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What paperwork do I need to charter in Italy?
Short answer
The papers split into two piles. Everything that belongs to the boat is the charter company's job. Your certificate of competence, a radio licence, passports and crew details are yours, and which certificates the base accepts for the boat is worth getting in writing first.
Sardinia, the Tuscan islands, the Bay of Naples, the Aeolian Islands and Sicily draw charter crews from Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands every summer, and the paperwork works much as it does elsewhere in the Mediterranean. Registration, evidence of the safety equipment and the boat's own insurance documents are arranged by the charter company and kept on board. What you look after is yourself and your crew: a valid certificate of competence for the skipper, passports or identity cards for everyone aboard, and the details the base needs for the crew list.
The skipper's certificate deserves a careful look. Italian law ties the need for a licence to things like engine power, the size of the boat and distance from the coast, but charter companies usually ask for a certificate that fits the boat and the area regardless of those thresholds. Many accept the ICC and the common sea-going qualifications, such as an RYA Day Skipper with an ICC; an inland-only certificate is not enough for the sea. For the VHF set, bases often want at least one person aboard to hold a radio operator's certificate such as the SRC. Ask the base to confirm in writing which certificates it accepts for the boat you are booking.
Afloat, checks are carried out by the Italian coastguard, the Guardia Costiera, and they will ask you for the boat's papers, your certificate and the crew list. So at check-in make sure everything belonging to the boat is on board, and keep your own documents to hand. Italy's marine protected areas have zones where navigation, anchoring or swimming are restricted, and the boundaries are in the area notes the base gives you. For damage you do to other people with a chartered boat you answer personally, so it is worth sorting out your own liability arrangements before you travel, even though no rule asks you to.
Worth remembering
Base
Registration, safety equipment records, the boat's insurance
You
Certificate of competence, radio licence, passports, crew details
Have the base confirm in writing, before you book, which certificates it accepts.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Is my Day Skipper enough to charter in Italy?
That depends less on the certificate than on what the base asks for on that boat and in that area. Many accept the ICC alongside common sea-going qualifications. Get the answer in writing before you book, then it is settled.
Do I need a radio licence?
Whoever uses the VHF set on board normally needs a radio operator's certificate such as the SRC. Many bases ask for at least one member of the crew to hold one. Check before you book.
What does the coastguard look at?
Mainly the boat's papers, the skipper's certificate and the safety equipment, along with the rules in protected areas and off bathing beaches. With the papers and crew list to hand, a check is over quickly.
Related
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Whether it is “What paperwork do I need to charter in Italy?” or another question: send us your residence and the flag your boat flies. You will get a straight answer in one email; including a no, if that is the answer.
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