Navigation Course
You passed your Duelighedsprøve. What comes next?
You have completed both the theoretical and practical navigation exams.
For most newly graduated students, the most important next step is simple:
go sailing and build experience. A few additional
qualifications are worth considering now; the more advanced ones can wait.
Please note: The Danish recreational sailing qualification rules are
currently under review.
The Danish Maritime Authority is working on revised examination
requirements for several qualifications, with changes currently expected
from 1 January 2027. The detailed requirements are not
yet final and may change during the consultation process. The information
on this page therefore reflects the rules and arrangements applicable in
August 2026.
✓
Recommended next step
Go sailing and build experience
You do not need another certificate to keep sailing in the club or to
work towards skipper approval. Sail regularly, join different skippers
and boats, and build experience in a broad range of conditions.
This should be your main priority now.
Where you are today
What have you already achieved?
By passing both the theoretical and practical
Duelighedsprøve, you have completed the foundation of the
Danish recreational sailing qualification system.
Proof of Competency
You will receive documentation of your passed exams as a plastic card by
mail.
Registered with DMA
Your exam provider reports your results to the Danish Maritime
Authority.
No expiry
Your passed Duelighedsprøve does not expire and can be used as the basis
for further qualifications later.
It is useful to distinguish between your passed exams and the formal
Certificate of Competency (Sønæringsbevis). They are now
separate things. You do not automatically need the formal Sønæringsbevis
simply because you have passed the exams.
What can you do without anything further?
For ordinary recreational sailing in Denmark, there is generally no
certificate requirement for boats below 15 metres, except where specific
requirements apply – for example for certain speedboats and personal
watercraft.
The same principle applies in our club. We do not require
you to obtain a Sønæringsbevis, Speedbådsbevis or Yachtskipper certificate
before you can progress towards becoming a club skipper.
What matters from here is practical experience. Sail with different
skippers, on different boats and in different conditions.
📱
Download My Maritime
We recommend installing the Danish Maritime Authority's
My Maritime app.
Once your results have been reported, you should be able to see your
recreational sailing qualifications there. Future medical examinations
and digital Certificates of Competency can also be connected with your
maritime record.
Read more about My Maritime →
Useful additions now
Three qualifications you may want to consider
None of these are required for you to keep sailing in the club, but they
can be useful additions depending on the type of sailing you plan to do.
S
Speedbådsbevis
A simple and inexpensive addition if you want the qualification for
motorboats covered by the Danish speedboat rules. No additional exam
is required after your Duelighedsprøve.
DKK 200
Easy add-on after your exams
C
Sønæringsbevis
Consider this if you want the formal DMA Certificate of Competency and
the associated rights on larger recreational vessels.
DKK 1,480
Including sight/hearing examination
V
SRC / VHF
Particularly useful if you expect to do more cruising. SRC is required
if you want to operate maritime VHF radio equipment.
Approx. DKK 1,350
Club self-study option
Advanced qualifications – save these for later
Yachtskipper 3 and Motorpasning
These are valuable qualifications, but for most newly graduated students
there is no reason to rush into them. You will normally get much more
from the courses once you have built broad practical sailing experience
and, ideally, have progressed to being an approved club skipper.
Our recommendation is therefore to come back to these options
later.
Y3
Yachtskipper 3
Advanced navigation and skipper training for larger recreational
vessels. Best considered when you already have solid practical
experience to relate the theory to.
DKK 5–7,000+
Advanced option for later
M
Motorpasning
A separate qualification in marine engine operation and maintenance,
especially relevant for larger powered recreational vessels. Most
useful once you already have broader experience on the water.
Approx. DKK 5,400
Advanced option for later
Consider now
Speedbådsbevis – no additional exam required
If you mainly want the legal qualification for operating faster
motorboats, this is a simple and inexpensive option.
Because you have passed
both the theoretical and practical Duelighedsprøve, you
have already fulfilled the examination requirements for a speedboat
certificate.
You do not need to take another speedboat exam.
Certificate price
Ordered through Danish Yacht Union
DKK 200
How to order it
-
Go to
www.dyu.dk
and log in.
- Go to Elev → Genbestil kort.
-
Select the option relating to "duelighed til speedbåd".
Danish Yacht Union will verify that both parts of your Duelighedsprøve
have been registered.
The certificate qualifies you to operate the high-powered planing
motorboats below 15 metres that are covered by the Danish speedboat rules.
Please note:
Danish Yacht Union has informed us that a speedboat certificate issued
administratively through this route will not appear in the My Maritime
app.
Consider now
Sønæringsbevis – Duelighedsbevis i sejlads
The Sønæringsbevis is the formal
Certificate of Competency for recreational sailors
issued by the Danish Maritime Authority.
You have already completed the main requirements:
the theoretical and practical Duelighedsprøve.
How to get it
-
Book a sight and hearing examination with an approved
maritime doctor. Medical Office in Amaliegade is one option. Current
price: DKK 625.
-
The doctor reports the result electronically to the Danish Maritime
Authority.
-
Apply online through
dma.dk
using MitID.
- Pay the DMA certificate issuance fee of DKK 855.
Total expected cost
Sight/hearing examination + DMA issuance fee
DKK 1,480
The sight/hearing certificate is valid for three years.
