Sher

I always am curious when someone poses this kind of question here. Well, now it is my turn.

My family and friends are trying to arrange a boat trip along the Cinque Terre After making arrangements with a company in La Spezia, the captain has sent a form for all passengers to fill out.

Let me say that we did a similar trip along the Amalfi coast last year with a private boat and never had to provide the kind of information this person wants.

We are to fill out a form with our names, sex, D.O.B, age country where we were born, our ages where we live and our passport numbers a couple of other things which escape me at the moment.

I use the internet a lot but I just do not feel comfortable sending all of this information before hand. Our group lives all over the place and I think they will not want to volunteer this kind of information also. I guess one of the reasons I feel this way is that we did a similar trip and did not have to do this.

Can someone chime in?

bilboburgler

Well if you rent an appartment they need all that information. Since the Financial Police have become more diligent I think it is very reasonable.

I suspect they only need it once you are there so you might be able to argue that you will turn up with it on day 1. But if it is required then use a PDF and send it in two halves

BritishCaicos

I have no idea about the specifics in this sitauation but I have chartered boats which I have captained myself, all over Europe. We have always been required to provide the exact information yo are being asked for.

Clearly, Italy is siffering huge problems with sea based immigration.

It would be unexpected if all charter companies have been required to obtain detailed personal information of all their clients, in an attempt to prove that they are not illegal immigrants attempting to settle in the EU.

BritishCaicos

Sorry " wouldn't be"

Sher

Thanks. Everyone on the trip is ok with it too.
Maybe I worry too much!

flanneruk

Isn't that precisely the information every hotel in Italy copies down - and hands to the police - every time you spend a night in Italy?

If you weren't asked for it in Amalfi, they were either trying to hide a revenue stream from officialdom, or took it down themselves without your noticing.

I disagree with Bilbo: my experience is that most rentals (certainly to Europeans) don't involve this form filling.

Italy's unbelievable attachment to pointless bureaucracy survives because its police understand there are limits to how much intrusion even Italians will tolerate - and getting passport details of people in private houses, while legally required, simply goes beyond what its citizens think reasonable.

But there is no absurd bureaucratic rule, however unreasonable, that some subparagraph of a Codice Penale - probably inherited from the days of the Bourbons or Mussolini - doesn't provide legal support for.

sandralist

Italy is currently suffering an extremely difficult migrant/refugee problem, and many of these people arrive by sea. The rest of Europe -- in particular the UK -- has basically taken the attitude that these people should drown, and mocks and blocks any attempt to try and bring order and humanity to the situation.

For legal and insurance reasons, your vendor needs to document who will be on his boat that day. Up to you whether or not you want to go -- but there is nothing wrong with a boat vendor asking for the same information an airline does before agreeing to transport you.

sandralist

I should add that although that much of this refugee migration is organized though traffickers and smugglers, and while the problem is most difficult in the southernmost parts of Italy, the several hundred thousand miles of Italy's coastline provide a lot of opportunity for illegal activity which the Italian government does its best to monitor with voluntary compliance -- because if it doesn't monitor it, other people in other countries mock and hoot at those lawless Italians, and if Italy spends money on hiring coast guards, rightwing voters in other countries point fingers at the "bloated public sector of Italy."

Hope that helps.

Sher

Yes. All of these explanations do help. Because I could not seem to come up with a reason myself.

But now it seems more reasonable if a little much a pain to gather all of this from people who live in three different states.

But I will do it.

Peter_S_Aus

We went on a kayak expedition in Venice with venicekayak.com, and they asked for the same information.

They said that is for their insurance, which seems fair enough.

Ralstonlan

About a month ago my college aged son and three friends chartered a 40' boat out of Genoa for a week. They asked for no information, only money! They traveled from Genoa to La Spezia and back in 6 days and had the time of their lives, but they were not asked to supply any information regarding passports , etc..