In-vehicle radio: patent and license now download online

Obtaining records of in-vehicle radio equipment is now just a click away.

Rtf license and shipboard radio operating license directly online

As of now, the “boating practice management portal” at the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy (formerly the Ministry of Communications) is active , which allows people to apply for the issuance of the “Rtf license” (the Limited Radiotelephone Operator‘s Certificate), or the Radio Operating License directly online.

It is the first step, for the boating industry, in a digital revolution that is affecting the entire public administration and aims to make it easier for citizens to access bureaucratic procedures without having to deal with grueling lines, lengthy paperwork, stacks of forms to fill out, and tedious postal deposits.

Until now, in order to obtain the “Rtf license,” the basic qualification to be able to use maritime transmitting or two-way radio instruments, one had to submit an application to the local Regional Territorial Inspectorate of the former Ministry of Communication and stand by in hopeful anticipation of the document’s arrival. For the Radio Operating License, the certificate where all of the boat’s radiocommunication equipment is to be registered, it was necessary instead to go to a Telematic Desk of the Yachtsman (Sted), fill out applications, attach documents, make several postal payments and request the issuance of a Provisional License pending the arrival of the final one. Trusting in the diligence of the bureaucratic machine.

Now these documents can instead be downloaded conveniently via smartphone, computer or tablet and are released immediately. Let’s see how.

Limited Radiotelephone Certificate

To obtain the “Rtf license,” once you have entered the ministry’s portal(nautica.mimit.gov.it) simply choose this service and identify yourself through Spid (the public digital identity system), Cie Id (the electronic identity card) or eIdas (the electronic identification system for EU states). At this point, simply fill out the online form, attach the required documentation (a photo in .jpeg format and a copy of an ID) and pay the required fees online: 0.52 euros plus two revenue stamps of 16 euros each. At the end you will be able to download the certificate as a digital original.

As a reminder, the Limited Ship Radiotelephone Operator Certificate, without examination, is valid for using shipboard radioelectric systems with power not exceeding 50 watts, installed on units of less than 150 gross tons that do not employ Digital Selective Calling (Dsc).

Radioelectric Operating License

For the issuance of the Radioelectric Operating License, the methods of accessing the portal are the same as for the “Rtf license”: choice of service and personal identification via Spid, Cie or eIdas. Then you have to fill in a series of fields by entering your personal data, those of the recreational unit and attach the declaration of conformity for each piece of equipment to be included in the license plus the navigation license if it is an issue for boats, recreational vessels or, in any case, units registered in the registers. At this point all you need to do is to pay the amount due for the two stamps (16 euros each) provided and you can download the license.

The Radioelectric Operating License is mandatory for all owners, owners or users of recreational vessels who install and use for rescue and safety only radioelectric equipment in the maritime mobile service (fixed or portable Vhf, MF, Epirb, Ais, etc.). It is valid for 10 years and must be renewed if other equipment is modified or added.

Simplification, onward and upward

The boating practice management portal is in its infancy, and it is expected that these two online services will soon be joined by others, such as the issuance of the MMSI Code (the identification code that allows the use of Vhf with Dsc, Epirb, or Ais transponders) and other services specific to commercial boating. This is undoubtedly an important simplification that can provide concrete time and cost savings for both the boater and the government. Why then not extend it to other boating practices?

Fabrizio Coccia