Leaving your SSR registered boat in the EU

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kashurst

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Just came across an advert in a local free newspaper claiming that SSR registered boats can only stay 18 months in EU waters
This is their website: Change Your SSR Flag, SSR register after Brexit

I am under the impression that leaving a UK boat in EU waters is nothing to do with EU law, it is covered by UN law under the UNCLOS regs, innocent passage etc
Anyone know any different?
 
julians said:
Your SSR registered boat can stay in EU waters as long as you like as long as EU vat has been paid.

If you haven't paid EU vat then you can only stay 18 months.
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Yes it seems to be a VAT thing . I think it’s playing with words .Not actually technically incorrect.It just economic with the rest of the truth .
It says this
“WHAT ARE THE REGULATIONS THAT APPLY TO MY SSR REGISTERED SHIP AS OF 01/01/2021?
NON-EU REGISTERED VESSELS MAY NOT STAY FOR MORE THAN 6 MONTHS IN THE SAME COUNTRY OR A MAXIMUM OF 14 MONTHS MOVING IN EU WATERS, AFTER WHICH TIME THE VESSEL MUST LEAVE EU WATERS OR BE REQUIRED TO PROVE THAT VAT HAS BEEN PAID, PAY IMPORT DUTIES AND BE REQUIRED TO REGISTER THE VESSEL IN THE EU“



What is doesn’t say is you may still be asked for VAT paid evidence or any other thing by officialdom even if it’s got a Polish flag .

There are 1000 s of none eu reg boats in the EU .Some permanent VAT paid , some on TI using the 18 M rules .I mean think about all the tiny flag states like Caymen islands , Marshal islands + many more never mind red ensigns.
They the article are deliberately mixing VAT with flag inferring you can’t have a vat paid none EU flag . Well I have !
Furthermore suggesting I think reading between the lines naughtily …….a Polish flag suddenly solves a VAT status check it doesn’t .If the vat isn’t paid under a none EU flag changing to a Polish flag means it’s still not paid . VAT status does not change with the flag never did .So what’s the point changing ?
 
kashurst said:
Just came across an advert in a local free newspaper claiming that SSR registered boats can only stay 18 months in EU waters
This is their website: Change Your SSR Flag, SSR register after Brexit

I am under the impression that leaving a UK boat in EU waters is nothing to do with EU law, it is covered by UN law under the UNCLOS regs, innocent passage etc
Anyone know any different?
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Somebody else sent me a link to that site earlier today. Seems to be a crude attempt to conflate different issues (e.g. VAT and Brexit) in order to panic people into paying to re-register their boats with a Polish flag.

A friend, who know about these things, confirmed the same.
 
This is total rubbish - a scam.
Registration has absolutely nothing to do with keeping a boat in the EU for 18 months.
The 18 month rule is for nonEU VAT paid boats so relates to the "goods status" of the boat.
The flag of the boat has nothing to do with this.
Nicely designed website though!!
 
So I bought my boat back to the UK in November, and as it was in the EU at Brexit time it became an EU Vat paid boat but I've bought it back so is it UK Vat paid or still EU vat paid?
I'm positive it's UK vat paid now but it's a bit cofusing and also annoying when the Government climbed down on this so I didn't need to bring it back.
 
crazy4557 said:
So I bought my boat back to the UK in November, and as it was in the EU at Brexit time it became an EU Vat paid boat but I've bought it back so is it UK Vat paid or still EU vat paid?
I'm positive it's UK vat paid now but it's a bit cofusing and also annoying when the Government climbed down on this so I didn't need to bring it back.
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You should have paid vat on it when you brought it back (imported it) to the UK, if you didn't it is currently EU vat paid, and you owe vat on it in the UK, unless.,...

Exception is if it was originally bought in the UK and you were the person who bought it and paid vat in the UK at that time, and you took it to the EU , and then you brought it back, you can claim returned goods relief and be exempt from paying vat again, but you need to fill in the return goods relief form to make that all official
 
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crazy4557 said:
So I bought my boat back to the UK in November, and as it was in the EU at Brexit time it became an EU Vat paid boat but I've bought it back so is it UK Vat paid or still EU vat paid?
I'm positive it's UK vat paid now but it's a bit cofusing and also annoying when the Government climbed down on this so I didn't need to bring it back.
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Firstly the government climb down
ref CA update on UK Government VAT rules for UK boat owners | CA
I see statements from the CA and RYA saying these things have been successfully negotiated but I don’t see a positive government statement. I am one of the few who bought new in the UK (20 years ago) and had my boat in Spain at the 31st Dec 2020 so (come the gov statement) I qualify to bring my boat back to the UK (I probably won’t but a nice string to have)
Has anyone located the gov statement?

Re your case of UK VAT paid (possibly not by you but a previous owner) but the boat was in the EU 31st Dec 2020 The way I see it is that you had EU VAT but not any more now that you have brought your boat back during the amnesty. Your UK VAT is still valid.
 
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Thats as I thought although I wasn't aware that you need to complete any forms when you returned the boat, it's back in the UK, has a VAT paid invoice and no-one asked me anything when I brought back through customs. It was VAT paid when I took it out in 2016 and I'm not sure the Government are going to either know or care about a boat in the UK that they know nothing about.
 
crazy4557 said:
Thats as I thought although I wasn't aware that you need to complete any forms when you returned the boat, it's back in the UK, has a VAT paid invoice and no-one asked me anything when I brought back through customs. It was VAT paid when I took it out in 2016 and I'm not sure the Government are going to either know or care about a boat in the UK that they know nothing about.
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The law is quite clear and well publicised. When you enter the UK with a boat you are required to report to customs using the C1331 form. They may well do nothing, but legally they may require you to apply for relief from VAT - in fact in November you may not have been granted relief because then the formal limit was 3 years. It is that limit which has been removed but the requirement to report to customs still stands.
 
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crazy4557 said:
Thats as I thought although I wasn't aware that you need to complete any forms when you returned the boat, it's back in the UK, has a VAT paid invoice and no-one asked me anything when I brought back through customs. It was VAT paid when I took it out in 2016 and I'm not sure the Government are going to either know or care about a boat in the UK that they know nothing about.
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Until you posted it on a public forum
 
crazy4557 said:
Thats as I thought although I wasn't aware that you need to complete any forms when you returned the boat, it's back in the UK, has a VAT paid invoice and no-one asked me anything when I brought back through customs. It was VAT paid when I took it out in 2016 and I'm not sure the Government are going to either know or care about a boat in the UK that they know nothing about.
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Until you posted it on an Internet forum
 
jrudge said:
Until you posted it on an Internet forum
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Agreed but I don't think it would be very easy to track him down.
And because he owned the boat before he took it to the EU, nobody would ever know that it had been out of the UK - especially if he doesn't tell anyone who he is!!!
I don't have that luxury - most people can find out who I am - maybe you as well??
 
IR have bigger fish to fry at the mo .Look east ;).

I will fess up online .Was on a U.K. motorway doing over 70 mph .
So what ? Can’t see Scotland Yard or interpol battering any doors down tbh .
 
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