Buying a VAT unpaid boat in Croatia

[Sailing.Dan]

Hi Irish Rover, I am looking to view a boat in Croatia on Monday. Will be my first boat and I am trying to get my head around the VAT rules. I will be living on board full time and the plan is to spend the next few years sailing round the world so the boat won't be anywhere long enough to warrant the VAT being paid. I am just looking for some advice if possible from people that have done similar and to put my mind at rest that it is all ok and possible?

Thank you
Dan

 

[Irish Rover]

Hi Irish Rover, I am looking to view a boat in Croatia on Monday. Will be my first boat and I am trying to get my head around the VAT rules. I will be living on board full time and the plan is to spend the next few years sailing round the world so the boat won't be anywhere long enough to warrant the VAT being paid. I am just looking for some advice if possible from people that have done similar and to put my mind at rest that it is all ok and possible?

Thank you
Dan

What is the VAT status of the boat you are considering? Where are you ordinarily resident?

 

[Sailing.Dan]

Thank you for the reply. The boat is VAT not paid and I am a resident of the UK.

 

[Irish Rover]

Thank you for the reply. The boat is VAT not paid and I am a resident of the UK.

Seems to me you won't have any difficulty. In my case the boat was actually VAT paid but the company selling it was reclaiming the VAT. They needed an export certified to reclaim the VAT. We took the boat to Dubrovnik under their registration etc and did the export procedure there. We then had to leave Croatia, and during the short hop to Montenegro, we changed the name etc to our new UK registration and entered there. If yours is a straightforward VAT NOT PAID boat you should be able to do as @Baggywrinkle did - leave one port in Croatia and reenter at another with your new registration.
As a UK resident you will be able to avail of Temporary Admission in Croatia and all other EU countries plus all the other Eastern med countries.