If you want to drive a vehicle on federal inland waterways, you generally need a driver's license.
Driving permit on federal waterways
You may only drive a vehicle on federal waterways if you are the holder of a corresponding permit. The permits are divided into different patent classes:
- Schifferpatent A: for driving all vehicles on inland waterways and maritime waterways up to the limit of maritime navigation
- Boatmasters' certificate B: for driving all vessels on inland waterways
- Boatmaster's certificate C1: for driving vessels with a length of less than 35 meters on inland waterways and maritime waterways up to the limit of navigation, except for
- licensed passenger vessels for the carriage of more than 12 passengers
- authorized passenger boats for the transport of more than 12 passengers
- pusher and tug boats with more than 73.6 kW (100 hp) of propulsion power
- Boatmaster's certificate C2: to navigate vessels with a length of less than 35 meters on inland waterways, except for
- licensed passenger vessels for the transport of more than 12 passengers
- licensed passenger boats for the transport of more than 12 passengers
- pusher and tug boats with more than 73.6 kW (100 hp) propulsion power
- Fireboat certificate D1: for driving fireboats and civil protection and disaster control vehicles on inland waterways and maritime waterways up to the limit of maritime navigation
- Fireboat certificate D2: for driving fireboats and civil protection and disaster control vehicles on inland waterways.
- Sport boat certificate (patent class E): for driving sport boats with a length of not more than 25 meters on inland waterways
- Ferry driver's license (patent class F): for driving ferries for a specific ferry station
Certain federal and state official vehicles do not require an official vehicle driving permit issued by the GDWS. These include:
- Service vehicles of the Federal Armed Forces, the Federal Customs Administration, the Federal Police, the Riot Police and the Water Police of the federal states with a length of less than 25 meters.
- Service vehicles of the civil defense and disaster control, the federal waterways and navigation administration, the state navigation administration and the fire department with a length of less than 20 meters.
Rhine patents
Special regulations apply on the Rhine. You may only drive a vehicle there if you are the holder of a Rhine patent or the holder of a boatmaster's certificate recognized as equivalent by the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine for the respective type and size of vehicle and for the route to be navigated.
To be distinguished are:
- Large patent: for driving all vehicles on inland waterways and maritime waterways up to the limit of maritime navigation
- Small patent: for driving a vehicle with a length of less than 35 meters,
- which is intended for the carriage of not more than 12 passengers
- provided that it:
- is not a tug or push boat, or
- does not move coupled vehicles
- Sport patent: for driving a sport craft with a length of less than 25 meters
- Authority patent: for driving authority vehicles and fire-fighting boats.
Special regulations apply to small craft up to 15 meters in length: these may be driven on the Rhine with a permit issued in accordance with national regulations. In Germany, for example, this is the sport boat license.
To obtain a skipper's certificate or Rhine patent, you must pass an examination at the General Directorate for Waterways and Shipping (GDWS).
Further certificates and patents
For vessels over 15 meters in length, a special route knowledge is additionally required on certain inland waterways and the Rhine. You can also obtain proof of special route knowledge by taking an examination at the GDWS.
A patent can also be issued as a Danube captain's patent. You are then allowed to drive vehicles on the Danube in international traffic, i.e. also outside the scope of the Binnenschifferpatentverordnung.
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