Med Cruisers Have you ever................ ??????

Spent nearly seven years in the Med. and was never asked for proof, which was a bit of a disappointment in a way as we'd spent a hell of a long time getting the damned thing in the first place - the original purchase invoice being unavailable!

We met literally dozens and dozens of other UK cruising yachts and not a single one of them had been asked foro it either.
 
Boarded in Rouen and Marseillan near Sete.They were about to do the VAT thing but as soon as they saw the hull number plate with the date of build -1985- they stopped.
 
No. Four years in the Med, seven years in Holland. Needed to show passports and ship's papers a few times, insurance occasionally, ICC once, VAT never.

The RYA have recently tried to do a survey on this question, requesting case histories. There seems to have been a considerable absence of feedback from the RYA and I suspect it has turned out to be an over-hyped problem.
 
Never been asked for VAT papers in the Med. I have been asked for VAT-paid proof in Cascais, Portugal and La Rochelle, France while crew on a very expensive yacht. My take is that you are exposed if you are in a very expensive looking yacht in areas where you could potentially have arrived from outside the EU with a non-taxed boat. I have never been checked for VAT while in my 'normal' looking boat. As vyv-cox says; insurance and registration often, ICC twice only. I would not want to issue any guarantees that you will never be checked for VAT though. Get your papers in order and sleep well.
 
Not the Med but I've twice been asked, though a long while back. First in Lexioes, Portugal, in 1996; and second in Belle Ile, Brittany, France, in 1997. In both cases the customs officers immediately lost interest when I said the yacht was built in 1983 (didn't even ask for proof, fairly obvious from her condition).

But in Lexioes, Customs Officers were taking a great deal of interest in a very new looking Beneteau owned by a young Englishman and UK registered. Evidently he did not have a VAT receipt. I heard him claiming to have sailed her direct from England, but clearly the officers thought he might have brought her in from the USA. I don't know the outcome of this, but at very least he was held in port at Lexoies for a week while it was sorted.

To be frank, I don't see the point of having a tax unless some kind of scrutiny is in place to check it is being paid. We expect IR to double check our tax-returns occasionally and police to look at our road-tax discs, so why not customs and yacht VAT receipts? If people think there is no scrutiny, for some the next step it is not to pay ... its not difficult under current rules. Then, when the authorities catch on that the system is being abused, new draconian regulations get introduced to make the paperwork pain ten times worse.

The only exception is for pre-1985 yachts, before the current regulations, many of which don't have VAT receipts for genuine reasons. I can't ever recall hearing of a problem with a yacht that could be proved pre-1985.
 
Ive been in the med since before this VAT on boats was thought up and ive NEVER been asked for a VAT proof since it came in

In fact i it would be a problem as all my boats even this new GRP one built in 1969 have never paid VAT?My Hillyard was form 1938 FB 1947& EASloop 1963

Im only just manageing with renewable reg since the Part 1 blue book was abolished

Now how on earth will i find a VAT proof?? The EEC gone buracratic mad again
 
[ QUOTE ]
The only exception is for pre-1985 yachts, before the current regulations, many of which don't have VAT receipts for genuine reasons. I can't ever recall hearing of a problem with a yacht that could be proved pre-1985.

[/ QUOTE ]Don't worry trouville. I have also never heard of anyone with a pre-1985 yacht that had a VAT-issue, provided the boat did not still look like a lot of money. For instance, if I had a Swan 651 from 1979 (I wish...) I would still make very sure I had my VAT-documentation in order.

You can easily return to your good french wine and you should not worry, trouville.
 
I have been based in the Italian Adriatic for 27 years along with many other EU registered yachts undisturbed by the Guardia di Finanzia, who did, however, randomly check Italian registered yachts.

Then about seven years ago it was announced that all EU flagged yachts would be controlled for VAT on behalf of Brussels – thereupon there occurred a mass armada of German and Austrian yachts across the Adriatic to Slovenia and Croatia.

Then in 2004 Slovenia joined the EU and immediately informed it would be implementing VAT checks on all EU registered yachts – a further exodus of yachts to Croatia.

Now there is hardly any marina place to find in Croatia because of this situation and the boom in charter and flotilla yachts flooding Adriatic waters.

As my yacht was built before the VAT exemption date of 1 January, 1985, I was unperturbed but I also note that my marina still has not had any activity to check for VAT payment on foreign registrations whatsoever. Nevertheless, that could change at any time.
 
Ah........Swan 651 what a boat...Used to drive hull 003 Asteri aka white swan built 1983 German Frers design Beautiful lady she was.
She was vat free!

joha
 
Personally no. Four years in the Med and never asked. However I do know someone who managed to get a very good deal on a fairly new gin palace that had been impounded by the Guardia in Mallorca. They were checking all the Channel Island registered boats. After it was impounded the owner apparently could not pay the VAT demand, and promptly stopped all the other payments. After a year on the hard, the finance company were glad to offload it. I think the moral is that it was new, looked expensive, and had Jersey plates, so was asking for it.
 
Yes.
This was part of the complete documentation we had to provide the Aduana (customs) in Malaga when they checked on everyone (foreign) in our marina at Bajadilla. They did specifically ask to see the 'original' (VAT) invoice.
Apart from this one time - and this was more associated with staying in one place for a period of time, rather than cruising around - never.
 
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