Cruising The Med With A Non Eu Boat

[krissteyn]

Hi all - I am considering purchasing a Catamaran already registered in the EU.

What are the implications / rules about having , say an american registered boat , in the med ? I am considering cruising from Portugal to Turkey and taking in North Africa as well . The crew/owner would be also foreign requiring visas at all stages. please point me at another thread if this has been posted before.

[MMNETSEA]

Originally Posted by krissteyn

Hi all - I am considering purchasing a Catamaran already registered in the EU.

What are the implications / rules about having , say an american registered boat , in the med ? I am considering cruising from Portugal to Turkey and taking in North Africa as well . The crew/owner would be also foreign requiring visas at all stages. please point me at another thread if this has been posted before.

Before any other issues , the top of the list is :- Will VAT have been paid ??

[JeanneP]

Can a boat be registered in the EU without VAT having been paid? I assumed that if it's an EU boat, VAT has been paid and it is a better buy than bringing a US boat over to cruise. No worry about having to leave the EU so VAT would have to be paid.

As far as how registration is handled once a non-EU citizen purchases the boat, I would assume it's not that much different from what happens in the US. A US federally documented vessel must be owned and skippered by a US citizen. If the boat is state-registered only, though, I don't think that citizenship issue applies. I think that some of the fine points of the law would best be answered by that country's officials, wouldn't you say?

A lot of research into VAT and cruising the Med has been done, and written about, by two sailors sharing a web site. You might want to read their information on VAT and avoiding VAT by a US registered boat. John's Sailing Web

[krissteyn]

Been surfin' the web and found a comprehensive discussion on the noonsite.com pages

[KevinBarr]

Originally Posted by krissteyn

Been surfin' the web and found a comprehensive discussion on the noonsite.com pages

Can you link?

[ma bete]

Hi,

Hope this helps. Don't know your passport but for USA passport you will need visa. If VAT not paid the following was accurate.

I returned from Med to USA in December 2010. Left U.S. May 2009. My boat is U.S. documented. A non EU vessel may stay in the EU for up to 18 months without paying VAT. After that period you will be liable for VAT and, given my personal experience, it is very possible you will be found. The authorities may board and inspect and ask for proof on dates entering EU country. I stopped in the Azores where the first "sign in " occured. That was my 18 month start date. Beore gong into the Med I was boarded in Atlantic Spain, then again in France and Italy. The authorities came aboard and checked my documents and entry date into EU. All authorities were courteous, and some absolutely friendly. Some cruiser leave the EU area and goto Tunisia or Morocco and stay for a while making sure they get "proof" that they have left EU and then return for another 18 months. I did not do this. You will find this info on Noonsite. The other MAJOR ISSUE is to understand th Schengen Agreement which relate to visas. Basically you, not the boat, can only stay in the Schengen Agreement countries for 90 days in any 180 day period without a Schengen visa which you must get before you leave the USA. I did not understand this clearly and the information in 2009 on Noonsite was unclear to me. I managed not to have a problem but I would not take a chance again as the world and regulations change quickly. Another unrelated but important matter is insurance as most marinas require a copy of your policy. I had a fun year+ in the Med! Fair winds, Stuart

P.S. You may find that purchasing a boat in US and then paying VAT when you sail across is still less money as the US$ is still low.

[Lighthouse]

Thanks for posting the info Stuart.