Tranona
Well-known member
Why? State of registration and the flag is absolutely nothing to do with either the EU or the UK leaving the EU. State registration is covered by international Maritime law.
Polish registration
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Why? State of registration and the flag is absolutely nothing to do with either the EU or the UK leaving the EU. State registration is covered by international Maritime law.
WindyWindyWindy
Active member
WindyWindyWindy
Active member
Yeah, no big deal. Have you sued many countries?
Rwc13
Member
Also Polish registered. Very quick and simple with the help of an agent, avoids certain crazy equipment and inspection requirements and also annual circulation tax in Portugal.
Tranona
Well-known member
What can one sue for? Very simple, international law requires ships in international waters and in territorial waters of another state to have a means of identifying the ships home state (flag state). Registration in that state and the ensign of the state is the recognised proof, well supported by case law. Important if one is visiting other states and jurisdictions in a boat to understand what law applies to what.
WindyWindyWindy
Active member
Sure, not a problem for you then.
Tranona
Well-known member
Not a problem for anyone else unless they want to avoid complying with local laws in the country they choose to reside in!
WindyWindyWindy
Active member
Charming.
Irish Rover
Well-known member
Are you a new asshole or a returning asshole? Just curious?
SaltyC
Well-known member
Honest?
dod
Member
Please excuse me for hijacking this thread. I find the above quote very interesting as a potential buyer of our boat was told by the Finnish customs that if the boat was registered in the UK it would incur customs duty if flagged in Finland. ( not sure what duty was being referred to) Funnily the boat was bought in Finland and has never been in UK waters (apart from 2 weeks transiting the English channel in 2007) So it would seem that not all countries either know or adhere to international laws. Or am I missing something.
AngusMcDoon
Well-known member
They speak from a position of ignorance. Set Tranona on them.
Graham376
Well-known member
Something not right with that statement. If the boat remains in the country where it is VAT paid or deemed paid, it should make no difference who owns it or, under whose flag it sails. Generally, it's the movement of goods across borders which influences VAT and duty, not change of ownership or flag.
Tranona
Well-known member
Duty and taxes are nothing to do with maritime law and unconnected with the state of registration. I expect that (in ignorance) whoever made that statement is conflating state registration and liability for import duty. As Graham says, liability for duty and possibly VAT only arises when goods move from one customs area to another. So if the boat moved from the UK (or anywhere outside the EU) into Finland it would potentially be liable for VAT unless the boat stayed in the ownership of a non EU resident and could take advantage of temporary admission under EU rules. This would be the case even if it was already flying the Finnish flag.
I guess this illustrates perfectly why a basic understanding or the various laws and rules that surround the movement of boats and people between states. Although Brexit caused a period of confusion, it has now settled down and there is plenty of advice from HMRC, RYA CA, BMF and even dare I say the magazines sponsoring these forums to help people understand how it affects them and their boat.
WindyWindyWindy
Active member
Jeez people are jolly around here.
I answer the guys question and get called a criminal and an asshole.
Well, get stuffed the lot of you.
dod
Member
thanks for all the comments. Just to clarify further on my post, the boat is vat paid (1983 vintage) and was to be moved from Mediterranean to Finland. So is it import duty that is to be paid? If so, would this be the case in all movement of goods within the EU. It is a bit confusing to me.
Graham376
Well-known member
I can't see why any duty or VAT should be paid when moving a VAT paid boat from one full member country to another within the EU. Read this - Customs (europa.eu) In the case of the EU, this means that there are no customs duties to be paid when goods are transported from one EU country to another.
dod
Member
thank you for that. It may come in useful for people selling uk flagged boats in in the EU.
jms28
Member
Considering using this vendor for the process: 
Polish yacht registration €420 (incl VAT) - Expedited 2-5 days! Anyone experience with them? Trustpilot reviews seem good.
Initially tried myself with REJA24 directly. But turns out that you can't use the online platform as a non-resident/national and after literally spending weeks to complete the PDFs for a manual registration, I was told that the application can't be submitted remotely. As I have no appetite to travel to Poland for a potentially lengthly back-and-forth, I am now considering an service like the one linked above.
Any thoughts on this? Thks
Polish yacht registration €420 (incl VAT) - Expedited 2-5 days! Anyone experience with them? Trustpilot reviews seem good.Initially tried myself with REJA24 directly. But turns out that you can't use the online platform as a non-resident/national and after literally spending weeks to complete the PDFs for a manual registration, I was told that the application can't be submitted remotely. As I have no appetite to travel to Poland for a potentially lengthly back-and-forth, I am now considering an service like the one linked above.
Any thoughts on this? Thks
rotrax
Well-known member
If you have a UK Address use the SSR for the small amount it costs. Tranona's early post on page 1 of this thread lays it out clearly.