Boating abroad, now you can! With the new law, boat owners (unregistered units under 10meters) will be able to show a new document recognized by the Italian state, certifying the ownership and Italian nationality of the boat without the need to register, and thus sail abroad in EU countries such as Croatia, Slovenia, Greece Here’s how.
Vessels abroad, now you can. Here’s how
As described in the press release of Confindustria Nautica, the Decree for pleasure boats sailing in foreign territorial waters is in the Official Gazette. A new single document, “Attestazione per Natanti da diporto Italiani,” is born , certifying both the boat’s ownership and its compliance.
The Attestation for Italian Recreational Craft also has English subtitles “Italian Pleasure Craft <10m… Boat Technical Data… Boat Owner data…”
According to the statement from Confindustria Nautica, it will “avoid the alternative of registration with countries such as Croatia, Slovenia, Greece…. whose territorial waters, as of next summer, would have been precluded to non-registered vessels, who would have been required to register with all the burdens this entails.” “In order to navigate with a vessel abroad, in Croatia, Greece and Slovenia, and soon in other states, Italian individuals owning vessels, while navigating in foreign territorial waters, will be able to attest ownership, nationality and technical data of the unit through the DCI (declaration of construction or importation) accompanied by the declaration in lieu of affidavit, notarized by a motorist’s telematics window (STA), attesting to the ownership and nationality of the vessel.”
What to do to sail a vessel abroad, documents
Here are what steps and documents are needed to sail a vessel abroad
- Attestation for Italian Recreational Craft certifies the boat’s ownership by replacing the notarial deed of ownership and contains the technical data, as reported in the DCI
DCI Declaration of Construction and Importation.
, is obtained in pdf on the DCI online portal, cost 25 Euro. We tried it and it is really all done online by entering your boat’s data, found on the engine power certificate and declaration of conformity if the unit or from the type approval certificate for non-EC boats.- Pay €23.70 for fees and compensation to the Ministry of Infrastructure, and affix a €16.00 revenue stamp
- Go to an STA, Telematics Motorist Desk for validation (we assume the STED telematics boater desks located in maritime agencies are also enabled).
- Keep all original documents on board.
Tips for those who have a vessel and will be traveling abroad
Some tips for those who have a boat, and want to travel abroad, keeping in mind that a boat “without a license plate” will be more easily subject to inspection:
- Only in EU: The new form for watercraft abroad will be recognized ONLY in EU countries, as per the release, for the moment from Croatia, Slovenia and Greece, other states will follow…
- Insurance: check that the mandatory liability policy is valid in foreign waters and in the shipping area where you will be going.
- Radio License: verticate the regulations of mandatory radio license, MMSI and related VHF Short Range Certificate in the foreign country.
- Safety equipment: Adapt safety equipment to that which is mandatory in the foreign country where you intend to sail
- Vessels not beyond 12 miles, not flying a flag, a vessel still cannot sail in international waters.
- Original documents always on board, especially engine power declaration, insurance and conformity declaration
- Watch out for regulations or local taxes Always consult regulations regarding marine protected areas, naivigation areas, and anchorage bans or the need to pay local taxes.
Moving forward with the simplification of the Italian flag
The change in the regulations, which allow sailing with an Italian vessel abroad, is good news for boaters. In fact, the reality of watercraft is an Italian exception, poorly digested by foreign countries, which expect (and oblige) that any floating unit substantially over 2.5 meters, be license plate and registered in the national flag register. For foreign countries, the vessel is like a car circulating without a license plate, on a par with a bicycle.
In the past there have been attempts at consular agreements, for example between Italy and France, which were partially resolved with the contrivance of an insurance certificate to certify propiety and nationality of the vessel, but over the years we have seen fines and even seizures of vessels in foreign waters flourish.
Registering a vessel in Italy and making it a boat is a feasible but inconvenient procedure. The bureaucratic burdens of the Italian flag, as we know, are causing boaters to flee from to foreign flags such as Polish and Slovenian. We expect other procedures that still plague Italian recreational boating bureaucracy to be simplified in the same vein.
The new legislation described refers to the “nautical package” of the “Made in Italy” DDL, specifically Art. 27, paragraph 2-bis, of Legislative Decree July 18, 2005, no. 171 (Boating Code), and its downloadable annex: Attestato per Natanti Italiani all’estero.
Luigi Gallerani
