In article ,
"dougie" wrote:

i was planning buying a boat then i found out i need to have a licence.
the thing is in europe (germany) it costs 2000+ euros for one. is it
possible to make your licence in another country (us, canada) where it is a
lot cheaper or must your licence be issued in your country of residence.
from what ive read on the net with the difference in prices i could go on a
really good holiday sit my test and still have money over.
the licence i am looking for is for open sea.

I cannot answer exactly, but assume that Switzerland is very similar to
Germany.
Over here you need to have licence to drive a boat, either for lakes, or
for coastal waters, or for the oceans. You need a valid licence for the
country of registration of the boat.
I would expect a few hundred euros to issue the licence and the exam,
but certainly not 2000+. This would most likely include a course to
learn all you need for the exam.
In addition you need exams to operate VHF/HF, and possbly Radar.
Also if the boat is to be registered in Germany, it needs either a CE
type approval or must be tested, and this may cost money.
You would need to specify more exactly which type of licence you mean
and what you would like to do.

HTH

Marc

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