SPYRO
RIVA SUPER OPERA 85 About SPYRO Introducing the 25.9-meter motor yacht SPYRO, a stunning Riva 85 Opera crafted in Italy by the prestigious Riva shipyard.
THE EYB COUNTRY GUIDES · Portugal
Separate the official inspection rules from your purchase condition brief, and check verified DGRM charges before arranging attendance.
Boat survey Portugal can mean different things to a buyer planning a purchase and an owner checking statutory certification. The official recreational regime defines initial, periodic and extraordinary inspections, each with a particular purpose. For a purchase, a clearly written condition brief helps you decide what further examination you want commissioned. This guide sets out the verified official inspection rules and charges, then gives practical recommendations for reviewing the boat without confusing certification with a complete purchase assessment.
Check the boat's classification, first-registration history and inspection records before booking work. Agree the access and scope for any separate condition examination in writing. The verified DGRM tariff below applies to the listed official services; it is not a private purchase-survey price or a guarantee of a professional's availability. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Key facts at a glance
Article 23 identifies initial, periodic and extraordinary recreational-craft inspections. (Consolidated text last amended 13 October 2020.)
Diário da República ·Article 25 describes the periodic inspection as checking safety and minimum mandatory equipment through dry and afloat inspection. (Consolidated text last amended 13 October 2020.)
Diário da República ·Article 25 specifies a ten-year periodic inspection interval for recreational craft generally from first registration. (Consolidated text last amended 13 October 2020.)
Diário da República ·Article 25 specifies five-year intervals for craft over 24 metres, wooden-hulled craft over 12 metres and craft over 20 years from first registration. (Consolidated text last amended 13 October 2020.)
Diário da República ·Annex III lists an initial or periodic DGRM inspection of recreational craft under 12 metres at €280.20 per technician visit. (Order 12/DG/2026, dated 18 February 2026, effective 1 March 2026.)
DGRM – DGRM 2026 tariff, visually checked in the off ·Section 1
Article 23 distinguishes initial, periodic and extraordinary recreational-craft inspections. The initial inspection is described in Article 24 as checking applicable safety, navigability and mandatory-equipment requirements before registration. Specified conformity-assessed craft are exempt from that initial inspection under the conditions in the article. As a practical recommendation, ask the competent authority which inspection position applies to this particular boat rather than assuming every registration needs the same attendance or that a previous foreign document automatically settles the Portuguese procedure.
A periodic inspection checks safety conditions and minimum mandatory equipment through dry and afloat examination under Article 25. That statutory purpose should be kept clear when you plan a purchase. As a practical recommendation, ask any appointed condition professional to state separately which parts of the hull, machinery, systems and equipment they will examine for your buying decision. Do not assume the official certification report is identical to the scope you would commission for investigating wear, damage or an unresolved fault.
Give the person examining the boat the available maintenance and inspection records, together with a written list of concerns. This is a practical recommendation for defining useful work, not a statutory document list for every purchase. Ask what access is needed, what cannot be examined and how findings will be reported. An agreed scope should make the exclusions understandable before attendance. Keep the official inspection question, the seller's disclosures and your own decision criteria in view, so one successful check is not treated as an answer to everything.
Broker tip: Identify the required official inspection first, then define any separate purchase-condition work in writing. Ask what will be examined and excluded, and preserve the distinction when reviewing the resulting reports. Readers often go on to our guide on how to buy a boat in Portugal.
Surveyor carrying out an engine inspection on a boat.
Official inspection types
Section 2
The ordinary periodic inspection interval in Article 25 is ten years from first registration. Five-year intervals apply to craft over 24 metres, wooden-hulled craft over 12 metres and craft over 20 years from first registration. These conditions need the actual records, dimensions and hull material. As a practical recommendation, compare the boat's existing report and first-registration history before scheduling the next inspection, and ask the authority to confirm the position where an older record or classification leaves uncertainty.
