RENTRI is an Italy-specific waste-traceability regime, so this guide is written for fleets operating in Italy: Italian carriers, and foreign-owned logistics groups running Italian subsidiaries or branches that transport hazardous waste under Italian registration.
On 15 September 2026, RENTRI’s “dual track” period ended: the digital waste form, xFIR, is now the only valid option for anyone registered with Italy’s National Electronic Register for Waste Traceability. Paper FIR is no longer an alternative. It’s the latest in a string of postponements that has made it genuinely hard to tell which deadline is live today and which is still ahead. Several online guides, including ones published by GPS fleet vendors, still cite the original 13 February 2026 date or the 31 December 2025 geolocation deadline; both have since been superseded.
This article lays out the RENTRI deadlines that actually matter for anyone running vehicles registered in Category 5 of the National Register of Environmental Managers (transport of hazardous special waste), with the regulatory source for each, so you can verify what’s already passed, what’s due shortly, and what to have ready for 2027.
What RENTRI is, and why category 5 is the critical node
RENTRI is the digital register, governed by Ministerial Decree 4 April 2023, no. 59, that replaced the old paper loading/unloading registers and waste transport forms with a telematic system run by Italy’s Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE). It covers producers, carriers, intermediaries and waste managers: roughly 70,000 Italian operators, registered in successive waves between December 2024 and February 2026 based on company size and waste type handled.
Within that framework, Category 5 of the Register of Environmental Managers covers carriers of hazardous special waste: third-party road hauliers moving this waste, but also own-account companies producing more than 30 kg or 30 litres of it per day. It carries the most technical and most tightly enforced obligation in the whole RENTRI framework: GPS geolocation of vehicles.
The four dates to track
| Date | Obligation | Legal source | Status as of 17 September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 December 2024 | Holding a geolocation system becomes a technical eligibility requirement for Category 5 registration | Register Deliberation no. 3/2024, Directorial Decree 253/2024 | In force |
| 30 June 2026 | Deadline to attest GPS presence via the AGEST Telematico portal for vehicles already registered in Cat. 5 (postponed from 31 December 2025) | Deliberation no. 1/2026 (24 March), Circular no. 2/2026, Law 26/2026 | Passed: vehicles without attestation have been struck off the category by default since 1 July 2026 |
| 15/16 September 2026 | End of the dual-track period: xFIR becomes mandatory for every RENTRI-registered subject, not only Cat. 5 (postponed from 13 February 2026) | Law 26/2026 converting the “Milleproroghe” decree | Just took effect |
| 13 February 2027 | Obligation to transmit GPS route data to RENTRI (GeoJSON format, via API) for hazardous waste transport, linked to plate, chassis and xFIR | D.M. 59/2023, Directorial Decree 253/2024 | Upcoming |
The first two dates are no longer movable: if a Cat. 5 vehicle hasn’t had its GPS attested, it’s out of the category today, and the operator risks falling below the minimum fleet requirement for its registration class and triggering disciplinary proceedings under art. 21 of Legislative Decree 120/2014. The third has been live for two days. The fourth, unlike what some outdated articles suggest, hasn’t “already happened”: it covers transmitting route data to RENTRI, a distinct and later obligation from installing the device itself.
xFIR: what changes from now on
Until 15 September, a RENTRI-registered company could still choose between a paper or digital waste form, and incomplete or missing xFIR data transmission wasn’t sanctioned. From now on:
- Paper FIR is no longer a valid option for RENTRI-registered subjects.
- Every waste movement must generate an xFIR completed according to the templates in Annexes I and II of D.M. 59/2023.
- The penalties under art. 258 of Legislative Decree 152/2006 are fully back in force: 1,000-10,000 € for general violations, up to 15,000 € for hazardous waste, with possible criminal exposure for false documentation or illegal waste trafficking.
For companies that already completed the digital transition in recent months, the change is administrative: the grace window simply closes. For anyone still on paper, the priority is checking right now that their waste management software, or whoever supplies it, actually generates compliant xFIR forms before the next load.
Category 5 GPS geolocation: what’s actually required
The technical requirement is defined by Directorial Decree no. 253 of 12 December 2024, which specifies what a geolocation system must guarantee to count for RENTRI purposes:
- Full route tracking, from origin to destination, recording the date of transport with sufficient accuracy to reconstruct the journey.
- Unique association with the vehicle’s plate and chassis number.
- Export in a standard format: MASE’s technical guidance points to GeoJSON, transmitted via API, consistent with common GIS standards.
- Route visualization through an IT tool made available by the registered company.
There’s no ministerial list of certified devices to pick from. The rule describes functional characteristics, not a brand or model. Any fleet tracking system that records position, plate/chassis association, and allows data export meets the substance of the requirement. What each company needs to verify individually is whether its provider already exports in the format RENTRI expects, or whether a configuration step is needed before 13 February 2027.
What happens if you’re not compliant
Since 1 July 2026, the Register has been striking off Category 5 vehicles that weren’t attested by the deadline. If that drop-off pushes a company below the minimum fleet requirement for its registration class, disciplinary proceedings start under art. 21 of Legislative Decree 120/2014, which can go as far as suspending the registration itself. A company that loses Category 5 can no longer legally carry hazardous waste for third parties: a direct hit to revenue, not just an administrative-fine risk.
