Spanish Doctor’s Certificate for Spearfishing

You’ll need a Spanish doctor’s certificate if you want to apply for a spearfishing licence. However, not all doctors are willing to provide these certificates. Instead, they often refer applicants to specialised health centers that focus solely on issuing such documents. Doctors may be called to testify in court if any issues arise, and many prefer to avoid that responsibility.

Update (November 2023): The authorities (in some parts of Spain) have got stricter, and not all the doctor’s check-up centres are willing to issue a certificate. A doctor who is an expert in hyperbaric (diving) medicine must issue it (only in certain parts of Spain). Please call before you show up and ask if they are currently doing these checkups. You may have to schedule an appointment in advance if the doctor doesn’t work every day at that location.

How To Find a Medical Centre to Get a Spanish Doctor’s Certificate

These centres are located all over the country. They specialize in checkups required for all licences: driving, diving, firearms, etc. If you renew your driver’s permit, they will take your photo and send the certificate and application form to the authorities.

To search for the nearest one, all that you need to do is to Google any of the following terms (in Spanish):

• Certificados medicos
• Revisiones medicas

How These Centres Work

These centres only specialize in simple checkups for licences. Each centre has a couple of rooms where different doctors check different things. Generally, the main doctor will check your health (heart, lungs, eyes, ears, etc.), and another will check your reflexes and ask if you’re sane 😉

Waiting times are low; if there isn’t a queue, you can be out within 30 minutes. Doctors who work there are very businesslike and fast. They won’t ask you about your life history. They only issue certificates and don’t treat patients.

How Much Does a Certificate Cost

There are plenty of centres everywhere. Each is free to set prices as they want. Typically, they can charge between 30 and 50 euros.

How To Find the Best Deal

To find the best deal, you can shop around and compare prices. You can also check on sites such as Groupon.es where you will probably find the best offers. Most centres will happily quote you over the phone if you tell them what you need the licence for. Some centres will discount you if you make an appointment before showing up. Other centres might have promotions, such as discounts for people younger than 25 or the jobless. Please note that some check up centres may not include a spearfishing doctor’s certificate in their Groupon offer, even if they advertise for other types of certificates.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I get a certificate from my own country?

No. Certificates must be issued on a standard official Spanish doctor’s form with his/her details and a stamp from the doctor’s association. Please see the photo below for an example of the standard format. Your (non-Spanish) doctor won’t have the Spanish doctor’s association registration number.

Can my certificate be rejected, even if I got it from the right place?

Yes. Your certificate can be rejected for various reasons, so always check what must be written on it. Even if you’re very healthy, a certificate can be rejected because the doctor didn’t use the correct words, used illegible handwriting, or issued the certificate in another language (four languages are spoken in Spain).

Doctor’s Certificates That Got Turned Down: A Few Examples

Here is an example of this. We recently received a certificate to get a spearfishing licence for a client who had gone to the medical centre to get a Spanish doctor’s certificate in Valencia. The doctor issued the certificate, and the client e-mailed it to us. It had the following problems:

• It was issued in the Valencian language
• The handwriting was too hard to read
• It didn’t specify that the client was specifically fit for spearfishing (in Spanish, “apto para la pesca submarina a pulmon libre”)

Here is an example of another certificate in Valencian language that was turned down. It had the right words, but they weren’t written in Castilian Spanish (castellano), which is the only language spoken in the Canary Islands.

Spanish Doctor’s Certificate for Spearfishing in the Canary Islands: What Needs to be Written on It

If you’re applying for a spearfishing licence in the Canary Islands, please make sure the following is written on it:

• “Apto para la pesca submarina a pulmón libre”  (This has to be written exactly as it is, and means you’re fit enough to go scuba diving and do spearfishing)
• The name on the certificate must match the name on the passport or national ID card.
• The text needs to be written in Castellano (Castilian Spanish). This is the national language of the country and is the only language spoken in the Canary Islands, and their government offices.
• The text must be legible, especially the first item of this list.

Spanish Doctor’s Certificate Official Format

This is an example of a doctor’s certificate. The Spanish medical association (known as “Colegio de Médicos”) issues them. Please request this before you do the checkup.