DGRM's service for types 1–3 identifies the owner or legal representative as applicant and directs the request through BMar under Vistorias. It requires a copy of the front and back of the booklet. As a practical recommendation, prepare the legible document and applicant details before submission, then retain the request and any follow-up correspondence. A prospective buyer should agree with the owner who will arrange the official request rather than assuming the purchase-condition appointment completes the owner's administrative inspection procedure.
For the practical appointment, ask the inspection provider how the boat should be presented and which access arrangements need to be confirmed. This is advice for preparing the work, not a claim about a standard local booking delay. Coordinate any lifting, berth access or attendance with the relevant operator and obtain written arrangements. Keep a missing document or unavailable system visible in the work plan. The official sources used here do not establish a universal appointment queue or promise that an incomplete boat will pass inspection.
Broker tip: Use the first-registration record, hull material and dimensions to check the interval. Agree who submits the official request and organise access separately, keeping the appointment evidence and booklet copy in the boat's file. Our guide on what boat insurance you need in Portugal covers a related point.
Boat lifted by a travel lift for a haul-out survey.
Ordinary periodic interval
Buying or selling a boat in Portugal and want a second opinion? Speak to one of our brokers.
Section 3
DGRM Order 12/DG/2026 provides the current inspected tariff entries for official recreational-craft services. Annex III lists an initial or periodic inspection below 12 metres at €280.20 per technician visit. The charge is attached to a defined service and length band, not to the sale price or a complete purchase package. As a practical recommendation, confirm that this is the exact authority service being requested and ask what separate arrangements, such as lifting or operator access, still need their own quotation.
For initial or periodic inspections, the same annex lists €423.30 per technician visit for boats at least 12 metres but under 24 metres, and €566.30 for boats at least 24 metres long. Keep the boundary conditions clear when checking the craft's recorded dimensions. As a practical recommendation, request an itemised confirmation for the work you need, then budget any independently commissioned condition examination separately. The published DGRM amount should not be presented as the verified charge of a private professional.
An extraordinary recreational-craft inspection is listed in the annex at €423.30 per technician visit. Its entry is separate from the initial and periodic length bands. As a practical recommendation, ask which service applies and why before confirming attendance, especially if the boat's condition or classification has prompted a further authority question. This guide does not invent a standard purchase-survey fee, an all-inclusive inspection bill or a customary number of visits. The actual requested service and separately quoted operator work determine your budget. No standard private purchase-condition survey price or universal service scope was verified. No current local appointment queue or routine paperwork delay was verified. For these, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Broker tip: Confirm the service and recorded length before using the tariff. Obtain separate quotations for lifting, access and privately commissioned condition work, and do not describe the official attendance fee as an all-inclusive purchase cost. A related question is answered in our guide on boat valuation in Portugal.
Yacht broker and buyer inspecting a sailing yacht on deck.
Below twelve metres
Annex III lists an initial or periodic DGRM inspection of recreational craft under 12 metres at €280.20 per technician visit. (Order 12/DG/2026, dated 18 February 2026, effective 1 March 2026.)
Source: DGRM – DGRM 2026 tariff, visually checked in the offAnnex III lists an initial or periodic DGRM inspection of recreational craft at least 12 metres but under 24 metres at €423.30 per technician visit. (Order 12/DG/2026, dated 18 February 2026, effective 1 March 2026.)
Source: DGRM – DGRM 2026 tariff, visually checked in the offAnnex III lists an initial or periodic DGRM inspection of recreational craft at least 24 metres long at €566.30 per technician visit. (Order 12/DG/2026, dated 18 February 2026, effective 1 March 2026.)
Source: DGRM – DGRM 2026 tariff, visually checked in the offAnnex III lists a DGRM extraordinary recreational-craft inspection at €423.30 per technician visit. (Order 12/DG/2026, dated 18 February 2026, effective 1 March 2026.)
Source: DGRM – DGRM 2026 tariff, visually checked in the offSection 4
Article 25 permits an owner of a craft under 20 years old to request an underwater examination in place of the dry inspection where the specified previous-inspection and hull-condition conditions are met. It also requires necessary dry and afloat inspections to occur on the same day. These are scoped statutory provisions, not a promise that any buyer can choose either method. As a practical recommendation, ask the competent entity to confirm eligibility and presentation arrangements before booking operator services or deciding what condition evidence you will accept.
