Brit buying in France

[Anonymous]

Could anyone give me guidance on buying a boat in France. I am a British UK resident and am interested in buying a French registered vessel (tax paid) via a Spanish/German broker, in France with the intention of sailing her back to the UK to be registered in the UK. Should I use a UK solicitor (are there any specialists anyone could recommend?). Any special pitfalls or procedures that I need to follow to ensure that I have legal title to the boat? How about insurance during the changeover period?

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[DavidJ]

The only problem that comes to mind is, is there any 'title' against the boat. ie Has the previous owner fully paid for the boat, any outstanding debts, are there any marina or maintenence charges outstanding on the boat. The British registry part 1 will be the comforting factor in the UK, but do they have the same system in France.
David

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[Ric]

You should make sure that the person you are buying from is the full and true owner. A common trick in France is that you buy a boat, pay the money to the "owner", then find that he has a large boat mortgage so technically a bank owns most of the boat. As you are the new legal "owner" of the boat, you also owe this debt to the bank. Meanwhile the other fellow pockets your money and does a runner. If you are buying through a reputable dealer he should have looked into this. But to be on the safe side go into the local customs office and get them to check the boat

Finally, you don't need to sail it back to the UK to register it on the SSR. You can transfer the flag while the boat is in France if that is easier.

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[Anonymous]

Thank you, both. Yes, I was aware of that problem - it is the same issue in the UK for cars and boats - but how can I protect my interests? I do speak a fair bit of French but I don't know anything about French law relating to boats. I would feel happier with a British surveyor - maybe I should choose a British surveyor with experience of buying in France? Maybe I should find a specialist British solicitor? I feel a bit lost right now and we are talking about a lot of money.

I want to be sure that having paid for the boat I will own it outright and will be able to sail it away and not have it embargoed because the previous owner didn't pay his bills.

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[Ric]

Don't get a lawyer involved - they'll charge a fortune and is totally unnecessary. Hundreds if not thousands of boats change hands per day in France and only a miniscule number of transactions come to grief. The French authorities are very helpful - especially if you are a foreigner. All you need to do is go into the Bureau des Affaires Maritimes of the boat's official home port and they will run the checks on the ownership while you wait. You then just have to hand over two passport photos, prove your identity, sign the "Acte de Vente d'un navire de plaisance", and the "Fiche de Plaisance", transfer the money and the boat is yours. If you are buying from Yates Alemanes (the only German-Spanish broker I think) then you've even less to worry about. I don't reckon there is any point in getting a survey done by a British surveyor, as the survey will have no legal worth. The whole procedure is explained in great detail in this months (May) "Voile" Magazine.

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[Anonymous]

Do you have the address or url for voile magazine? I've run a Google search and not found it.

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[hamish]

Hi I tried looking and got this

http://www.ifrance.com/LaVoile/index_page/voile_mag_abonnement/abonnement_voile_mag.htm

however when I went to look was a subscriptiopn only page, not being French reader I started at www.ifrance.com and am working from their

Hamish


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[Metabarca]

This is the parent company's website, but I can confirm there's none for the mag itself, just a subscription form.
Adriatic links here: <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.comoy.com/saillinks.html>http://www.comoy.com/saillinks.html

 

[hamish]

hI

well thats makes two of us buying French boats, I have email friends in France and they may be able to get copy. Will let you know.

My sister in law speaks French so will be asking her advice over bank holiday when we met

Hamish

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[Metabarca]

C'est gentil, merci!

<hr width=100% size=1>Adriatic links here: <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.comoy.com/saillinks.html>http://www.comoy.com/saillinks.html</A>