Fishing licences in Europe compared: tourist permits, exams and the cost of a week
What a visiting angler needs, and pays, to fish legally in 19 European countries: the state paper for a day, a week or a year, whether there is an exam, the levy, where to buy it and the dated source, with the costs calculated from the official amounts.
Get my Europe licence guide — €29.00
Format: 31-page A4 PDF, to print or keep on your phone, plus the online version.
What the guide contains
- The 19 countries in one table: cheapest published day, week and year for a visitor, exam, date checked
- Exam, levy and water permit: what each country asks of a visitor, and where a licence from home helps
- 12 worked trip costs (weekends, weeks, a season), added up from the official amounts with the alternatives
- Full sheets for the ten countries with no other Pescatlas guide: Portugal, Ireland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Cyprus
- France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Benelux: the visitor options of every region, state and canton
- Licence words in 16 languages, a checklist, and the source and date of every country
Delivery: instant access, right after payment.
For anglers choosing where to fish in Europe, or fishing in several countries in one trip.
€29.00 · $32.90 VAT included, one-off payment
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The reference guide to freshwater fishing rules, zone by zone
- 279regulated zones
- 22countries covered
- 1,069sources cited, line by line
- 32species followed
- 7languages
Figures for the whole site (all countries, all zones), counted in our data when it is built. Texts last checked: 22 October 2026. Our method
Checked51 automated checks on every site update, texts last checked on 22 October 2026
Method
- Primary sources: official texts of fishing authorities
- Every rule linked to its source, line by line
- Check date shown on every page
SourcesThe whole site: 1,069 cited sources, in 22 countries
This guide: official texts checked on 22 October 2026 (the date above is for the whole site).
In pictures
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Illustrative photos, published by their authors under free licences.
Contents
- How fishing licences work in Europe
- The 19 countries side by side
- Exam, levy and water permit: what each country asks of a visitor
- What a trip costs: 12 worked examples
- Choosing a country: the short list
- The ten countries with no other Pescatlas guide
- France, Spain and Italy
- Germany, Austria and Switzerland
- Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands
- Licence words in 16 languages
- Checklist before you travel
- Sources and method
Free extract: the comparison table and the Portugal sheet
The comparison table of chapter 2 and the Portugal sheet of chapter 6, as they appear in the guide.
| Country | 1 day | 1 week | 1 year | Exam for a visitor | Checked on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | €8–€20 (3 of 9) | €8–€25 (3 of 9) | no visitor option | Guest cards without exam, except Burgenland and Tyrol | 22 October 2026 |
| Belgium | €11.05–€20 (3 of 3) | €11.05–€20 (3 of 3) | €11.05–€20 (3 of 3) | No | 23 September 2026 |
| Croatia | not published | not published | not published | Not for day and multi-day permits | 23 September 2026 |
| Cyprus | €17 | €17 | €17 | Not mentioned | 23 September 2026 |
| Estonia | €0 | €0 | €0 | No | 23 September 2026 |
| Finland | €6 (1 of 2) | €16 (1 of 2) | €47 (1 of 2) | No | 23 September 2026 |
| France | €12–€40 (23 of 96) | €36.50–€40 (23 of 96) | €82–€114 (23 of 96) | No | 23 September 2026 |