The same medical examination can therefore also be used if you continue to
Yachtskipper 3 within that period.
What rights does it give you?
Mate on larger recreational vessels
Serve as mate on recreational vessels between 15 and 24 metres in the
relevant Northern European waters.
Speedboat rights
Operate boats for which a Danish speedboat certificate is required,
without obtaining a separate Speedbådsbevis.
Important:
The Sønæringsbevis does not qualify you to be master/skipper of a
recreational vessel between 15 and 24 metres. For this you need
Yachtskipper 3 or Yachtskipper 1.
Certificates of Competency are now issued digitally and can be accessed
through the Danish Maritime Authority's digital services, including My
Maritime.
Consider now
SRC / VHF certificate
SRC is independent of the other qualifications, but it is one of the most
useful additional certificates for anyone intending to do more cruising.
An SRC (Short Range Certificate) is required if you want
to operate maritime VHF radio equipment.
The course covers
VHF communication
Distress calls
Urgency & safety
DSC
EPIRB
SART
Radio procedures
Special club self-study option
We have negotiated a self-study course with Watergames for club
members.
Course: DKK 595
Course material: DKK 299
Exam fee: DKK 450
Sign up for SRC / VHF
Approx. DKK 1,350
For later
Advanced qualifications once you have solid experience
The next two qualifications are not the natural immediate step after your
Duelighedsprøve. We recommend focusing on practical sailing first and
revisiting them once you have built a broad base of experience –
preferably after becoming an approved club skipper.
Advanced option – consider later
Continue to Yachtskipper 3
Our recommendation:
Do not feel that you should continue directly to Yachtskipper 3 after the
Duelighedsprøve. For most students, the course is much more valuable once
you have built broad practical experience and ideally reached club skipper
level.
If you enjoyed navigation and would like to take your knowledge further,
Yachtskipper af 3. grad (Yacht Master 3rd class / Y3)
is the natural next educational step.
Your passed theoretical and practical Duelighedsprøve already qualifies
you to take the Y3 exam.
You do not need to obtain the Sønæringsbevis first.
What will you study?
Navigation
Voyage planning
Meteorology
COLREGs
Watchkeeping
Seamanship
Maritime law
Safety
Risk assessment
What rights does Y3 give you?
Master / skipper
Act as master of recreational vessels up to 24 metres in the relevant
Northern European waters.
Mate
Serve as mate on recreational vessels up to 24 metres more broadly.
Typical costs
DKK 3,000–5,000
Typical classroom course
Approx. DKK 2,000
Typical self-study course
Approx. DKK 1,300
Exam fee
In addition, you will need to pay the DKK 855 DMA certificate fee. A new
sight/hearing examination (DKK 625) is only required if you do not already
have a valid examination from within the previous three years.
Yachtskipper 3 in the club
We have previously organised a club-based Yachtskipper 3 course in
English. We cannot guarantee that it will run every year, but we
continuously evaluate the possibility depending on member interest and
demand.
Advanced option – consider later
Motorpasning – Certificate of Proficiency in Motor Operation
Our recommendation:
Treat Motorpasning as a later, specialist qualification. You will
generally get more value from the course after gaining broad sailing
experience and practical familiarity with boats and their systems.
Like SRC/VHF, motorpasning is an independent
qualification and does not build on your Duelighedsprøve. It is useful if
you want a more thorough understanding of marine engines and is required
for motor operation on recreational vessels of
15 metres and above with propulsion machinery of
100 kW or more, but less than 750 kW.
To obtain the certificate, you must pass a separate
duelighedsprøve i motorpasning. No sight/hearing
examination or separate DMA certificate application is required; the
approved exam provider issues the certificate after you pass the exam.
What will you learn?
Marine diesel engines
Engine systems
Electrical installations
Routine maintenance
Bilge systems
Fire prevention
Environmental protection
Engine operation
Availability and language
Not currently offered through the club:
We have not yet organised a motorpasning course in Syvstjernen. To our
knowledge, the qualification is currently available only in Danish through
external sailing schools and private course providers, for example
Watergames.
Typical cost
Approx. DKK 4,000
Course fee
Approx. DKK 1,150
Exam and certificate fee
Approx. DKK 280
Course book, where required
As a current example, Watergames lists the course at DKK 3,995, with an
additional exam/certificate fee of approximately DKK 1,150. A course book
may also be required at around DKK 279. This gives an estimated total of
approximately DKK 5,400. Prices vary by provider and may
change.
Our recommendation
What should you actually do next?
Priority #1
Go sailing. Build broad practical experience.
Useful additions now
Consider Speedbådsbevis, Sønæringsbevis and/or SRC depending on your
needs.
Once you are an experienced skipper
Revisit Yachtskipper 3 and Motorpasning if they fit your sailing
ambitions.
Not sure yet?
No problem. Your Duelighedsprøve does not expire.
The full picture
Danish recreational sailing qualifications
The overview below shows how the different Danish recreational sailing
qualifications relate to each other.
Overview from the Danish Maritime Authority
There is no hurry.
Your Duelighedsprøve is completed, your results will be registered with
the Danish Maritime Authority, and you can build on them later whenever
you need to.
Most importantly: go sailing, build experience and make use of what you
have learned.