The privacy angle: a legal GPS mandate doesn’t skip the usual rules
Something most RENTRI guides skip: the regulatory obligation to install geolocation doesn’t replace the requirements under art. 4 of Italy’s Workers’ Statute and the GDPR for monitoring employees. The fact that GPS is legally mandated narrows the company’s discretion over purpose (environmental traceability, not worker surveillance), but it doesn’t remove the need for a union agreement or Labour Inspectorate authorization, nor the privacy notice owed to drivers. We covered the full procedure, with the practical steps, in Fleet GPS tracking and employee privacy: what Italian law actually requires. It’s worth closing in parallel with the RENTRI rollout, not afterward.
Checklist: what to have ready now
For anyone running Category 5 vehicles, the realistic priority order as of today (17 September 2026) is:
- Check GPS attestation status on AGEST Telematico for every Cat. 5 vehicle. If it’s missing, the vehicle has already been out of the category since 1 July: treat regularization as urgent, not routine maintenance.
- Close out the xFIR transition with your waste management software or provider, confirming every waste movement generates a digital form that matches the D.M. 59/2023 annex templates.
- Sort out the privacy / Workers’ Statute procedure on the GPS installation, if you haven’t already: it’s a parallel obligation, not one the RENTRI mandate replaces.
- Check with your telematics provider whether data export is already in the GeoJSON format RENTRI will require from 13 February 2027, or whether it needs configuration work; roughly five months remain.
Does an existing fleet tracking system already cover this?
In most cases, yes, for the core technical requirements: a tracking system that logs GPS position per vehicle, links it to plate and chassis, and provides a dashboard to review the route, like OptivoTrack in OBD or CAN mode, meets the functional characteristics required by Directorial Decree 253/2024. What every Category 5 company needs to check with its own provider, specifically rather than generically, is the export format: whether the system already exports GeoJSON via API, or whether it needs adapting ahead of 13 February 2027. That’s a concrete technical question to put to whoever runs your fleet data today, not a detail to assume away.
For companies considering purchasing the GPS hardware outright rather than using the comodato d’uso (free-use loan) arrangement included with the platform, the device can qualify as an eligible asset under Nuova Sabatini, Italy’s subsidized-financing scheme for business equipment, on the same footing as other fleet digitalization investments.
FAQ
Does RENTRI geolocation apply only to heavy trucks?
No. It applies to any vehicle, vans included, registered in Category 5 of the Register of Environmental Managers for hazardous special waste transport, regardless of weight class. The trigger is the registration category, not the vehicle type.
My company only transports non-hazardous waste. Am I affected by the GPS obligation?
No, the geolocation obligation is specific to Category 5 (hazardous waste). You’re still subject to the xFIR obligation if registered with RENTRI, regardless of category.
What happens if a Cat. 5 vehicle still hasn’t attested its GPS?
It’s already been struck off the category since 1 July 2026. Attest it on AGEST Telematico as soon as possible. In the meantime, the vehicle can’t legally be used for third-party hazardous waste transport under that category.
Do I need to install GPS by 13 February 2027, or is it already too late?
13 February 2027 covers sending route data to RENTRI, not installing the device. Installation and attestation were already due, with the deadline passed on 30 June 2026. If you still don’t have GPS installed, you’re late on an obligation that’s already expired, not one that’s still ahead.
Does any aftermarket GPS work, or do I need a device specifically certified for RENTRI?
There’s no ministerial list of certified devices. Directorial Decree 253/2024 defines functional characteristics—route tracking, unique plate/chassis association, standard-format export—not a specific make or model. Any system meeting those characteristics qualifies.
Who checks whether the geolocation system is compliant?
The National Register of Environmental Managers verifies the attestation at registration or when fleet composition changes. In a roadside check or inspection, the burden of demonstrating technical compliance sits with the company.
What’s the risk of still using paper FIR after 15 September 2026?
The penalties under art. 258 of Legislative Decree 152/2006 are fully back in force: 1,000-10,000 € for general violations, up to 15,000 € for hazardous waste, with possible criminal exposure for falsified documentation.
Do I need a new union agreement on GPS if I already have one for other purposes (safety, logistics)?
It depends on the stated purpose in the existing agreement. If it already covers geolocation for organizational or safety purposes, check that it explicitly extends to the environmental traceability purpose RENTRI requires. When in doubt, a formal addition is safer than stretching an existing interpretation.
Could RENTRI deadlines be postponed again?
It’s already happened twice in the past year, for both xFIR and Cat. 5 geolocation, each time via the “Milleproroghe” decree. It isn’t prudent to plan around a further extension. The two most recent deadlines (30 June and 15 September 2026) were confirmed without last-minute changes.
The bottom line
- 15/16 September 2026: xFIR became mandatory for every RENTRI-registered subject, dual-track period closed.
- 30 June 2026 (passed): deadline to attest GPS on Cat. 5 vehicles; since 1 July, non-compliant vehicles are struck off by default.
- 13 February 2027: obligation to submit GPS route data to RENTRI in GeoJSON format for hazardous waste transport.
- The RENTRI GPS mandate doesn’t replace privacy / Workers’ Statute obligations: they need to be handled in parallel.
- An existing fleet tracking system usually covers the functional requirements already; the export format needs to be verified with your provider before February 2027.
If you want to check whether your current tracking system is ready for RENTRI’s 2027 data submission, or you’re still assessing GPS installation on uncovered Category 5 vehicles, talk to our team: plate and chassis numbers for the vehicles involved are enough to scope what’s needed.