You can leave Palma at nine and be anchored off the Tramuntana coast by two.

Driving licence

An EU or EEA licence is accepted as it stands. Licences from outside that area are usually accepted alongside an International Driving Permit, and some desks insist on one even where the law does not. Bring the physical card — a photo of it will not open the barrier.

Boat licence

The Balearics allow small, low-powered craft to be rented without a certificate, with a short briefing before you leave the pontoon. Above that threshold you need a recognised qualification; an ICC is widely accepted for bareboat charter, and charter companies routinely ask for a sailing CV as well. Thresholds are set nationally and do change, so confirm the current limit for the boat you want.

Age limits

Car hire generally opens at 21 with a young-driver surcharge into the mid-twenties, and some categories are closed below 25 entirely. Skippered charter has no age rule for guests; bareboat charter is about the certificate and the logged miles, not the birthday.

Deposits

Cars are usually held on a credit card in the name of the driver, in the low hundreds for a small car and higher for anything premium. Bareboat charter deposits run into the low thousands and are the single biggest number on the contract — ask whether it is held as a card authorisation, a transfer or an insurance product before you commit.

Pickup and return

Palma airport hands cars over from a consolidated pickup area rather than at the terminal kerb, which adds a shuttle leg at both ends. Charter handovers in Palma and Port de Sóller run to a fixed slot, typically a Saturday, and returning late costs more than arriving early.

Fuel and charge

Full-to-full is the norm and the cheapest arrangement. Where a desk offers full-to-empty, you are pre-buying a tank at their rate and are not refunded for what is left. On a charter, fuel is metered separately and settled against the deposit at the end.

Licence categories, age limits and what may be taken out without a certificate change, and operators set stricter terms than the law requires. Treat everything above as orientation and confirm it with the operator and the local authority before you book.