Do you know the syndicate members? Ask directly - why no transit log? Ask if they've considered the consequences if inspected and all not in order. This boat was apparently bought out of Croatia before it became a member of the EU so that sale has no bearing on EU VAT status. So when and how did it acquire EU VAT paid status. It seems to me that if there's no transit log there has to be a reason they didn't get one. It could, of course, just be ignorance.
I think the OP is more in need of Miss Marple
Good idea, thanksI think the OP is more in need of Miss Marple
Or a different boat with good paper trail. I’d walk away. There are 1000’s of boats for sale in Europe.I think the OP is more in need of Miss Marple
Maybe not buying into an existing syndicate on a 25 year old holiday boat in Greece!
Obviously it's worrying the OP as well, or she(?) wouldn't have come on here asking questions.
There is no mechanism for applying VAT to an existing boat unless it is being imported from outside the EU and this clearly is not the case. It is not an offence being unable to provide evidence of VAT payment. It may however make moving the boat to another EU state difficult as VAT evidence is the most common way of proving freedom of circulation, although a T2L can satisfy this requirement.
But this boat was imported from outside the EU at some point, and if VAT wasn't paid, and if it doesn't have a current valid Temporary Admission transit log, then then VAT is surely payable, along with possible substantial penalties.
It would certainly have been swept up in the Croatian VAT chaos in 2013 when they joined the EU if it had been in Croatia at that time - in which case it should have paperwork to enable creation of a T2L, just like happened to my boat. My marina in Croatia was very hot on which boats were currently under TA at the time. My last boat was zero rated for Croatian VAT as it was more than 8 years old in 2013, my current boat has the paperwork indicating the VAT payment amount as it was under 8 years old in 2013, so paid VAT at the concessionary rate of 5% shortly before EU Day.
The OP says she thinks it was sold by Sunsail in early 2,000's so I've certainly been assuming that aspect is irrelevant and I've been suggesting the issue is when the boat entered the EU and under what arrangents.
One would like to think so, but it could have been, as suggested, in Croatia until after 2013. On the other hand as I have explained on other threads on this subject prior to 2004 Greece was not applying VAT correctly to ex-charter boats. If it was UK registered it would not have needed TA. Remember Greek customs have always until recently conflated flag with VAT status. All it would need after sailing down from Croatia would be a DEKPA on entry and all that required was basic details of boat and registration document. I did not have to provide any evidence of VAT payment - indeed at that point although the boat was registered on the SSR it was still on the Greek register as well and I had not yet paid the VAT.
I think we're mixing apples and oranges here, but since none of us know the history of the boat I can't see what more we can do to assist the OP unless she establishes some more clear facts.
Not sure why you think that as I have explained that VAT was incorrectly dealt with in Greece in that period and it applied to boats arriving there as well a charter boat sales. It was not necessary for a British registered yacht to enter under TA or pay VAT to gain a cruising permit. I demonstrated this with my own boat where I got the cruising permit simply on presentation of my personal details and the certificate of registry You are right there is not enough information to be sure what happened and my guess is that there never was any substantive documentary trail after the purchase from Sunsail.