Lawyer and economist Miguel Ángel Serra explains the significance of a simplified charter licence that should be in place for the 2023 season…
On 21 March, 2023, the Regulation on the Maritime Navigation Planning was published in the Spanish Official State Gazette, introducing important measures, among which the following should be highlighted:
1) Simplified ‘charter licence’
A simplified clearance regime has been established to assist charter yachts operating in Spain. The procedure requires the presentation of a simple affidavit of responsibility, leaving behind the obsolete process of obtaining prior and express authorisation (charter licence) that largely collapsed harbour master offices during summer periods and which put at risk obtaining the charter licence prior to the dates committed to by ship owners, forcing vessels to wait physically in port until the licence was granted.