The Polish maritime authorities have tightened requirements

Lorrendraaier

Lorrendraaier

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The year started with some turmoil among registered Polish pleasure craft owners, while Polish shipping authorities tightened the requirements.

Vessels have been summoned to undergo a survey and safety inspection. In a nutshell :

15+m yachts
  • Obliged to have a survey and safety inspection conducted by the state authorities.
  • In principle such a survey & inspection has to be conducted every 5 years, but there is a way around it.

Commercial yachts
  • Obliged to have a survey and safety inspection conducted by the state authorities.
  • On an annual basis flag state control and a periodical inspection
  • 5th year general survey & safety inspection

Ship station licence
All vessels navigating the seas are obliged to have a ship station licence (CallSign & MMSI). Vessels which only sail inland waters can do without.


An overview of these requirements can be found in an article we recently published : Spending More To Set Sail Under the Polish Flag
 
Clancy Moped said:
The loop tightens.
Click to expand...

Isn't this always the case?
Not too log ago, almost every other yacht in France flew the Belgian ensign as it was considered by the locals an easy way to circumvent strict French rules and regs.
Then Belgian authorities made registration requirements stricter (reserved for nationals & residents).
 
All the european countries seem to be going the same way. You can use the registration but must live in the country. As usual there are ways round it but it is difficult for a private individual.
 
Koeketiene said:
Isn't this always the case?
Not too log ago, almost every other yacht in France flew the Belgian ensign as it was considered by the locals an easy way to circumvent strict French rules and regs.
Then Belgian authorities made registration requirements stricter (reserved for nationals & residents).
Click to expand...

Possible when the flag is being abused, which apparently was also the case with the Polish flag. It was no new law that was being introduced, but an existing one which was not a requirement asked for, up to now.

In Belgium however they actually changed the maritime law. The Pools are now simply following it strictly to the letter, as should be.
 
Koeketiene said:
Isn't this always the case?
Not too log ago, almost every other yacht in France flew the Belgian ensign as it was considered by the locals an easy way to circumvent strict French rules and regs.
Then Belgian authorities made registration requirements stricter (reserved for nationals & residents).
Click to expand...
Actually, the French foreran Belgium: in 2016 France approved a law under which boats owned by French residents must fulfill French rules, whatever their flag is.

OT if your forum nickname is the name of your boat on ais, I may have a screenshot of my plotter while you were near Groix island last summer, possible?
 
Koeketiene said:
Isn't this always the case?
Not too log ago, almost every other yacht in France flew the Belgian ensign as it was considered by the locals an easy way to circumvent strict French rules and regs.
Then Belgian authorities made registration requirements stricter (reserved for nationals & residents).
Click to expand...

The French made it an offence for a French resident to flag a boat in any other state.
 
Graham376 said:
A mate has just (last month or so) obtained Polish registration on a '70's Princess 33, previously on Spanish registry. He said cost was around £400 and very simple to do online with no intermediary. No radio license or survey.
Click to expand...

The survey, inspection and radio licence requirements are not part of the registration process to register the vessel in the ships registrar. However........if more than 15m you are required to have a survey and safety inspection conducted, once the vessel has been registered. The radio licence is obligatory for all vessel navigating the seas.
 
Koeketiene said:
Have you've got a link/reference for this somewhere?

I'm a French resident and my boat's not French registered.
Was boarded by the Douanes last month, and they seemed happy with all my paperwork.
Click to expand...
Did you have the "Passeport" for your boat? I.e. the certificate you paid the tax?
 
Fr J Hackett said:
France Yacht Registration – Poland € 420,-
Click to expand...
I am afraid there is a lot of incorrect information on that site.
I won't list them all, just one remark: ok they charge a fee for their work, but registration itself in France is free, one just needs a French address, no residency nor anything (well yes, being EU national). A friend and my cousin use my French address to keep their boat under the French flag, I made the paperwork for them (most by email, actually) and did not spend anything except a couple of postal stamps. Also, marine radio licence/MMSI etc are all free. I do not know what use is my address as all correspondence goes directly from Authorities to Owners, never received anything. I think about registering my sea kayak too: no taxes, allows me a radio licence and to drop a couple of lobster pots :)
There is a yearly tax (formerly DAFN, it has changed recently changed name as all maritime matters have gone from the Douanes to Affaires Maritimes) which depends on size, horsepower, age of boat etc; this tax must be paid by anyone resident in France flying a different flag, it just changes name "Droit de passeport".
Any French resident, French or EU national, can fly whatever EU flag he desires, it will have to follow French maritime law while in French territorial waters, that's all.
 
Roberto said:
I am afraid there is a lot of incorrect information on that site.
I won't list them all, just one remark: ok they charge a fee for their work, but registration itself in France is free, one just needs a French address, no residency nor anything (well yes, being EU national). A friend and my cousin use my French address to keep their boat under the French flag, I made the paperwork for them (most by email, actually) and did not spend anything except a couple of postal stamps. Also, marine radio licence/MMSI etc are all free. I do not know what use is my address as all correspondence goes directly from Authorities to Owners, never received anything. I think about registering my sea kayak too: no taxes, allows me a radio licence and to drop a couple of lobster pots :)
There is a yearly tax (formerly DAFN, it has changed recently changed name as all maritime matters have gone from the Douanes to Affaires Maritimes) which depends on size, horsepower, age of boat etc; this tax must be paid by anyone resident in France flying a different flag, it just changes name "Droit de passeport".
Any French resident, French or EU national, can fly whatever EU flag he desires, it will have to follow French maritime law while in French territorial waters, that's all.
Click to expand...

I used the link not to promote the company but to show as in the third or fourth short paragraph that the French government in 2016 had made it an offence for residents to register their boats under a foreign flag, the article does say that this brings France into conflict with the EU in respect of EU residents / nationals being allowed to register in any EU country and that has not been resolved. If you can find anything incorrect in any of the above I and others would be pleased to know as it was in answer to a very specific question and nothing to do with how much it doesn't cost, although there is an annul tax on French registered vessels determined by the fiscal horsepower, nor was it anything to do with marine radio or MMSI or costs.
 
Sailfree said:
Is there a summary of these rules in English anywhere.
Click to expand...

The six months rule came about maybe 10 or 12 years ago after discussions RYA had with authorities. Previously, lots of foreign boats were being pulled and inspected and threatened with fines for being under-equipped. There used to be a list of equipment on Lagos Navigators site but I can't find it now, maybe Nortada can provide a link or can publish the list if he reads this.
 
Fr J Hackett said:
the French government in 2016 had made it an offence for residents to register their boats under a foreign flag,
Click to expand...
False.
As I said, 2016 law states all French residents must abide by France maritime rules, whatever (EU) flag they are flying.
It is perfectly legal for a French resident to own a boat under any other EU flag.
I'll find the legal reference.

Here it is
Article 52, Loi 20/6/2016 "économie bleue"
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/article_jo/JORFARTI000032729344
 
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