€58.40
State fee — the same nationwide, set in regulation
Costs · Category B
What does the Croatian boat licence actually cost?
The short answer: the Croatian Voditelj brodice kategorije B licence is cheap to obtain. There is no mandatory course, so the only unavoidable cost is the state fee of about €58.40. Everything else — a preparation course, a first-aid certificate, a certified translation, the standalone radio certificate — is optional and depends on what you already have. Done the bare way, the whole licence costs well under €100. ⓘ NotePossible 2027 law changes could make the theory exam stricter and a practical exam mandatory. Exactly what will change, and when, is still uncertain.
Published 24 June 2026 · Updated 24 June 2026
The one cost you cannot avoid: the state fee
To sit the category B exam you pay a single state administrative fee (državna / upravna pristojba) of about €58.40. This is set in regulation, so it is the same nationwide at every Lučka kapetanija (harbour master's office) — there is no separate "licence price" on top of it, and no per-office mark-up. You pay it into the state budget account shown on the application form, and bring proof of payment with your documents.
Because the figure is fixed by regulation rather than by a school, it can be revised. It is widely quoted at €58.40 for 2026, but treat that as the current figure and confirm the exact amount with your office or on the application form before you pay.
No course is required. Category B has no mandatory course — you may self-study and book the exam directly. So the cheapest honest route to the licence is simply self-study plus the state fee. A course is only compulsory for the commercial category C. See the full path on our how to get the licence guide.
The optional preparation course — what it costs and what it buys
Most candidates still take a preparation course (tečaj) run by a sailing school or nautical club, because it compresses the syllabus into a day or a weekend and the school usually handles the booking and paperwork for you. This is the single biggest optional cost, and it varies a lot.
Course prices are commonly in the region of €150–350, depending on the school, the format and the language. The cheapest are short group or online courses — some advertise from roughly €95–175 — while individual tuition or an in-person weekend sits at the upper end. Prices set by schools change and vary by region, so confirm the current price with the specific school.
- What it buys you. Structured teaching of the programme, study material or a manual, practice with chart work and knots, and — usefully for visitors — help with the registration and exam booking.
- What it does not change. A course does not replace the exam or the state fee, and it does not make the licence "official" any faster. The certificate is identical whether you studied alone or in a classroom.
- Language. Some schools offer the course in English, German or Italian. That is the teaching language — the official exam is still in Croatian and an English/German sitting is not guaranteed. Confirm before booking.
The small extras
Beyond the fee and any course, a few minor items round out the cost. Most people already have what they need, so for many candidates these add little or nothing.
- Two photos (3 × 3.5 cm). Standard document photos — a few euros from a photo booth or studio.
- Proof of first-aid knowledge. A driving licence is accepted as this proof, so most applicants pay nothing here. If you do not hold one, you need a separate first-aid certificate, which has its own cost — a Red Cross first-aid course is typically in the region of €50–70. No medical certificate is required for category B, only this first-aid proof.
- Certified translation (sometimes). If an office asks for a translation of your ID or other documents, a certified translation by a court interpreter is an extra cost. It is not always needed — ask your office first.
No medical certificate. Unlike the commercial category C and yacht-skipper certificates, the recreational category B needs no medical examination. That is one cost you can cross off entirely.
The radio certificate — a separate, optional cost
Basic marine VHF radiotelephony is already part of the category B syllabus, so a Croatian B holder is covered to use the boat's radio in Croatia. You do not have to buy a separate radio qualification to skipper a Croatian charter boat on a Croatian licence.
The standalone Short Range Certificate (SRC) — the full VHF/DSC radio operator certificate — is a separate supplementary exam (the maritime radiotelephony, RTF, exam) with its own cost. If you choose to add it, expect a small course fee plus a separate state exam fee; in practice this tends to land in the rough region of €60–120 all in, but figures vary, so confirm with the provider. It is worth knowing about mainly because most foreign skipper licences include no radio authority, so visitors using a foreign licence often need an SRC as a second document — the thing people are most often caught out by at charter handover. We cover that on our licence on holiday page.
Realistic totals
Putting it together, there are two honest routes, and the gap between them is almost entirely the optional course.
- Bare self-study route: roughly €60–90 — the ~€58.40 state fee plus a few euros for photos, assuming your driving licence covers first aid and no translation is needed.
- Course route: roughly €210–410 — the same fee and extras plus a preparation course at ~€150–350.
Add the SRC radio certificate only if you specifically want the full radio qualification, and add a first-aid course (~€50–70) only if you do not hold a driving licence. Every figure except the state fee varies by provider, region and year — these are realistic ranges for 2026, not fixed quotes, so confirm the current state fee and any course price before you commit.
The essentials
€0
Mandatory course — none is required for category B
€150–350
Optional preparation course, if you want one
<€100
Realistic total via the self-study route
Common questions
How much does the Croatian category B boat licence cost in total?
Done the cheapest honest way — self-study plus the state fee — well under €100, roughly €60–90 once you add document photos. With an optional preparation course it is more like €210–410.
What is the state fee for the category B exam?
About €58.40. It is a state administrative fee set in regulation, so it is identical at every harbour master's office. Confirm the current figure on the application form before paying, as fixed fees can be revised.
Do I have to pay for a course?
No. There is no mandatory course for category B, so the cheapest route is self-study plus the state fee. A preparation course is optional and typically costs around €150–350. A course is only required for the commercial category C.
Do I need to pay for a medical certificate?
No. The recreational category B requires no medical certificate — only proof of first-aid knowledge, for which a driving licence is accepted. A medical is needed only for category C and yacht-skipper certificates.
Is the radio (SRC) certificate included in the price?
Basic VHF use is already in the category B syllabus, so you pay nothing extra to use the boat's radio in Croatia on a Croatian B. The standalone SRC is a separate, optional exam with its own cost if you want the full radio operator certificate.
Why do some sites quote €150 or more as "the fee"?
Those usually bundle a preparation course or a school's package price with the state fee. The fee fixed by regulation is about €58.40; anything above that is an optional service a school is charging for. Always check what a quoted price actually includes.