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How much does an Italian boating licence cost?

The administrative fee to sit an Italian boating-licence examination is EUR 97.95 under PagoPA N162; medical certification, photographs, tuition, practical training and the examination boat are separate costs with no single nationwide tariff.

Verifiable answer

The administrative fee to sit an Italian boating-licence examination is EUR 97.95 under PagoPA N162; medical certification, photographs, tuition, practical training and the examination boat are separate costs with no single nationwide tariff.

Question
How much does an Italian boating licence cost?
Average cost
€98 / boating-licence examination
Price range
€98
Area
Italy
Last verified
14 November 2026
Confidence
Confidence: High
What is included
N162 PagoPA examination fee; EUR 20 examination-admission charge; EUR 1.38 licence-card printing cost; Further ministerial amounts of EUR 44.57 and EUR 32 within N162
What is not included
Medical fitness certificate; Passport photographs for the application; Nautical-school course, lessons and practical training; Boat, fuel and support for the practical test; Nautical charts and plotting equipment where required
What the price depends on
Nautical school or private candidate; Number of lessons and practical sessions; Medical examination price; Access to a suitable examination vessel; Qualification sought and examination programme
Sources and methodology
2 sources

Short answer

The public examination fee is certain. The full cost varies substantially between a private candidate and a nautical school because training, practical work and the boat are not priced by the Ministry.

A boating licence does not have one all-in price, although its administrative part is precisely defined. To sit a category A or C recreational-boating examination at the competent office, the Ministry's PagoPA schedule lists N162: four amounts adding up to EUR 97.95. This is useful because it is nationwide and does not depend on the city or school chosen. It does not, however, match the quote many people receive. Medical certification and photographs are also needed before the examination; the practical test requires a suitable vessel and, on many routes, lessons and practical training. The Ministry regulates the tests but does not set one nationwide price for a nautical school, vessel hire or instructor. This guide therefore separates the verifiable public cost from the rest: EUR 97.95 is the N162 administrative charge, not a promise of the complete budget needed to qualify.

What is included

  • N162 PagoPA examination fee
  • EUR 20 examination-admission charge
  • EUR 1.38 licence-card printing cost
  • Further ministerial amounts of EUR 44.57 and EUR 32 within N162

What is not included

  • Medical fitness certificate
  • Passport photographs for the application
  • Nautical-school course, lessons and practical training
  • Boat, fuel and support for the practical test
  • Nautical charts and plotting equipment where required

How the price breaks down

How the price breaks down: Italian boating licence
ItemTypeFrequencyTypical
N162 PagoPA examination feeThe four ministerial N162 amounts added together: EUR 44.57, EUR 32, EUR 20 for admission and EUR 1.38 for the licence card. It is the public examination fee, not a nautical school's quote.Compulsoryone-off€98

What the price depends on

  • Nautical school or private candidate
  • Number of lessons and practical sessions
  • Medical examination price
  • Access to a suitable examination vessel
  • Qualification sought and examination programme

Hidden costs

  • N162 does not include the medical certificate required for the application.
  • A private candidate still needs a compliant and insured vessel for the practical test.
  • The applicable rules may require documented practical training for the qualification sought.
  • A repeat test within the application limits may add no tax, but can still require another boat session or private support.

Three realistic scenarios

Administrative fee only

€98

You already have training, certification and an organised route, so you pay only the N162 PagoPA examination fee.

Private candidate

€98

The N162 fee is joined by unpriced medical certification, photographs and access to a boat and skipper for the practical test.

Nautical-school route

€98

The public charge remains N162; tuition, practical work, vessel and assistance are quoted separately by the school.

How to spend less

  1. Generate the PagoPA payment with N162 as directed by the office where you sit the examination and keep the receipt.
  2. Ask a nautical school for a quote that separates the EUR 97.95 public fee from tuition, practical work, boat and support.
  3. If considering the private route, check vessel availability, insurance and test requirements first.
  4. Check whether you need a licence within or beyond 12 nautical miles, and for power or sail: this changes the preparation needed, not the N162 fee verified here.
  5. Prepare medical papers and photographs before applying to avoid a postponed appointment and further travel.

