Fishing In Spain, And Getting Back To Basics
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License requirements
At the moment there is no national licensing system in Spain, however you will need a regional license.
An angling license is required for fishing in reservoirs, rivers and estuaries. These are obtainable from an office of the 'Delegación Agencia Medio Ambiente' (AMA). There is an office in each of the provincial capital cities. Or you can buy a Spanish license (licencia de pesca) at the fishing department of the regional administrative office.
I believe an angling license is also obtainable from branches of the 'Caja Rural' bank.
I’ve read from different sources that prices of the license can vary from 5€ - 12€, when I bought mine in March 2012 the 1 year license was just over 8€, or a 3 year licence was just over 24€, Spanish bureaucracy can be a bit daunting so we went for the 3 year option.
How we did it
My son and I went to the P.R.O.P office in Xativa (I have no idea what it stands for).
The process was relatively simple, due to the fact we can speak some Spanish, the assistant asked some questions, name, address, DNI number, for a visitor the DNI number would be replaced by their passport number, then she asked if we wanted a 1 year or 3 year license.
Having completed the forms, she stamped them, then she told us to pay the fees at the bank, and also get photocopies of our DNI cards, and then return to her with the forms stamped by the bank, and with the photocopies.
We then queued at the bank for what seemed like an eternity, the bank teller duly took the money and stamped the forms, “algo mas” (anything more) he said, cheekily my son asked if he would photocopy our DNI cards, only to happy to oblige he photocopied the cards at no cost.
Now back to the P.R.O.P in Xativa (wait for your turn again) this time we were seen by someone different, no biggy (if you can speak some Spanish), and the forms were duly inspected and accepted, we had done it, or had we?
Yes everything was in order, but the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, the forms had to be processed, we would have to come back again in 8 days to collect the licences.
At the moment there is no national licensing system in Spain, however you will need a regional license.
An angling license is required for fishing in reservoirs, rivers and estuaries. These are obtainable from an office of the 'Delegación Agencia Medio Ambiente' (AMA). There is an office in each of the provincial capital cities. Or you can buy a Spanish license (licencia de pesca) at the fishing department of the regional administrative office.
I believe an angling license is also obtainable from branches of the 'Caja Rural' bank.
I’ve read from different sources that prices of the license can vary from 5€ - 12€, when I bought mine in March 2012 the 1 year license was just over 8€, or a 3 year licence was just over 24€, Spanish bureaucracy can be a bit daunting so we went for the 3 year option.
How we did it
My son and I went to the P.R.O.P office in Xativa (I have no idea what it stands for).
The process was relatively simple, due to the fact we can speak some Spanish, the assistant asked some questions, name, address, DNI number, for a visitor the DNI number would be replaced by their passport number, then she asked if we wanted a 1 year or 3 year license.
Having completed the forms, she stamped them, then she told us to pay the fees at the bank, and also get photocopies of our DNI cards, and then return to her with the forms stamped by the bank, and with the photocopies.
We then queued at the bank for what seemed like an eternity, the bank teller duly took the money and stamped the forms, “algo mas” (anything more) he said, cheekily my son asked if he would photocopy our DNI cards, only to happy to oblige he photocopied the cards at no cost.
Now back to the P.R.O.P in Xativa (wait for your turn again) this time we were seen by someone different, no biggy (if you can speak some Spanish), and the forms were duly inspected and accepted, we had done it, or had we?
Yes everything was in order, but the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, the forms had to be processed, we would have to come back again in 8 days to collect the licences.
Now in every 8 day period there is a weekend, so prudently we left it for 10 days, and sure enough collected our licenses.
Here's one that was prepared earlier, mine.
My advice is to obtain your license before you travel, either at the address below, or from someone in Spain, but make sure they live in the region you want to fish.
Here's one that was prepared earlier, mine.
My advice is to obtain your license before you travel, either at the address below, or from someone in Spain, but make sure they live in the region you want to fish.
For more information you can contact the Spanish Tourist Office,
57 St James Street, London SW1A 1LD (Tel: 0171-499 0901).
57 St James Street, London SW1A 1LD (Tel: 0171-499 0901).
If you plan to go to the Andalucia region, it appears they have a different set of rules. I believe you have to pass a test before you will be issued with a license. This applies to coarse, and sea fishing.
Also it is a criminal offence to fish without a license and details of your offence can be added to your passport details and kept on record by the Spanish authorities.
The consequences of this could be far reaching, you could be flagged as a minor criminal when booking flights or showing your passport on arrival. Just think of the trouble this could cause if trying to enter somewhere like the USA.
Also it is a criminal offence to fish without a license and details of your offence can be added to your passport details and kept on record by the Spanish authorities.
The consequences of this could be far reaching, you could be flagged as a minor criminal when booking flights or showing your passport on arrival. Just think of the trouble this could cause if trying to enter somewhere like the USA.
Failure to have a license in the Valencia region can result in a fine, confiscation of your fishing tackle, and in some cases your car as well.
Fishing In Spain
Exploring The Waterways
In La Comunidad Valenciana
In La Comunidad Valenciana
Apart from the “Home Page” this “getting a license” page, is the most visited on this website.
This tells me there are an awful lot of fishermen out there, who are taking their first tentative steps into the feasibility of a Spanish fishing holiday.
Below are the important things you need to know, and a step by step guide on how I did it, please note in some areas it can take 8 days to get a license.
For guests at our “Casa Blanca B&B” we make things really easy, by providing their license for a small fee.
Why not visit the Casa Blanca B&B website. Click the logo on the right =>
This tells me there are an awful lot of fishermen out there, who are taking their first tentative steps into the feasibility of a Spanish fishing holiday.
Below are the important things you need to know, and a step by step guide on how I did it, please note in some areas it can take 8 days to get a license.
For guests at our “Casa Blanca B&B” we make things really easy, by providing their license for a small fee.
Why not visit the Casa Blanca B&B website. Click the logo on the right =>
