Dutch VAT Cert. Can You Help?

CaptainBob

CaptainBob

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I have an EEC VAT certificate (I think) from a boat I may buy - but it is from the Netherlands. Anyone know about such things and/or can read Dutch, that I can email it to for a rough translation?

TY!!
 
I typed the lot into Google Translate and it spat this out at me:

Google said:
Purpose, validity and use
This statement was issued by the Netherlands customs.
It serves as proof that VAT has been paid for the fun - right vessel is described. This statement can lift vessel to return to the Netherlands, free admission.

vessel. If the vessel changes hands, the statement to the new owner will be transferred.

It is raadzaarn this statement while boating on board to keep.

Warning! Any amendment to this statement not made ​​by the Dutch customs authorities or authenticated, make this declaration invalid.
Click to expand...

Next question. Is this likely to be a valid vat paid cert I can use in the UK for use of a craft in the UK?

Vessel in question is over 30 years old now. VAT cert is from 1990.
 
Check with customs if this rule is still in force, the previous owner imported our Dutch boat with Dutch VAT paid. If VAT is lower in Holland than the UK then the difference is to be paid on arrival in the UK. The difference is 1% (19 v 20) but the rule may no longer exist.
 
KellysEye said:
Check with customs if this rule is still in force, the previous owner imported our Dutch boat with Dutch VAT paid. If VAT is lower in Holland than the UK then the difference is to be paid on arrival in the UK. The difference is 1% (19 v 20) but the rule may no longer exist.
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How does that square with people choosing the lowest VAT country as their entry port?
 
HISWA might help

HISWA is the RYA cum yachting trade association (or something on those lines) in the Netherlands and I found them very helpful when I bought a boat there. If you call them and ask to speak with their legal dept, they may be able to advise.
 
I bought my HR48 in the Netherlands and the previous owner handed me a "verklaring voor een pleziervaartuig". the dutch broker told me it is the custom certicate stating VAT has been paid. nevertheless I obtained the original purchase invoice showing VAT.

marco
 
I bought my boat from Holland last year. It did not have a VAT certificate so I obtained one from the Dutch customs. They were very helpful indeed. You just fill in a form, submit whatever papers you have and they will issue a VAT paid certificate.

It sounds like you have this, but you can get confirmation from them if you wish. My certificate is approx A5 in size and roughly translated it just says that VAT was deemed to be paid on the boat.

The customs people were so helpful - when I called, the chap i needed to speak to (Hans Siereveld (or similar - i forget the exact spelling)) was out of the office so they gave me his mobile number. He asked me to call back at a specified time, which i did, and he sorted it all out for me. Took 1 week for me to have the certificate in the UK. Suggest call their main helpline number + 31 45 574 30 31. They put our customs officers to shame - they were totally useless when i spoke to them and always sit on the fence - they will say "in reality we are unlikely to enforce a VAT issue on the boat you may buy, and the invoice probably is sufficient to show VAT was paid" - totally non-committal, which is no use whatsoever if you just want to know whether the paperwork is sufficient to avoid you paying an additional 20% on the boat's value.

I would definitely buy in Holland again. Watch for some differences in the HISWA (RYA equivalent) standard sale terms - defects costing less than 10% of the boats value don't entitle you to withdraw from the sale, just make a cash adjustment. In my case i was not comfortable with potentially having to go through with the purchase on a boat that needed up to 5,000 of remedial work. So I just changed the clause to 5%, which was fine with the seller.

Good luck.
 
corinthmistral said:
I bought my boat from Holland last year. It did not have a VAT certificate so I obtained one from the Dutch customs. They were very helpful indeed. You just fill in a form, submit whatever papers you have and they will issue a VAT paid certificate.

It sounds like you have this, but you can get confirmation from them if you wish. My certificate is approx A5 in size and roughly translated it just says that VAT was deemed to be paid on the boat.

The customs people were so helpful - when I called, the chap i needed to speak to (Hans Siereveld (or similar - i forget the exact spelling)) was out of the office so they gave me his mobile number. He asked me to call back at a specified time, which i did, and he sorted it all out for me. Took 1 week for me to have the certificate in the UK. Suggest call their main helpline number + 31 45 574 30 31. They put our customs officers to shame - they were totally useless when i spoke to them and always sit on the fence - they will say "in reality we are unlikely to enforce a VAT issue on the boat you may buy, and the invoice probably is sufficient to show VAT was paid" - totally non-committal, which is no use whatsoever if you just want to know whether the paperwork is sufficient to avoid you paying an additional 20% on the boat's value.

