Governor Almond today announced that Rhode Island's 40,000 boaters can now renew their boat registrations online through RI.gov, the state's centralized web portal. It is the first public service offered by RI.gov, and one of the first government sites nationally to offer boat registration renewal services.
"This new service ushers in a new era in making government services more accessible and efficient, said Almond. "I look forward to a future in which Rhode Islanders have the option to complete nearly all government transactions online."
"Although boat registration renewals can still be mailed to us, some people prefer the ease and immediacy of online business transactions," said DEM Director Jan Reitsma. "This is the first step toward offering a number of online services from DEM, which in the future will allow customers to apply for and check the status of permit applications online. Eventually the portal will be used to apply for hunting and fishing licenses, beach passes and campground reservations."
Boat owners interested in renewing their registrations online can visit www.RI.gov, click on the renewal service, enter the appropriate information and pay the renewal fee with a credit card. A printable temporary registration can be used until the new registration is mailed within 10 days of the online transaction. There is a graduated fee scale for the transaction, ranging from $1 to $12 depending on boat size and length of renewal, which is used to fund RI.gov.
"We take security and privacy very seriously," said the state's acting chief information officer, Howard Boksenbaum, of the Department of Administration. "The online service ensures that only authorized users are requesting and renewing the registration electronically, and that all personal information including credit card numbers, name and address is kept highly secure."
RI.gov is a collaborative effort of the state Department of Administration and New England Interactive (NEI) to create an Internet gateway for business and individuals to obtain government-related information as well as to interact with Rhode Island government electronically. The state last year entered into a long-term, zero-dollar contract with NEI to provide the eGovernment services. Funding comes solely from transaction and/or subscription fees associated with the services.