Buying a yacht from a private seller in Greece - Documents required

seanfoster

seanfoster

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Hi All,

Forgive me if this is the wrong area to post this,

I'm considering buying a yacht ( a relatively inexpensive 32 footer) that is based around Lefkada, the owner is here in the UK.

I want to be sure I have the correct documentation from the seller if I decide to go ahead with the purchase.

As far as I can see I need proof of purchase and/or title (I'm assuming an MCA bill of sale would be sufficient signed by both parties) proof of VAT paid (although the boat was built in 1984 is it exempt? if not what VAT proof is 'typical'?)
The yacht is under a UK flag so I'm assuming a current SSR as well?

Basically I want to make sure I have the correct documentation for the port police and also am not sure about the DEKPA and imminent cruising tax, would there be a transfer from the existing owners to me or do I start both from scratch?

Not been sailing in the Greek islands before so a lot to try and get my head around!

Any help and advice would be gratefully received!
 
DEKPA you would need to buy a new one .
Cruising tax , who know but it sound It may be come in , in which case you do as every one else does once we find out what that is ..
1984 I doubt the owner has any thing re vat even so it's not going to be a problem or shouldn't be .
You need a bill of sale which he should have when he brought the boat and of cause a new contract and bill of sale ( MCA ,RYA ) once the sale goes through .
You may be luck and a copy of the original invoice may be at hand , but do t hold your breath.
SSR you can apply to get it change in your name but I think now the old owner has to de register it too.
 
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Depends which registration you would take. If you took SSR you wouldnt need much. For Part I British they recently only accept MCA bill of sale not the RYA one.

Builders Certificate (if available)
Original invoice (if available). Which may be a proof of VAT paid. Other proofs include a customs document, tax authority document, brokers invoice. When the yacht is old it matters less.
Copy of the current certificates.
Bills of sale (at least the last 5 years is required for Part I).
The current bill of sale (several originals are usually made depending on what you want to do). The old flag for the deletion and the new flag may want originals to be sent. Best to be officially witnessed (Port police or notary public etc).
Not relevant for your boat - CE documentation (CE declaration of conformity for the boat and for the engine).
Deletion certificate from the current flag (or you may want to use same flag and do change of ownership). In case yacht is SSR or any other light registration which does not provide deletion certificate normally it is necessary for sellers to specially request a deletion certificate from SSR. Not relevant if you change from SSR to Part I British.
Copy of any major repair invoices (eg. standing rigging replacement etc).
 
wwalsh said:
Depends which registration you would take. If you took SSR you wouldnt need much. For Part I British they recently only accept MCA bill of sale not the RYA one.

Builders Certificate (if available)
Original invoice (if available). Which may be a proof of VAT paid. Other proofs include a customs document, tax authority document, brokers invoice. When the yacht is old it matters less.
Copy of the current certificates.
Bills of sale (at least the last 5 years is required for Part I).
The current bill of sale (several originals are usually made depending on what you want to do). The old flag for the deletion and the new flag may want originals to be sent. Best to be officially witnessed (Port police or notary public etc).
Not relevant for your boat - CE documentation (CE declaration of conformity for the boat and for the engine).
Deletion certificate from the current flag (or you may want to use same flag and do change of ownership). In case yacht is SSR or any other light registration which does not provide deletion certificate normally it is necessary for sellers to specially request a deletion certificate from SSR. Not relevant if you change from SSR to Part I British.
Copy of any major repair invoices (eg. standing rigging replacement etc).
Click to expand...
Quite a list you given :) ,
although a lot you said would apply if you was buying a much newer boat but the OP is buying a 1984 boat and at a guess I doubt he going to pay out to reg it under part 1 .
But even so good advise
 
wwalsh said:
Depends which registration you would take. If you took SSR you wouldnt need much. For Part I British they recently only accept MCA bill of sale not the RYA one.

Builders Certificate (if available)
Original invoice (if available). Which may be a proof of VAT paid. Other proofs include a customs document, tax authority document, brokers invoice. When the yacht is old it matters less.
Copy of the current certificates.
Bills of sale (at least the last 5 years is required for Part I).
The current bill of sale (several originals are usually made depending on what you want to do). The old flag for the deletion and the new flag may want originals to be sent. Best to be officially witnessed (Port police or notary public etc).
Not relevant for your boat - CE documentation (CE declaration of conformity for the boat and for the engine).
Deletion certificate from the current flag (or you may want to use same flag and do change of ownership). In case yacht is SSR or any other light registration which does not provide deletion certificate normally it is necessary for sellers to specially request a deletion certificate from SSR. Not relevant if you change from SSR to Part I British.
Copy of any major repair invoices (eg. standing rigging replacement etc).
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, very comprehensive!
It should be quite simple to change the SSR, just been on the MCA website and can be done online.
Be interesting to see what previous bills of sales and info the seller has, although the previous owner (to the one I'm potentially buying from) had meticulously looked after her, so most likely would have a comprehensive history.
If there isn't any I might just have to keep looking...
 
I wouldn't get too hang up with history or asking for old invoices she is quite an oldes boat I be concern with the boat conditions and what you or your surveyor find ,
has I said most of the document WWalsh had in his posting won't apply to you (builder cert,CE documentation,proof of VAT) although would apply to a much newer boat so it's good he did suggestion them for other looking a newer boats .
Even for example he didn't have his old SSR doc it wouldn't be no big deal .
The most important is bill of sale , you may be lucky and he was the original owner and has the original invoices .

Forces on the boat and what you can see, that will tell you a lot more then any bits of old papers going back a few years.
The boat we have now came with a large folder going back years with receipt, don't mean a thing, just that he spend a lot of money on it doing repairs ,
which we had to do again because they been done so long ago and needed redoing or they been done badly .
 
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You'll get lots of people telling you that they've never been asked to prove that VAT has been paid on their boats. Nor were we ever asked. However, an over-zealous official could insist that you must pay VAT if you can't absolutely prove it's been paid, and that could be a tidy sum. I would want to see concrete proof that VAT has been paid, the original invoice/receipt would be best for that but IMO you want some official paperwork that makes clear that VAT has been paid at some time.
 
Tony Cross said:
You'll get lots of people telling you that they've never been asked to prove that VAT has been paid on their boats. Nor were we ever asked. However, an over-zealous official could insist that you must pay VAT if you can't absolutely prove it's been paid, and that could be a tidy sum. I would want to see concrete proof that VAT has been paid, the original invoice/receipt would be best for that but IMO you want some official paperwork that makes clear that VAT has been paid at some time.
Click to expand...

Do I smell a T2L coming over the hill❓
 
seanfoster said:
...the boat was built in 1984 is it exempt? if not what VAT proof is 'typical'?!
Click to expand...

Quite possibly exempt, if in use prior to 1.1.85 and in the EU on the last day of 1992.

For details and evidence required, see Section 4.2 of our old friend VAT notice No8: https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...ailing-your-pleasure-craft-to-and-from-the-uk

It may be that the boat's whereabouts on Brexit day (whenever that might be) will determine its future VAT status: if in EU27, then it will be regarded as union goods.

P.S. Sean: evidence for whereabouts on 31.12.92 might seem rather esoteric, but if the owner at the time was conscientious, he would likely have made a point of preserving it.
 
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