I would definitely buy in Holland again. Watch for some differences in the HISWA (RYA equivalent) standard sale terms - defects costing less than 10% of the boats value don't entitle you to withdraw from the sale, just make a cash adjustment. In my case i was not comfortable with potentially having to go through with the purchase on a boat that needed up to 5,000 of remedial work. So I just changed the clause to 5%, which was fine with the seller.

Good luck.
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I am dealing g with this now. Thank you for this info. We are selling a boat built in 1977 in the Netherlands and have no VAT receipt. I just contacted customs.
 
Scofen said:
I am dealing g with this now. Thank you for this info. We are selling a boat built in 1977 in the Netherlands and have no VAT receipt. I just contacted customs.
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1977 is pre VAT so I expect what you will get is a statement that as it is pre 1985 it was "deemed VAT paid" which was the term used in the EU Accession protocols in 1992. It is not proof that VAT is not payable as the boat may have been involved in a "chargeable event" in subsequent years and this may be outstanding - for example if it was taken out of the EU and changed ownership before returning. It is for that reason HMRC stopped issuing such "certificates" more than 20 years ago. While such a certificate may help in showing the boat enjoys free circulation in the EU it is of no value if your buyer is bringing the boat into the UK as VAT will be payable on its current value.
 
Hi, The boat is in France and will be staying there. I saw in one search if it is built in 1977 with no receipt you need proof it was in the Netherlands. We are the second owner and the original owners never left the Netherlands with the boat. When we bought the boat it said VAT paid proof attached but we do not have the receipt. The original owners kept an extensive log book. Would a log book be proof it was in the Netherlands. Why don't hey just connect the two bureaucracies to make it easier. Nothing like this in Canada.
 
Scofen said:
Hi, The boat is in France and will be staying there. I saw in one search if it is built in 1977 with no receipt you need proof it was in the Netherlands. We are the second owner and the original owners never left the Netherlands with the boat. When we bought the boat it said VAT paid proof attached but we do not have the receipt. The original owners kept an extensive log book. Would a log book be proof it was in the Netherlands. Why don't hey just connect the two bureaucracies to make it easier. Nothing like this in Canada.
Click to expand...
You are experiencing the difficulties that arise when a central body (the EU) establishes a set of rules to apply across a range of states and then requires those states to implement the rules within their one legal system. Inevitably that results in different procedures in different states. Thankfully, despite these differences it has not caused too many problems until you get more than one state involved. So in Holland their customs take a pragmatic view in their interpretation of what is good evidence whereas in France the main source of evidence is the registration document that records the VAT payment, meaning there is an official record separate from the original invoice - Italy, Portugal and Spain for example also have similar systems. This reflects their longstanding "Roman Law" legal systems that rely on a precise definition of what is required and the form of document. Inevitably this results in friction between that sort of legal system and those based on Common Law.

Hope you get what you want and your buyer is satisfied so the sale goes through smoothly.
 
Yep, it has been a learning process. In Canada it takes about an hour to buy a boat and register it but every time you buy a boat second hand or new you have to pay PST (Provincial sales tax). If it is a private sale there is no GST (goods and services tax). So a one time VAT is not so bad.
 
This is what I have. I read about it somewhere on these forums, so got the PO to apply for a copy when I bought the boat. It arrived laminated.

P9m3j8Z.jpg
 
I don't speak Dutch but it is the confirmation of Vat? Do you know the address? What documentation did you have to send? I have already lost one buyer of our boat due to not being able to obtain the correct documents. Thanks you so much for posting this.
 
Scofen said:
I don't speak Dutch but it is the confirmation of Vat? Do you know the address? What documentation did you have to send? I have already lost one buyer of our boat due to not being able to obtain the correct documents. Thanks you so much for posting this.
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I just double-checked with Yandex Translate (which works on images) and can confirm it is.

I assume there are contact details on their website.
 
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