TRIESTE – From 1 January 2027, Croatia is preparing to introduce a single procedure for Italian pleasure craft up to 10 metres that are not registered, officially recognising the Certificate for Italian pleasure craft (DCI), the document introduced by Italy with the Made in Italy package. The system is already being applied on a transitional basis for summer 2026, while the problem with Slovenia remains unresolved, as the country continues not to recognise the document and bans entry to Italian unregistered pleasure craft.
The Croatian Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure has sent harbour master’s offices instructions standardising procedures for checks and the issuing of the nautical vignette. For Italian pleasure craft not entered in national registers and without a navigation licence, the official proof of ownership will be exclusively the Certificate for Italian pleasure craft, also known as DCI (Declaration of Construction or Import) or Made in Italy document.
The change concerns only pleasure craft up to 9.99 metres which, under Italian law, are not subject to compulsory registration. For boats that are already registered, the normal registration document will continue to be valid.
The Certificate contains the unit’s progressive identification number, as well as the technical data of the boat, engine and owner. From 2027, this number will also become the main reference for the issuing or renewal of the Croatian vignette, replacing the practice adopted until now, which allowed ownership to be proven through invoices, sale contracts, CE certificates and other declarations. The aim of the Croatian authorities is to eliminate the different interpretations that have characterised individual harbour master’s offices over the years.
For the 2026 summer season, the Italian Ministry has confirmed that Croatia will continue to accept the transitional regime. Owners of pleasure craft up to 9.99 metres without registration may therefore navigate in Croatian waters provided they have on board the Certificate for Italian pleasure craft, the DCI issued through the Confindustria Nautica system, the declaration in lieu of affidavit, valid third-party liability insurance for Croatia and a boating licence, which in the country is compulsory for any motor-powered unit regardless of engine power.
The requirements laid down by Croatian law also remain in force, starting with the nautical vignette, compulsory for units over 2.5 metres or with engines above 5 kW, and the tourist tax. Those who have already registered their unit in Croatia can also renew the vignette online through the eNautika portal using Italian SPID.
For 2026, the restrictions introduced for navigation safety also remain in force, including the ban on vessels under 15 metres navigating within 50 metres of the coast and the obligation to maintain a distance of at least 70 metres from buoy fields and concession areas when anchoring. The situation in Slovenia is different. Slovenian law requires the registration of all units over three metres and, for this reason, the Koper harbour master’s office continues to refuse entry and transit to unregistered Italian pleasure craft benefiting from the exemption provided for under Italian law. The Slovenian authorities have confirmed that they recognise neither the Certificate for Italian pleasure craft nor the related plate introduced by Italy in 2024 with the Made in Italy package. As a result, anyone reaching Croatia by sea via Slovenian waters with an unregistered pleasure craft continues to risk being denied transit, even though the document is fully recognised by the Croatian authorities.
