Renting a Boat or Jet Ski in Italy: Licences, Rules & Beach Zones

The master of an Italian-flag ship, and a chief mate acting as master, must be an EU/EEA national (Cod. nav. art. 292-bis; D.Lgs. 71/2015 art. 6(9)). A CoC from a third country, including the UK, cannot be recognised for these functions. EU masters from outside Italy must also pass an Italian maritime-law exam, which may be taken in Italian or English.

MIT's list of States recognised under STCW regulation I/10 (July 2025) includes the United Kingdom, following EU Implementing Decision 2022/1973. The United States and the Marshall Islands are not on it, and the Cayman Islands are not named. Recognition is by a convalida issued through an Italian consulate and never covers the master's role.

D.M. 121/2005, rewritten by D.M. 227/2023, leaves the exams for UND, capitano and comandante del diporto and the three engine titles to a ministry decree that we could not find. Only the UND 2ª classe programme (D.D. 40/2025) is published. In practice these titles appear to be obtained by converting merchant CoCs.

Art. 292-bis and D.M. 38/2012 refer to ships flying the Italian flag. No circular confirms how they apply to commercial pleasure vessels (navi da diporto) as opposed to merchant ships. Ask the Direzione marittima before planning a command on an Italian-flag charter yacht.

Law 70/2026 introduced bareboat hire with a named skipper (art. 42-bis: single individual hirer, up to 12 people, skipper with at least the UND 2ª classe). Yachts annotated for commercial use may no longer be used privately. It also added a national principle against anchoring on posidonia, with no dedicated penalty.

D.L. 144/2026 requires foreign-flag boats up to 24 m owned by Italian residents to prove seaworthiness from 31 Oct 2026 (art. 26-ter of the Codice). The decree must be converted into law by about 6 Oct 2026, so the date or the rule may still change.

The Guardia Costiera states €65.95 plus two €16 revenue stamps for the category A exam. The ministry's PagoPA tariff for the same exam adds a further €32, giving €97.95. The extra charge may apply only when the Motorizzazione runs the exam. Check with the office where you apply.

D.M. 146/2008 art. 34 lets foreign nationals helm Italian-flag boats on a licence their own State recognises, within its limits and unpaid. No Italian primary source says whether an RYA ICC counts. EU citizens may instead carry a statement that their country issues no licence; UK citizens lost that option with Brexit.

Each Capitaneria's summer ordinance (ordinanza di sicurezza balneare) sets the bathing zone (for example 200 m from beaches in Tuscany, 300 m in Palermo, 100 m off cliffs), the 3-knot launch corridors and local speed limits. The national rule is 8 kn within 500 m of the coast (D.M. 146 art. 91-bis). Always read the ordinance for the stretch of coast you are on.

D.M. 146 art. 91-bis sets 8 kn within 500 m of the coast. The instructions rental operators must give hirers (D.M. 2021, corrected in 2023) say 8 kn within 500 m of rocky coasts and 1,000 m of beaches. Older copies still say 5,000 m, a typing error. Use the stricter figure.

Italy has no national anchoring scheme by yacht length like France's. The limits are local: Portofino admits no yacht over 24 m, Tavolara allows anchoring only up to 30 m in zone B and 40 m in zone C, and La Maddalena's ordinance 33/2026 bans anchoring on posidonia. Check the protected area's regulation before you anchor.

The general limit at the helm is 0.5 g/L, with fines of €2,755–11,017 and licence suspension. It is zero for helmsmen under 21 and for anyone using a boat commercially, so skippers and charter crew must not drink at all before or during duty (Codice arts 53-bis and 53-ter).

No provision was found for taking the patente nautica, D1 or UND 2ª classe exams in any language other than Italian, and the quiz banks exist only in Italian. The only interpreter concession is for candidates with learning disorders or category C. The EU-master law exam is the exception: Italian or English.

Art. 53-ter sets a zero limit for anyone using a boat "commercially". It is unclear whether that covers a tourist who hires a boat or only the rental operator and paid skippers. Do not drink before or while driving a hired boat.

A jet ski (moto d'acqua) always requires a boat licence, whatever its power, and rental jet skis may go no more than 1 nm offshore, in daylight. Licence-free hire covers only small boats (natanti) under the engine limits, within 6 nm, from age 16.

The Cinque Terre marine protected area's daily access permit explicitly excludes rental boats, and the sources do not say how hirers may enter zones B and C. Ask the rental operator which areas their boats are authorised for.