Registering a boat

A

alyson

New Member
Joined
2 Nov 2020
Messages
21
Visit site
Thanks for all the help on my last post, I have recently purchased a yacht that is on the hard at present in Greece, I am just awaiting final papers from transfer of ownership, as she is a old boat and was within the EU, its my understanding the boat retains her EU status. with vat paid status. However I wish to keep her in the EU, anyone with advice or been in a similar situation. The registered owner is a UK citizen. This was a private sale, so no Brokers help was available. Any help very much appreciated, Thanks
 
alyson said:
Thanks for all the help on my last post, I have recently purchased a yacht that is on the hard at present in Greece, I am just awaiting final papers from transfer of ownership, as she is a old boat and was within the EU, its my understanding the boat retains her EU status. with vat paid status. However I wish to keep her in the EU, anyone with advice or been in a similar situation. The registered owner is a UK citizen. This was a private sale, so no Brokers help was available. Any help very much appreciated, Thanks
Click to expand...

I bought a 1988 Spanish boat in Spain, intending to keep her there. The broker deregistered her from the Spanish register and I re-registered on the SSR. Simples.

IIRC, I wasn't asked for evidence of de-registration before putting her on the SSR. I realise that you don't have a broker but I think it shouldn't be too difficult a process.
 
VAT doesn't have to be paid on private sales of secondhand goods, neither in the UK nor the EU.

Registration is separate - boats can be registered part 1 or part 3 (SSR). Isn't it registered already?
 
I didn't notice that the seller was from the UK. If that is the case, it may already be on the UK register and it is just a case of changing the registration to yourself. There may be a question after 31/12/20 if the VAT was paid in the UK rather than the EU to retain EU VAT paid status but there is no VAT due on this transaction.
 
More information still required. From the British end it does not have to registered, the SSR is not like the DVLA. Are you leaving it abroad? Is your concern about bringing it back and having to pay or prove its VAT status then? Or are you just seeking to avoid EU sailing regulations by being a piratical British privateer?
 
Hallberg-Rassy said:
More information still required. From the British end it does not have to registered, the SSR is not like the DVLA. Are you leaving it abroad? Is your concern about bringing it back and having to pay or prove its VAT status then? Or are you just seeking to avoid EU sailing regulations by being a piratical British privateer?
Click to expand...

"However I wish to keep her in the EU"
 
Hello, thanks for all your replies, I am not sure I have worded it correctly, I have been ashore for several years, so just trying to clarify some questions I have. The boat I have purchased is currently a french registered yacht, we are just awaiting Acte de France paperwork with transfer of ownership, can i leave the yacht under a french flag or do I have to re register her with being a UK citizen, she is currently out of the water in Greece, in a ideal situation I would like to keep her in Greece for as long is needed. My understanding is as the boat was and is in the EU it retains its EU status. My question is do I need to re register the vessel.

thanks
 
alyson said:
Hello, thanks for all your replies, I am not sure I have worded it correctly, I have been ashore for several years, so just trying to clarify some questions I have. The boat I have purchased is currently a french registered yacht, we are just awaiting Acte de France paperwork with transfer of ownership, can i leave the yacht under a french flag or do I have to re register her with being a UK citizen, she is currently out of the water in Greece, in a ideal situation I would like to keep her in Greece for as long is needed. My understanding is as the boat was and is in the EU it retains its EU status. My question is do I need to re register the vessel.

thanks
Click to expand...
Yes, you will have to re-register it as a UK citizen.
 
alyson said:
can i leave the yacht under a french flag or do I have to re register her with being a UK citizen
Click to expand...
Depends what the French registry says, but I'd guess only if you're French resident.

As a UK citizen you can register the boat on the part 1 or part 3 UK registries. There have been lots of previous threads about this - part 1 requires a survey, but you can't use part 3 if you're not UK resident (doesn't matter where the boat is).
 
