SBF Costs

What does the
boating license cost?

Exam fees, course, practice and study material – here you see all the cost items for SBF Inland, SBF Coastal and the combination at a glance. Plus: how to save smartly.

▶ Learn theory from €9.99

SBF costs at a glance

The total cost of the German boating license depends above all on whether you attend a preparation course or learn the theory independently. Only the official exam fees are fixed (€130.78 Inland, €148.38 Coastal) – everything else you can influence.

With a complete course you'll be at around €500–650 per license in 2026. Anyone who learns the theory themselves and only practices the practical part externally gets through much cheaper with exam fee + app from approx. €138 plus practice costs.

The individual cost items

Cost item Approximate cost Mandatory?
Exam fee Inland (theory + practice) €130.78 Yes
Exam fee Coastal (theory + practice) €148.38 Yes
Combined exam Inland + Coastal €178.61 (instead of €279.16) Yes
Preparation course (online/driving school) approx. €340–400 upwards Optional
Learning app / question catalog (Boatpass) €9.99 per catalog · €16.98 package Optional
Practical lessons variable (depending on provider) Recommended
Incidentals (passport photo, registration) low Yes

The exam fees are set uniformly nationwide by the DSV and DMYV (as of 2026). Course and practice costs vary by provider and region.

SBF Inland, SBF Coastal or both?

SBF Inland
Exam fee €130.78 (theory + practice) plus study material.
SBF Coastal
Exam fee €148.38 – slightly higher because of the navigation task.
Combined Inland + Coastal
Only €178.61 instead of €279.16 – over €100 saved with a combined exam.

If you want to navigate both areas anyway, the combined exam is clearly the most economical: you save both on the exam fee and on the study material (complete package instead of two separate purchases).

How to save on the boating license

Learn the theory yourself
The biggest cost block is the preparation course. With the official ELWIS catalog in the app you learn the theory independently – for a one-time €9.99 instead of several hundred euros in course fees.
Practice targeted, not broad
With exam simulation and mistake training you pass on the first attempt – a retake means paying fees all over again.
Use the combined exam
If you need Inland and Coastal, the combined exam saves money compared to two separate attempts.

Frequently asked questions about SBF costs

What does the German boating license cost in total?

With a complete course (theory + practice) you should budget around €500–650 per license in 2026, depending on provider and region. Online courses including practical training start at about €340–400. Anyone who learns the theory independently with an app and only books the practical lessons externally saves the expensive course fee and gets through much cheaper.

How high are the pure exam fees?

The official exam fees (theory + practice) in 2026 are €130.78 for the SBF Inland and €148.38 for the SBF Coastal. The combined exam SBF Inland + Coastal together costs only €178.61 – significantly less than both individual exams (€279.16).

Can I save money on the SBF?

Yes. The biggest cost block is the preparation course. Since the official ELWIS question catalog is freely available, you can learn the theory without an expensive course – e.g. with the Boatpass app for a one-time €9.99 per catalog (or €16.98 for both). For the practical part, a single day of practice on the water is often enough.

Is the combined Inland + Coastal exam cheaper?

Yes. Anyone who takes the SBF Inland and SBF Coastal together pays less for the combined exam than for both individual exams. You also save on study material with the complete package of both catalogs.

Further reading

→ Learn SBF Inland with Boatpass → Learn SBF Coastal with Boatpass → SBF exam: how theory & practice work → Frequently asked questions about the boating license → Save money on your boating license: the 5 best tips → SBF app vs. boating school – is a theory course worth it? → SBF with your own boat or a charter boat – which fits you?

Ready for your exam?

Download BoatPass for free and start studying with the official question catalog today.

Free on Google Play