Boating license and patent. What changes as of Oct. 21 FAQ
THE PERFECT GIFT!
Give or treat yourself to a subscription to the print + digital Journal of Sailing and for only 69 euros a year you get the magazine at home plus read it on your PC, smartphone and tablet. With a sea of advantages.
This is it, as of Oct. 21, it will be possible to obtain a “boating license” from the age of 16, and some important things will change for the boating license as well.
Nautical License and Boating License FAQ
Here’s everything you want to know about the impending revolution of the “boating license,” the category D1 boating license, introduced by the new Boating Regulations strongly advocated by Confindustria Nautica: limits, procedures, timing and costs. Also, we explain what is changing for the category A boating license.
THE NAUTICAL LICENSE (D1)
How do you get a D1 boating license?
The new D1 category license is obtained following attendance at a training course, supplemented by practical exercises in navigation and motor maneuvering, as well as passing a final proficiency quiz test.
So there won’t be a practical exam?
No, the license only involves a theoretical quiz exam, but practical exercises will be mandatory.
What engines will I be able to use with the new D1 category?
All those below 85 kW (115.6 hp) with maximum displacement depending on the type:
Max displacement | Cycle | Suction | Type |
1900 | 2T | Natural | Outboard |
2400 cc | 4T | Natural | |
1500 cc | 4T | Supercharged | |
1700 cc | 4T | Natural | Inboard gasoline |
1200 cc | 4T | Supercharged | |
2400 cc | Diesel | Natural | Inboard diesel |
2000 cc | Diesel | Supercharged | |
1000 cc | 2T | Natural | Watercraft |
1700 cc | 4T | Natural | |
1200 cc | 4T | Supercharged | |
Max power โค 85 kW (115.6 hp) |
What are the limitations of the patent?
From age 16 to 18 will be allowed to drive only watercraft and jet skis, from 18 will be able to qualify to command boats up to 12 meters, exclusively in daytime navigation within 6 miles of the coast (1 mile for jet skis).
So it’s not just for 16-year-olds?
No, it is for everyone. But for the first time from the age of 16, you will be able to drive watercraft over 40 hp and jet skis.
What are the topics of the course?
Confindustria Nautica would like to remind us that this will not be a simplification at the expense of safety. The subjects will be covered in the same depth, only the parts of the program not related to the purpose of the license, such as night navigation, maritime signaling, and meteorology, will be cut.
How long will the course last?
There are 5 hours of lectures and 5 hours of sailing and maneuvering tests.
Yes, but how much does it cost?
Annex A of Decree No. 142 of 08/30/2023 sets the cost of the D1 license at โฌ700, compared to โฌ1,100 for the category A license within 12 miles. Clearly, each school will have its own rates, but this tells us that it is safe to expect savings of about 40 percent compared to the “cheapest” license currently on the market.
Does it have to be done through nautical schools?
No, lectures and practical exercises can also be conducted at CINs, Centers for Nautical Education, at which you will also take the quiz exam.
Is it possible to do this even as a private student?
Yes, by independently preparing the theory and taking the quiz exam at the DMV, producing certification of the practical tests taken at the CIN or a Nautical School.
How long will it take?
Since the D1 license does not involve a practical test or the presence of a CP Officer, one does not have to wait for the Captain’s calendar, shortening the time compared to the cycle required to obtain the classic A license.
What will the quizzes be about?
The quiz database is expected to be the same as the one currently used for the A license, obviously purged of questions on topics not covered by the course. The final decision is still being discussed at the Ministry, but it seems that the theory test will have fewer quizzes than the traditional one.
When I turn 18, will I be able to get a Category A boat license more easily?
Those who have a D1 license may subsequently obtain a Category A (“within” or “beyond” 12 miles) boating license by taking a supplementary theory exam on topics not included in the training course and a practical navigation test.
And for driving without a license, does it change anything?
No, all units to date that can be driven without a license (with engines under 40 hp) remain so.
THE BOATING LICENSE (A)
The changes affect not only the license, but also all other licenses. Meanwhile, the date of the theory test and the practical test are being separated. This should make the waiting list more efficient, allowing the Coast Guard to hold practical exam sessions with full ranks, and not just those who have passed the theory test.
What happens if I fail a test?
The new feature, which affects all categories of licenses, is that one can take the failed test twice, whether it is the theory or practical test. In addition, once you have passed the theoretical test, you can reapply for the exam to take (again twice) only the practical test if you failed the practical tests available to you on the first attempt.
What is a D2 driver’s license?
The new category D2 boating license is issued to those who do not have, or have lost, the psycho-physical requirements for category A, B, and D1 boating licenses. It can be obtained by those who – following medical examinations – are recognized as otherwise compatible with safe navigation. To this end, the health bodies, also using the advice of medical specialists, may condition eligibility on one or more of the following limitations or prescriptions:
- Availing of assistants and language mediators of age who are able to compensate for the hearing deficits of the license holder;
- Navigation during daytime hours only;
- Navigation with exclusively favorable weather conditions;
- limitation to a specific type of recreational unit;
- Navigation limited to specific distances from the coast;
- limitations on the power of engines installed on board;
- Use of specific adaptations or devices installed on board;
- shorter duration of the validity of the boat license;
- other limitations or prescriptions deemed appropriate by health agencies.
Otherwise, category D2 boat licenses follow all the procedures for category A boat licenses.
Also new for those with DSA…
Candidates with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) will be entitled to request personalized, compensatory and/or dispensatory measures for the performance of the tests.
Stefano Monfroni
Share:
Are you already a subscriber?
Ultimi annunci
Our social
Sign up for our Newsletter
We give you a gift
Sailing, its stories, all boats, accessories. Sign up now for our free newsletter and receive the best news selected by the Sailing Newspaper editorial staff each week. Plus we give you one month of GdV digitally on PC, Tablet, Smartphone. Enter your email below, agree to the Privacy Policy and click the “sign me up” button. You will receive a code to activate your month of GdV for free!
You may also be interested in.
The “very latest” of 2025: five sailboats from 13 to 15.40 meters
Recent boat shows have presented the public with all the new sailboats that brands have been working on; in the first installment of our market survey, we presented you with what’s new up to 12.50 meters in length. Today we
Professional title skipper, but where did you go?
The professional skipper title fails to set sail. After last May’s executive decree that laid down the methods and subjects for taking the examination for “2nd Class Recreational Navigation Officer,” or the new figure of professional skipper, everything seemed ready
Cornish Crabbers, a British icon among Modern Classics.
For fans of more classic sailing, steeped in tradition and “vintage” savoir-faire, the name Cornish Crabbers will not sound new; unless you know it as Select Yachts, a name changed, however, in 2008. For those enthusiasts, however, who may be
The “very latest” of 2025: five sailboats from 9 to 12.50 meters
Boat shows have been an opportunity to show on the water, or present with the first digital previews, all the new sailboats that brands have been working on to meet the needs of a market that, having overcome the hangover