But as a UK citizen, do you *need* to register it, or just stick a flag on it?

As in we don't need to register anything on Part 3 of the SSR.
 
Says the RYA: Registration of a vessel is not compulsory for a UK Citizen who keeps their boat in the UK, but it is essential if you wish to take your boat outside of UK Territorial Waters

And at more length:

Whilst a boat remains in UK territorial waters there is currently no compulsory requirement for her to be registered.

The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (‘UNCLOS’) provides a framework for the use of the oceans. Pursuant to UNCLOS the freedom of the high seas is open to all states, rather than to individuals, and thus every state has the right to sail ships flying its flag on the high seas. In order to enjoy the freedom of the high seas, therefore, a boat must be granted the nationality of a signatory state to UNCLOS.

The Merchant Shipping Act 1995 specifies which boats are British and therefore entitled to fly the British flag. Unregistered small ships (of less than 24 metres length) are entitled to fly the British flag if they are owned by qualifying owners (i.e. individuals or companies that would be entitled to register a British boat).

However, once a British boat leaves UK territorial waters and wishes to exercise the freedom of the high seas, it might be called upon by the warships of any nation to demonstrate its right to fly the British flag and, for all practical purposes, this means that the boat needs to be registered and to carry on board the appropriate certificate.

A boat’s registration normally comes from either the nationality of the owner, or the country of residency of the owner and once a boat is registered she becomes a floating part of her flag state, and therefore she has to comply with the national requirements regarding training, safety equipment etc.

In the UK we do not have compulsory training or minimum safety requirements on private pleasure boats. However, if an unregistered boat goes abroad, and local Customs realise that the boat is not registered then the owner may be fined, or it may be inferred, if he has been in the country long enough, that the boat comes under the jurisdiction of that country and the owner should therefore sit all the relevant training exams, in the local language, and fit the boat out according to the local safety standard. [PDF]​
 
Who's ever been called upon by a warship to do anything?

SSR is an online application. What year is the boat, for sake of VAT?
 
Last edited:
alyson said:
Thanks for all the help on my last post, I have recently purchased a yacht that is on the hard at present in Greece, I am just awaiting final papers from transfer of ownership, as she is a old boat and was within the EU, its my understanding the boat retains her EU status. with vat paid status. However I wish to keep her in the EU, anyone with advice or been in a similar situation. The registered owner is a UK citizen. This was a private sale, so no Brokers help was available. Any help very much appreciated, Thanks
Click to expand...
You will face no probs bringing back your boat as a UK national. Just do it. It's nice to be Small Ships Registered (SSR) and that's easily done in the UK. Fill in the form and whack the stickers on your baby's rump. If you want to register it part 1 UK this is more complex - look it up to meet the conditions. Costs more too - why do it?

After Jan 1 st next, the officials are looking to have a fine old time at our expense. It's under negotiation right now and the RYA et al are arguing with the Revenue over liability to further tax on bringing back a boat. This has the effect of ignoring the original tax paid - not fair and double taxation, but HMRC is sticking to its guns - someone wants the money it seems. There could be a period of grace, perhaps a year. After that a boat not normally kept in the UK returning will be treated as an import., and ad valorem tax charged. You can't prepare yourself for this other than get the boat back to the UK before Dec 31st or any extension period to claim domicile for it.

After that it's pretty clear we'll be able to take our UK based boats into the EU for a period, perhaps 90 or even 180 days but will have to leave then or register there Those wanting to settle their vessels in the EU for several seasons, eg the Baltic or Medi, are going to find chaps with flat hats looking them over with charge papers to hand. More money! It could have been so much esier but M Barnier is under orders, as you know, to milk the UK cow dry, and this is part of it. Tomorrow it's sausage tax....

I think double taxation in the UK, ignoring tax already paid in the EU, is discreditable and predatory. It's worth complaining to HMRC - see the RYA page on cruising, they're busy making representations.

PWG
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top