The code's annex sets independence conditions for authorised collaborating inspection entities, including autonomy from businesses that could compromise impartiality and avoiding conflicting services. Article 23 places official reports in SNEM and provides for DGRM validation of collaborating periodic reports. As a practical recommendation, establish who is carrying out the statutory work and how its result will be recorded. Do not assume that a person's involvement in the sale itself establishes authorisation to perform or validate the official inspection required for the boat.
For your purchase decision, read the report against the agreed scope and ask for clarification of exclusions or findings you do not understand. This is a practical recommendation, not a guarantee that a report predicts every future defect. Decide what needs further investigation, repair evidence or a contractual response before accepting the boat. Keep those decisions in writing with the seller. Ask a locally qualified lawyer about disputed conditions or the effect of a proposed purchase clause, while the appointed technical professional explains the condition findings.
Broker tip: Check official authorisation and recording for statutory work, then read any purchase report against its own scope. Resolve significant findings and exclusions before acceptance, with technical and legal questions directed to the appropriate qualified person. See also our guide on whether you pay VAT on a boat in Portugal. Surveyors and yards differ by area: see our guide on buying a boat in Lisbon.
Surveyor inspecting a yacht engine with a torch.
Alternative underwater inspection
Practical support
Peter Mattey is a yacht broker at European Yacht Brokers with a BA in Law. He is not a Portuguese lawyer: for Portuguese law and tax we refer you to a locally qualified adviser. What we can do is help you plan the transaction, put the right questions to the other side and spot gaps in the paperwork before you commit.
If you are buying or selling a boat in Portugal, tell us about the boat and the area through the enquiry form on this page and a broker will reply. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
The handover of a boat at the dock.
Your questions
The official periodic inspection has a defined safety and minimum-equipment purpose under Article 25. For a purchase, commission any additional condition work with a written scope that identifies examination, access and exclusions. Do not assume the official certification answers every wear, damage or system question you want investigated. Review each report against the work actually requested before making your buying decision. (Diário da República)
Article 25 sets a ten-year interval for recreational craft generally, with five-year intervals for craft over 24 metres, wooden-hulled craft over 12 metres and craft over 20 years from first registration. Check the boat's actual dimensions, hull material and registration history against those conditions. Ask the competent authority about an uncertain or incomplete record before calculating the next inspection position. (Diário da República)
The owner or legal representative requests it through BMar using the Vistorias request, and the service requires a copy of the booklet's front and back. Agree who prepares the application and retain submission evidence. A buyer organising separate condition work should coordinate with the owner rather than assuming that a private appointment automatically completes the owner's official request or record update. (DGRM)
Annex III of Order 12/DG/2026 lists an initial or periodic DGRM recreational inspection below 12 metres at €280.20 per technician visit. That is the defined official service entry, not an all-inclusive purchase-survey cost. Confirm the applicable service and obtain separate quotations for operator access, lifting and any privately commissioned condition work before treating the inspection budget as complete. (DGRM)
No: Article 25 provides a request route for craft under 20 years old subject to its specified previous-inspection and hull-condition conditions. Confirm the actual boat's eligibility with the competent entity before booking arrangements. Keep that statutory inspection question separate from the scope of any purchase-condition work, and ask the appointed professional what further examination your buying decision may still need. (Diário da República)
This guide only includes facts checked against official sources. For anything it does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information, and ask a locally qualified adviser to confirm the position for your own boat.
Ready when you are
RIVA SUPER OPERA 85 About SPYRO Introducing the 25.9-meter motor yacht SPYRO, a stunning Riva 85 Opera crafted in Italy by the prestigious Riva shipyard.
Check it yourself
Current recreational boating regime: registration, navigation classifications, certification, insurance and command qualifications.
DGRM official inspection service for types 1, 2 and 3; displayed fees cite the 2024 tariff.
DGRM 2026 tariff, visually checked in the official PDF: Annex III recreational inspection and technical-information charges.
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