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GLOSSARY · EUROPEAN PAPERWORK

Natante, imbarcazione or nave da diporto? Italy's boat categories

UPDATED 10 NOVEMBER 2026 · 1 SOURCE

Italy sorts pleasure craft into natante, imbarcazione and nave da diporto by length. What each means for registration and paperwork when you buy.

DEFINITION
Natante

The Italian category for pleasure craft of 10 m or less, which don't have to be registered; imbarcazioni run to 24 m and navi da diporto are larger.

ALSO CALLED: IMBARCAZIONE, NAVE DA DIPORTO, ITALIAN BOAT CATEGORIES

Italy sorts pleasure craft by hull length, and the category decides the paperwork. Arnone & Sicomo's guide:

Category Hull length Registration
Natante 10 m or less Discretionary
Imbarcazione Over 10 m to 24 m Mandatory
Nave da diporto Over 24 m Mandatory

What it changes for a buyer

A registered boat needs a public deed or an authenticated private deed, and goes through the national register and STED counter. Registered boats carry a safety certificate renewed every five years. See buying a boat in Italy.

Frequently asked

Does a natante need to be registered?

No. Arnone & Sicomo's guide says registration is discretionary for craft of 10 m or less, and mandatory between 10 and 24 m and above 24 m.

Standards it's judged against

DM 146/2008 ANNEX V (ITALY)

Regolamento di attuazione del Codice della nautica da diporto, Allegato V, dotazioni di sicurezza

Italy's rules on safety equipment for private pleasure craft: distance bands from 1 mile to unlimited, liferafts and coastal liferafts, EPIRB or satellite phone, lifejacket categories and lights, flares, and what changed in the latest amendment.

What surveyors check

Related terms

Glossary
EUROPEAN PAPERWORK

Brodica

The Croatian term for a boat over 2.5 m up to 15 m, registered and inspected by the harbourmaster; craft over 15 m are yachts surveyed by the Croatian Register of Shipping.

EUROPEAN PAPERWORK

Certificado de navegabilidad

The Spanish certificate that a recreational boat meets the rules, recording each compulsory inspection and the date of the next one; it must be kept on board.

EUROPEAN PAPERWORK

Certificat d'enregistrement

The single French registration document for pleasure craft that replaced the carte de circulation and the acte de francisation.

EUROPEAN PAPERWORK

DAFN

France's annual tax on pleasure craft, now called the taxe annuelle sur les engins maritimes à usage personnel, based on hull length and engine power.

EUROPEAN PAPERWORK

Declaration of conformity

The builder's signed statement that a recreational boat meets the EU Recreational Craft Directive, which must accompany the craft.

EUROPEAN PAPERWORK

DEKPA

Greece's Pleasure Craft Traffic Document for recreational boats; issuing or attesting it requires that month's TEPAI to be paid.

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