Frequently asked questions about fishing licences

Download the free official PescaREC app before your first fishing day. It is used for registration and to record and report your fishing activity and catches subject to mandatory reporting. You do not need the app to buy or apply for your fishing licence; it does not replace your licence.

Once you have received your fishing licence, register in the app and enter your licence number.

Important for older licences: registration may require adding “-1” to the end of the licence number. Example: 9878/2026 → 9878/2026-1

If you applied for your fishing licence after 21 January 2026, do not add “-1”. Enter your licence number unchanged.

The suffix guidance concerns older licence numbers in the format shown; it is not a general renumbering of all regional licences. The activities and catches you must report depend on the fishing area, fishery and species concerned. Follow the rules of the region where you actually fish.

No.

• There is no exam.
• You do not need a German fishing licence.
• No certificate of fishing proficiency is required.

Issuing the licence requires your personal details and identity document number.

An A4 page in Spanish, showing:

• your registration number
• your personal details
• your identity document number
• official rules and regulations

You can find further information and important rules for your destination on this website.

You receive your coastal fishing licence within 24 hours on working days after full payment and verification of your details. We send it as a PDF by email.

You receive it digitally as a PDF by email.

No — a digital copy on your smartphone is sufficient.

Yes. Select the number of people and enter complete details for each person: first and last name, date of birth, identity document number, address and contact details. A separate coastal fishing licence is requested for each person.

Please contact us as soon as possible if you wish to change or cancel your order. Whether the application to the authority can still be stopped depends on its processing stage. See our cancellation policy for information about the right of withdrawal.

Cancellation policy

Payment options include card, PayPal and bank transfer, with SEPA Direct Debit where available. The payment methods available for your order and their instructions are shown in the final checkout step.

Yes. An official fishing licence is legally required for sea fishing in Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera.

Always carry your licence, digitally on your phone or printed, together with your identity card or passport.

PescaREC is used for catch reporting and special authorisations. Reporting obligations depend on the applicable rules and the species concerned.

Our shore fishing licence is valid for fishing from the shore along all Spanish coasts: the mainland, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, including Mallorca. This applies to the shore fishing licences offered on our websites. Observe regional fishing rules, catch restrictions and protected areas; the licence does not allow fishing in prohibited locations.

The product offered here is a coastal fishing licence. Requirements for kayaks and similar floating craft, as well as registered boats, differ by region and waters. Before fishing from a boat, check which licence and fishing method are permitted.

Outside marine reserves, a maximum of two rods or lines per angler is allowed from shore. Hook and bait requirements depend on the method; reserves have separate rules.

On Balearic beaches, fishing is prohibited from 1 May to 30 September between 07:00 and 22:00. Keep 100 metres away from areas used by bathers. Also observe additional municipal rules and protected-area prohibitions.

Fishing without a valid licence risks:

• a substantial fine
• confiscation of your equipment

Keep your valid licence and identity document ready for inspections.

To make illegal fish sales more difficult, the lower lobe of the tail fin must be cut off certain species immediately after capture.

Examples include:

• Greater amberjack
• John Dory
• Common dentex
• Red scorpionfish
• Grouper
• Brown meagre
• Shi drum

This marking does not replace permission to catch a fish or override catch limits.

Marine reserves may have their own permits, fishing days, catch limits, minimum sizes and closed zones. Check the rules of the specific reserve before fishing.

Marine reserves around Mallorca include the Bay of Palma, Migjorn, El Toro and Malgrats, Llevant and Sa Dragonera. Their boundaries and rules must each be checked separately.

For shore fishing, the general limit is 5 kg plus one fish per licence per day. Additional limits on numbers apply to certain species and in marine reserves.

A fishing licence is required from the age of 14.

Children under 14 may fish only when accompanied by an adult with a valid coastal fishing licence.