G5 tax in Spain

[Tranona]

Hi Plan B,
Thanks for your response. The vessel is currently 7th list registered in Spain & I am told VAT has been paid. Just awaiting a document stating this. In terms of matriculation tax what document/proof would I need?

Another thing that seems daft is I want to deregister from Spain & UK register it. The broker says I need to surrender the epirb to the Spanish authorities (forever). Is this correct? I thought It would be a case of deregister it & register with UK?

Think you will find that the Spanish registry require documentary evidence that all taxes have been paid before a boat is registered. Not all boats were required to pay matriculation tax so it depends on when and how it came into Spain. For example foreigners coming into Spain as residents could avoid the tax by declaring the boat on arrival. The tax has also had various names over the years and been applied variably. The broker and your gestor should be able to sort it out, same as with VAT.

When title transfers, the seller has to deregister the boat if you are going to register it on the UK register - assuming you qualify. You will need to send the EPIRB to the UK agent (probably Sartec) and have it reprogrammed with a UK number and registered at Falmouth. Same with the VHF where you will need a UK MMSI and reprogramme the set.

 

[charles_reed]

Think you will find that the Spanish registry require documentary evidence that all taxes have been paid before a boat is registered. Not all boats were required to pay matriculation tax so it depends on when and how it came into Spain. For example foreigners coming into Spain as residents could avoid the tax by declaring the boat on arrival. The tax has also had various names over the years and been applied variably. The broker and your gestor should be able to sort it out, same as with VAT.

When title transfers, the seller has to deregister the boat if you are going to register it on the UK register - assuming you qualify. You will need to send the EPIRB to the UK agent (probably Sartec) and have it reprogrammed with a UK number and registered at Falmouth. Same with the VHF where you will need a UK MMSI and reprogramme the set.

Amazing how all these threads are brought to life by an inadvertent poke of a finger. To correct a misapprehension - the hexadecimal reg # in an EPIRB cannot be changed but it can be re-registered in another country.
Whether it's worth it is a moot point.
EPIRBs, generally only have a 5 year battery life. The new PLBs, smaller and equally powerful cost less than re-batterying an old EPIRB. The two are rapidly converging - EPIRBs as we know them are obsolete. They'll only reach the dustbin of history when the "officials" catch up with changes in the real world and re-write IMO regs (which are only for commercial vessels).
I sailed around for 10 years with a US registered EPIRB (they weren't available in UK in 1989), with the knowledge and approval of Falmouth.
So best ignore Tranona's advice, re EPIRBs.

 

[RichardS]

EPIRBs, generally only have a 5 year battery life. The new PLBs, smaller and equally powerful cost less than re-batterying an old EPIRB. The two are rapidly converging - EPIRBs as we know them are obsolete. They'll only reach the dustbin of history when the "officials" catch up with changes in the real world and re-write IMO regs (which are only for commercial vessels).
I sailed around for 10 years with a US registered EPIRB (they weren't available in UK in 1989), with the knowledge and approval of Falmouth.
So best ignore Tranona's advice, re EPIRBs.

What about the MMSI number in the VHF, Charles. Can the MMSI be re-registered in a different country when the boat registration is changed?

In this case, Croatian register to UK SSR.

Thanks

Richard

 

[Tranona]

What about the MMSI number in the VHF, Charles. Can the MMSI be re-registered in a different country when the boat registration is changed?

In this case, Croatian register to UK SSR.

Thanks

Richard

Despite what Charles says might have been the case in 1989, it is a legal requirement (Merchant Shipping EPIRB Registration Regulations 2000) to register your EPIRB with Falmouth. A UK Number will be issued and the beacon needs to be reprogrammed. The same with your VHF and they will both have the same MMSI.

You may be able to get the reprogramming done in Croatia, but my experience in Greece was that the local agent would not do it, so I brought the beacon back to UK and had it done by Sartech. It costs £35, but if the battery has a short life it might be worth having a full service and test done at the same time. The VHF needs reregistering using the normal Ofcom registration, but some sets need to go to a dealer to change the number.