on NaCzarter is 8.3 m (autumn 2026), so most exceed the 7.5 m threshold and need a licence, and some motorboats need a powerboat licence. More than a hundred boats, mostly houseboats, can be rented without a licence, and they are listed on the page of yachts you can sail without a licence.
For your first solo cruise pick a gentle route and a yacht no bigger than the one from your course, for example following our plan for a first cruise for beginners. If you do not get the licence in time for the season, most boats in the offer come with a skippered charter option. It usually costs 400 PLN per day with the owner, sometimes up to 800 PLN.
Frequently asked questions
Can you pass the sailing licence exam without a course? Yes. Since 1 May 2013 all you need is to be 14 and to have paid the exam fee.
How many questions are on the exam and what is the pass mark? 75 single-choice questions in 90 minutes, pass mark 65 correct. The second part is manoeuvres on the water; you have to pass both.
Does the żeglarz jachtowy sailing licence limit me to 12 m? Not in Masuria. On inland waters there is no length limit. The 12 m and 2 miles from the shore in daylight apply at sea.
What changes in the licence exam in 2027? As of early November 2026 nothing has been enacted, and the consolidated text of the regulation from May 2026 changes neither the age, the fees nor the exam. The Ministry of Infrastructure is considering stricter rules for commercial yachts and a speed limitation certificate for houseboats (reply to a parliamentary question, February 2025), with no date set.
Can I helm a powerboat with the sailing licence? Only up to 10 kW, which is the same as without a licence. For a bigger engine you need the sternik motorowodny powerboat licence, a separate exam for 250 PLN.
Can a 14-year-old with a licence charter a yacht on their own? No. Owners sign the charter contract with an adult who pays the deposit.
Cover photo: NaCzarter.pl
