I am thinking of buying a boat in France, from a private owner (no broker). Anyone done this? Any advice on the procedure? Does one use a notary, a lawyer etc?
I live in France and bought mine here. Two things from where I stand.
- With the sterling being so low against the Euros, are you sure you won't get a better deal in the UK ?
- I went through a dealer (used Bavaria 32). Pretty straight forward. No Notaire needed.
With the boat you should get a book called "Acte de Francisation" which is where you will find the ship's registration number (and other details) from new and names + date of ownership for all previous owners. When you buy a boat, you need to take the book to the "Receveur des Douanes" (The customs where your boat is shown to be attached to... Also visible in the Acte de Francisation) to have it amended.
That is, I believe pretty much it. If your boat has its own radio equipment (VHF, HF, AIS), this should have been registered (for free) to the ANFR (http://www.anfr.fr/), the local OFCOM I understand. The website is also available in english so have a look but this is also pretty simple. There is a form to fill in where you declare yourself as the new owner with whatever equipment you have on board (including the MMSI).
Then it won't be long before you get your own Radio Licence issued (the one for the boat that is).
The Acte De Francisation requires a yearly fee to be paid which is around April.
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When you buy a boat, you need to take the book to the "Receveur des Douanes" (The customs where your boat is shown to be attached to... Also visible in the Acte de Francisation) to have it amended.
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Seems the French have it sorted - little danger of VAT issues with that system.
Trade off is that they tell what equipment you have to carry, where you can sail and register you annually (and take an annual tax). Unsurprisingly many French people register their boats in Belgium!
Interesting about the Acte de Francisation. I suppose I will have to de-register it because I would prefer to register it in the UK under Part III. Do you know if the A de F provides some proof of title? That is actually my biggest concern. That and unknown liens.
The fact that I am not going through a broker means I have to have a degree of trust in the vendor, which I would prefer not to rely on, or use a notary as intermediary.
As for getting a better deal in UK - [smug] I live in Switzerland and will be buying my Euros with CHF - which is currently at or near historic highs against the EUR (and the GBP) so I don't mind paying in EUR! [\smug] And I haven't seen a boat I want for sale in the UK.
L'Acte de Francisation is the proof of title. It is the official document that all boats must have (including when you go sailing) The guy selling it to you doesn't have his name on it means it's not his. For example in my case, the previous owner was a couple (husband and wife) leasing it. It showed both of their name with the leasing company so it is perfectly identifiable.
As for buying in Euros... Make the most of it /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif lucky you.
Also remember that you can get "une expertise"/inspection/survey done by an independant advisor and depending on how much you are willing to pay, it can be pretty thorough.
There is also a new law in France which says that any used boat, bought from a dealer has to be garanteed for 2 years. I didn't look into that close myself but it might be useful, should you change your mind about going with a dealer. This is not often well advertised as it is a big liability to the dealer and some would rather to keep it quiet.
As for registering in the UK, I cannot help but here many people register theirs in Belgium for some reason. I assume it has to do with taxes or something like that. Maybe something you want to pursue.