Fishing licence Mallorca: licence requirements, authorities and what residents need to know

If you want to fish from the shore, from your own boat or with a harpoon on Mallorca, you need a Mallorca fishing licence – and that means before the first rod is cast. This is not a formality you can "catch up on" later, but a prerequisite that the Govern de les Illes Balears explicitly places before the practice of recreational fishing. In this guide you'll learn what types of licences exist, how to apply for them, why the process works differently for pensioners than you might expect, and why we deliberately avoid giving figures for closed seasons, minimum sizes and fees here. Instead, we'll show you where to find this information reliably and up to date – because that's exactly what changes regularly.

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Why the licence requirement matters for residents

The Govern de les Illes Balears states it unambiguously: to practise recreational or sport fishing, a fishing licence must have been obtained beforehand. The Conselleria d'Agricultura, Pesca i Medi Natural is responsible for this. This applies not only to tourists who unpack their rod for two weeks – it applies equally to the resident who has been standing at the same spot for years and has so far taken a rather relaxed view of the matter.

For many German-speaking residents, this is a change of habit: in Germany, the fishing licence (Fischereischein) is usually tied to an exam, whereas in the Balearics it isn't. Instead, the licence here is strictly bound to a sequence – first the licence, then the fishing, not the other way round.

Note: A foreign fishing permit – even a German Fischereischein – does not replace this licence. The Balearic regulation explicitly requires the prior acquisition of your own licence from the responsible body.

Overview of the four licence types

The Govern currently maintains four licence types. Three of them are clearly named and practically relevant for residents:

The fourth type of licence cannot be clearly identified from the source we checked – we deliberately make no statement on this rather than guess.

Note: A common misunderstanding among residents is that the individual licence automatically also applies from a boat or for underwater fishing. This is not the case – anyone wanting to fish from a boat or with a harpoon needs the respective separate licence in addition.

How to apply for the individual fishing licence

The procedures generally run via the electronic Tramite pages of the Govern. For the individual licence, this is the most direct route – with one important exception, which follows below.

1. Look for access to the electronic procedure via the portal of the Govern de les Illes Balears (Tramite for "llicència de pesca").
2. Have your personal details and identification document ready.
3. Submit the application for the individual licence; it can be issued as an instant procedure.
4. Generally carry the licence together with a valid identification document while fishing.
5. If you have questions about the procedure or if the online route doesn't work: contact the Conselleria in Palma or the offices of the Consells Insulars on Menorca, Eivissa or Formentera.

Note: Neither the fees nor the validity period of the licence are specified here. Both are set out in a fee schedule that may change – you can find out the current figures directly from the responsible authority before submitting your application.

The special case for pensioners

For many readers of this portal, this is the most important paragraph in the whole article: for the individual licence, the online route explicitly does not apply to pensioners. Anyone who is retired cannot apply for or renew the licence via the electronic instant procedure.

This affects a large proportion of German-speaking residents in Mallorca – many of them are exactly in this stage of life. For this group, the route leads via an office rather than via a screen.

Note:If you're retired and want to apply for or renew your licence, allow time for a personal visit to the office – and ask in advance about the currently valid procedure, as processes at public authorities can change.

Boat licence: initial issue and renewal

The individual licence is not sufficient for fishing from your own boat. Here the boat licence applies, and the Govern clearly distinguishes between two cases:

If something about the boat has changed – new owner, new registration number, new name – renewal no longer applies; in that case, the route via initial issue is the correct one.

Contact points on Mallorca and the other Balearic Islands

For all cases where the online route doesn't apply, the Govern names specific contact points:

The source does not provide a phone number – the most reliable option is to make contact via the Govern's portal or to go directly to the address given.

Minimum sizes, catch quantities, closed seasons: the variable part of the regulations

Here we're being deliberately upfront about what this article does not provide: a table of minimum sizes per fish species, kilo limits per day, or monthly details on closed seasons. These values are set by the fisheries authority and adjusted regularly. They are laid out in the currently applicable regulations – and that's exactly why they don't belong in a guide that might still be online in twelve months' time, but may no longer be up to date.

Note: A figure from an older guide can simply be wrong today. So check minimum sizes, catch quantities and closed seasons before every day of fishing directly with the Conselleria d'Agricultura, Pesca i Medi Natural or via their current publications – not on the basis of a list circulating somewhere online.

The same applies to what you do with your catch: recreational fishing is generally not intended for sale. This can't be reliably quantified here – if in doubt, get information directly from the responsible authority before taking larger quantities home with you.

Marine protected areas and further restrictions

Alongside the general rules, the Govern lists marine protected areas (reserves marines) as a separate point. For you as an angler, this means: in and around these areas, additional, specific rules apply that go beyond the general licence requirement.

Which reserves are specifically affected, what their boundaries are, and what exactly is prohibited there cannot be reliably listed here – that would require the authority's current, up-to-date boundaries. The key principle is this: before visiting a spot you don't know for fishing, it's worth checking whether it is a marine protected area or lies near one.

Caution: "Somewhere along the coast" is not a reliable rule of thumb. Protected areas are not a grey zone – they are separate legal spaces with their own regulations.

The most common mistakes when fishing in Mallorca

Three misunderstandings keep coming up among residents:

1. "My licence from another country or another Spanish region is also valid here." No – the regulation requires prior acquisition of the Balearic licence.
2. "The individual licence also applies from a boat or with a harpoon." No – both are separate licence types with their own procedures.
3. "I can fish anywhere as long as I have a licence." No – marine protected areas and further restrictions apply in addition to the licence requirement.

A fourth, more practical mistake: as a pensioner, trying to use the online application even though this exact route is excluded for this group – and then being surprised on-site that you still have to go in person to the office.

What comes after the licence?

Once you have the licence, the formal part is done – the practical part begins. This includes finding out about current minimum sizes, catch quantities and closed seasons before every day of fishing, carrying the licence and a valid identity document with you, and checking at every new fishing spot whether a marine protected area or other restriction applies there. For the boat licence, it's also worth keeping an eye on changes to the boat – owner, registration number, name – as these determine the renewal process.

Checklist: before you cast your line

• Correct licence type identified: individual, boat or spearfishing/underwater
• Application submitted via the electronic procedure – or, for pensioners, the route through an office clarified
• Licence and identification document at hand
• Current minimum sizes, catch quantities and closed seasons checked with the fisheries authority
• Fishing spot checked for proximity to a marine protected area
• When renewing the boat licence: owner, registration number and boat name unchanged

Conclusion

The Angelschein Mallorca (fishing licence) is not bureaucratic window dressing, but the express prerequisite before a rod may even go into the water. Anyone who knows which of the three clearly defined licence types they need, is familiar with the application route via the Govern's electronic procedure and – as a pensioner – plans for the special route via the office, is legally on the safe side. For minimum sizes, catch quantities and closed seasons, this article deliberately gives no fixed figures, but instead recommends checking with the Conselleria d'Agricultura, Pesca i Medi Natural for current information before every day of fishing. That's more effort than a checklist – but it's the effort that protects you from an avoidable violation.

Official sources

• Govern de les Illes Balears – Conselleria d'Agricultura, Pesca i Medi Natural, procedure for the fishing licence (llicència de pesca): caib.es