| Germany | €12–€58 (5 of 16) | €12–€58 (5 of 16) | €12 (1 of 16) | Visitor licences without exam in most states | 22 October 2026 |
| Ireland | €36 | €50 | €64 | No | 23 September 2026 |
| Italy | €6.82–€30 (14 of 19) | €6.82–€140 (14 of 19) | €22.72–€35 (3 of 19) | No in most regions | 23 September 2026 |
| Latvia | €1.50 | €5 | €15 | No | 23 September 2026 |
| Lithuania | €3 | €10 | €30 | No | 23 September 2026 |
| Luxembourg | €4–€12.50 (3 of 3) | €4–€12.50 (3 of 3) | €15–€18 (2 of 3) | No | 23 September 2026 |
| Netherlands | not published | not published | not published | No | 23 September 2026 |
| Portugal | €2–€17.92 (2 of 2) | €2–€17.92 (2 of 2) | €3.49–€59.76 (2 of 2) | No | 23 September 2026 |
| Slovakia | €3 | €3 | €10 | Not mentioned | 23 September 2026 |
| Slovenia | not published | not published | not published | Not mentioned | 23 September 2026 |
| Spain | €0–€25 (11 of 16) | €0–€25 (11 of 16) | €0–€27.65 (10 of 16) | No (La Rioja: habilitation for a first licence) | 22 October 2026 |
| Switzerland | CHF 4–CHF 60 (21 of 26) | CHF 28–CHF 322 (21 of 26) | no visitor option | Not for permits under a month (most cantons) | 23 September 2026 |
“Not published”: no authority publishes a price for this country. “No visitor option”: prices are published, but no option open to every adult visitor without the local exam covers that period. Published amounts left out of the German, Austrian and Swiss figures: Brandenburg: Fischereiabgabe (Kurzaufenthalt ohne Fischereischein), €12 (short stays within the calendar year), counted for 1 day and 1 week only, because it covers short stays; the 1-year figure is Brandenburg’s coarse fishing without a licence, same levy; Hamburg: Touristenfischereischein, €55 (until the end of the year), needs the fishing authorisation of your home country; Hesse: Ausländer- / Besucherfischereischein, €15 (3 consecutive months), needs proof of competence from home; North Rhine-Westphalia: Ausländerfischereischein (online), €34 (1 year), only if the knowledge is “otherwise present”; Saxony: Gastfischereischein, €15 (1 month), needs proof of competence; Tyrol: Gastfischerkarte, €25 (14 days), needs a qualification such as an exam or the SaNa; Solothurn: Tagespatent / Wochenpatent (ausserkantonal), CHF 30 (1 day), needs the SaNa; Basel-Stadt: Tageskarte Rhein, CHF 15 (1 day), needs the SaNa; Lucerne: Sempachersee – Wochenpatent, CHF 30 (1 week), out-of-canton amount not stated; Ticino: Patente turistica T2 (2 giorni), CHF 30 (2 days), lake shore only; St. Gallen: Bodensee-Obersee Bootspatent – Woche, CHF 30 (1 week), out-of-canton amount not stated.
Portugal
Cheapest published cover for a visitor: 1 day €2–€17.92 (2 of 2) · 1 week €2–€17.92 (2 of 2) · 1 year €3.49–€59.76 (2 of 2)
- In short
- One state licence, no exam. A non-resident buys a 7-day, 30-day or calendar-year licence at an ICNF desk; residents use the general licence sold at Multibanco machines.
- Exam
- No exam: be over 16 and not banned from fishing; prior registration as an inland angler.
- Levy or tax
- None on top: the licence fee is the tax (Portaria 385-A/2017).
- Water permit on top
- Only in fishing parks and concession waters, which have their own rules (fishing parks need no licence).
- Where to buy
- ICNF service desks (non-residents); Madeira: IFCN, the SIMplifica portal or forest posts.
- At the water
- Banned: eel, sea trout, salmon. Up to 2 rods (1 in salmonid waters, up to 3 for carp fishing). Fishing from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset, except authorised night carp fishing, where carp and barbel over 65 cm go back. Under 16 only with an adult holding the general licence. Madeira: rod only, no natural bait, no night fishing.
