Legal frame
Governing: D.Lgs. 171/2005 arts 27(7)–(9) and 41; D.M. 1 Sep 2021 arts 2–7 and Allegato 2, as corrected by D.M. 6 Apr 2023; D.M. 29 Jul 2024 (CIA form); D.M. 146/2008 art. 60-bis. Builds on: L1.1–L1.3.
Before the season: paperwork you can check
A business renting natanti or jet skis must file a comunicazione di inizio attività (CIA, start-of-activity notice) with the maritime authority where the boats are based (D.M. 1 Sep 2021 art. 2; form replaced in 2024). With it go the chamber-of-commerce entry, a numbered list of units, engine power declarations, CE or type-approval papers, and insurance policies. A visaed copy of the CIA stays at the office and a photocopy on board every unit.
Each boat is marked, clearly visible, with the operator's name and progressive number (art. 3(1)). An unmarked boat from a man with a card machine on the beach is a warning sign.
The contract
Except for pedalos and similar beach craft, the contract is in writing, or proved by the receipt (art. 3(2)). Either way it must show:
- the type of service (bareboat hire or crewed hire);
- the number of the unit;
- the maximum number of persons allowed aboard;
- names, addresses and phone numbers of both parties;
- for bareboat hire, your licence details where one is required.
The original or a certified copy stays on board (art. 3(3)).
At the pontoon: the operator's checklist
For a bareboat natante, art. 4(3) requires the operator to:
- check that you are 16 or over;
- tell you that a category A licence is needed beyond 6 nm, and ask to see it if you plan to go there;
- tell you how far from the coast this boat may go, and hand you its documents;
- explain the engine, the safety equipment, the anchoring gear and the local rules of the maritime authority.
The boat must be handed over in full working order with the safety kit of the regulation's annex V (art. 4(2)).
The written instructions
If you have no licence, the operator must also explain and give you written essential instructions (Codice art. 27(8)), drafted in Italian and English (D.M. 146 art. 60-bis) on the model in Allegato 2. They cover:
| Topic | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Responsibility | You are responsible for the boat, its gear, the people aboard and third parties; no sub-letting, no water-skiing or towing |
| Before leaving | Read local ordinances, check safety kit and fuel, read the day's forecast, check limits in parks and AMPs |
| Before starting | Everyone aboard, no lines in the water, clip on the kill-cord |
| Speed | 8 kn within 500 m of high rocky coasts and 1,000 m of beaches; 3 kn in harbours and anchorages |
| Harbours | Keep right; give way to traffic within 500 m of a harbour mouth |
| Bathers and divers | Bathing zones, launch corridors, the diver flag |
| Right of way, anchoring, waves, VHF, lights | The essentials, with pictures |
TIP — Ask for the English sheet It is a legal requirement, not a courtesy. If the desk has only an Italian leaflet, you have learned something about the operator.
Insurance
Motor units must carry compulsory third-party insurance (Codice art. 41). For units used commercially, cover must also include injury to the driver and the people carried (art. 41(3-bis)). Ask to see the certificate and the excess you will carry.
CAUTION — Kill-cord Outboard boats have one for a reason. The instructions tell you to attach it before starting; do so, and keep it attached whenever the engine runs.
Operators who breach these rules can be formally warned off by the maritime authority (art. 2(5)). Your practical remedy is simpler: if the checklist is skipped, do not take the boat.