Frequently asked questions

Is EUR 97.95 the total cost of an Italian boating licence?

No. It is the N162 PagoPA administrative examination fee, made up of four amounts listed by the Ministry. The full route can also require medical certification, photographs, theory preparation, practical training, a boat for the test and nautical-school support. Since these services have no public national price list, we do not turn them into a misleading average.

What does N162 include?

The ministerial circular lists four N162 amounts: EUR 44.57, EUR 32, EUR 20 and EUR 1.38, totalling EUR 97.95. The Ministry identifies EUR 20 as the examination-admission charge and EUR 1.38 as the licence-card printing cost. N162 is stated for category A and C boating-licence examinations.

Does the boating-licence fee vary by city?

The N162 ministerial fee is nationwide, so it does not change between offices for the same examination. The overall quote can vary greatly: nautical school, medical examination, photographs, boat hire, fuel and practical support are local or private services. Comparing those items separately prevents a fixed tax from being confused with a commercial package.

Can I sit the boating examination as a private candidate?

Ministerial rules allow routes without a school, but the candidate must still meet documentary and practical requirements. The practical test needs a suitable insured vessel, with a person taking command where required. Before choosing this route, ask the competent office for the current document list and conditions for the qualification you want.

If I fail, do I have to pay EUR 97.95 again?

The rules say that, within the validity of the application, one failed test may be repeated without further tax charges after at least thirty days. That does not make another attempt free: a boat, instructor, school or travel can still cost money. If the application expires, check the position with the competent office.

Sources and methodology

How we worked it out

We added the four amounts the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport lists in PagoPA fee N162 for category A and C boating examinations: EUR 44.57, EUR 32, EUR 20 and EUR 1.38. The same circular expressly identifies EUR 20 as the examination-admission charge and EUR 1.38 as the licence-card printing cost. The total is EUR 97.95. As a current check, we opened a 2026 MIT decree that still refers to N162 for a boating procedure at the Motorisation Office. We did not add prices for schools, medical examinations, photographs, equipment, a boat or instructor because they are real costs but lack a public nationwide tariff that could be added honestly.

Why this confidence level

Confidence is high for EUR 97.95 because it is the sum of amounts published by the MIT under N162 and that fee is also referenced by a 2026 decree. We do not extend that certainty to the total cost: tuition, boat, medical examination and school services are private and vary by place.

  1. N162 PagoPA fee for category A and C boating-licence exams: EUR 44.57, 32, 20 and 1.38

    Circolare 19568 del 3 luglio 2024: tariffario PagoPA per la nautica da diporto (opens in a new tab)

    Ministero delle infrastrutture e dei trasporti · Public authority · Verified on 14 November 2026

    Ministerial PDF opened on 14 November 2026. It lists every N162 amount and identifies EUR 20 as the admission charge and EUR 1.38 as the licence-card printing cost. The administrative total is EUR 97.95.

    Authority5/5

  2. 2026 confirmation that the N162 fee is used for a boating examination at the Motorisation Office

    Decreto direttoriale 199 del 22 aprile 2026 (opens in a new tab)

    Ministero delle infrastrutture e dei trasporti · Public authority · Verified on 14 November 2026

    Ministerial 2026 decree opened on 14 November 2026. For the new D1 category it expressly refers to the same N162 fee from circular 19568 when the assessment is held at the Motorisation Office; this is recent confirmation that the tariff remains in use.

    Authority5/5

Read the methodology

Revision history

First published on 14 November 2026 after adding the MIT N162 schedule and checking that the fee remains referenced in a 2026 ministerial decree for boating assessments at the Motorisation Office.

Published on
14 November 2026
Last verified
14 November 2026
Next review
14 February 2027

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