- Not published by the authority
- No national daily bag limit found; the Azores (own regional rules) are not covered: ask the regional government.
| Region | Official name | Price | Validity | Who and what |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mainland Portugal | Licença para não residentes — 7 dias | €17.92 | 7 days | People not resident in Portugal; only at ICNF service desks (not at Multibanco cash machines); whole mainland |
| Mainland Portugal | Licença para não residentes — 30 dias | €23.93 | 30 days | People not resident in Portugal; only at ICNF service desks (not at Multibanco cash machines); whole mainland |
| Mainland Portugal | Licença para não residentes — ano civil | €59.76 | calendar year | People not resident in Portugal; only at ICNF service desks (not at Multibanco cash machines); whole mainland |
| Mainland Portugal | Licença geral de pesca lúdica — Nacional (not for every visitor) | €23.93 | calendar year | Whole mainland, from 16; bought at Multibanco with a Portuguese ID card number and tax number (NIF) or at ICNF desks; prior registration as an inland angler |
| Mainland Portugal | Licença geral de pesca lúdica — Regional (Norte / Centro / Sul) (not for every visitor) | €14.34 | calendar year | One of three regions (north of the Douro, Douro–Tagus, south of the Tagus); same purchase route as the national licence |
| Madeira | Licença Temporária para Turistas | €2 | up to 1 month | Tourists, at most one month; IFCN, SIMplifica portal or forest posts |
| Madeira | Licença Regional | €3.49 | calendar year | Every day, all public waters not reserved or leased; online (SIMplifica), IFCN or forest posts |
Sources (checked on 23 September 2026): ICNF — Licenças de pesca lúdica (taxas, requisitos) · IFCN — Licenças de pesca para águas interiores
Who it is for
- The angler planning a fishing holiday who hesitates between several countries and wants the papers and costs side by side
- The angler on a road trip through several countries (Portugal and Spain, the Baltic states, the Alps, the Benelux)
- Anglers heading for a country with no other guide: Portugal, Ireland, Finland, the Baltic states, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Cyprus
- Guides, campsites and tour organisers who answer “which licence do I need?” for several countries
Who it is not for
- Anglers who need the full rules of one region (seasons, sizes, bag limits): our English guides to France, Spain, and Germany and Austria go further, as do our guides to Italy (Italian, German, French), Switzerland (French, German) and the Benelux (Dutch, German, French)
- Anglers looking for spots or the prices of club and fishery permits, which no authority publishes
- Sea anglers: sea fishing licences are not covered, nor the United Kingdom
How to use the guide
The guide is not an official document: the law in force and the conditions of each permit prevail. Amounts are copied as published for 2026, in the currency of the country, with the official name of each option in its original language. Where an authority publishes no price (club permits in Croatia, Slovenia, the Netherlands, many water permits), the guide says so and gives no estimate; the costs are calculated from the published options only.
Frequently asked questions
Is there one fishing licence valid across Europe?
No. Each country, and in Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland each region, state or canton, issues its own papers. The closest thing to a shared licence is Spain’s interautonómica, valid in 10 regions; Luxembourg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland share common rules for the border Moselle, Sûre and Our, with permits sold on both sides.
Which European countries need no fishing exam for a visitor?
Portugal, Ireland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Cyprus, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands ask no exam of a visitor in the texts we read (La Rioja asks for a habilitation before a first licence). Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Croatia have exams, with visitor routes around them in most regions.
Are the prices in the guide official?
Yes: every amount comes from the authority’s fee schedule, law or official sales page, with the source and date. The costs of a day, a week or a year are calculated from these amounts. Last check: 22 October 2026.
Does the guide replace your country guides?
No, it helps you choose. It gives each country’s visitor papers and costs; our English guides to France, Spain, and Germany and Austria give the full regional rules, and so do our guides to Italy (in Italian, German and French), Switzerland (in French and German) and the Benelux (in Dutch, German and French).
Further reading
- Fishing regulations in Spain, region by region
- Fishing regulations in France, department by department
€29.00 · $32.90 VAT included, one-off payment
Get my Europe licence guide — €29.00
Instant access after payment · card, Apple Pay or Google Pay on Stripe’s secure page, your card details never touch our servers.
For €60.00 more, the bundle: 5 PDF guides, €17.80 per guide. →