Yep goatboating is a wealth of information when it comes to anything, heres a good post he made recently on another thread re: VAT
I think we would like to stay aboard Sephina for a month after the
weather isn't condusive to sailing and
anchoring out and explore Croatia inland a bit, maybe till mid November, and do the same around April next year while we wait for the
weather to come good. A little
fishing village on an island would be perfect!
Idiots Guide to Sailing in the EU
Quote:
Since then, I've talked to other people who say " Good God no. You need these forms filled out in triplicate, an I-something or another, a ten thousand dollar bond and a visa if you're going to stay more than 30 days."
I would love to see
Europe but to be honest, I'm not even sure what's in the EU. Am I going to run into the same thing? I would think you have to contact the particular country's embassy to check in and out, is that correct or is there some central place since it is the EU?
18 months? If you wanted to see anything, I don't think you could get around
Ireland and
England in that amount of time, let alone
Sweden,
Finland and some car trips in
Germany.
Where do you go to get out of the EU? How long do you have to be gone before you can come back and continue?
I know, lots of stupid questions but it's better to ask before the docklines are cast off just to make sure you have all your ducks in a row.
Theres a few people , making this out to be more difficult then it is.
Time allowances
For VAT on the
Boat , nominally 18 months , requires no pre-authorisation, extenbable to 24 months on application in a particular country. VAt clocks resets on any trip outside the
customs union of the EU. ( The EU directive does not state an actual time that has to be spent outside, most people seem to just show ,they went to outside the area)
Immigration Limit , 90days in 180, 180 days starts on first entry into Schengen area. UK,
Ireland Croatia ,
Turkey etc not in Schengen
Entry requirements
Checkin Procedure, For your first entry into the Schengen Area ( and for you first entry into any other EU non Schengen country), you will need to get your passports stamped. In the
Med many many
marinas have no post officials, hence you may have to search around to find them, usually the marina operators will assist you. There is "technically" a requirement to go to a "port of entry" , but this only tends to be enforced in Croatia,
Greece and
Turkey in my experience.
Passports are not routinely stamped in the EU anymore, so you may have to ask.
There is no requirement to present at customs, this is only done if you feel you have something to declare. ( hide the AK OK). AND YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DECLARE, right , move on , nothing to see here. ( PS but a piece of plastic tape over any mouths that feel any compulsion to blabber!!) .
Once inside the Schengen Area, there is no requirement to recheck in or check out in any Schengen Area country further . There is no requirement in any European country to get exit permissions ( ie Zarpe etc).
Technically , time at sea outside the 12 mile limit is time outside the Schengen area and doesn't take from your 90 days. However technically if you go outside the Schengen area to claim that exemption, then you have to check in again !!!
Reality
OK. Thats the legalities, The realities are different. This is
Europe not the US, we don't necessarily have a
rule for everything and not every
rule is thought through.
Furthermore EU law, must be transposed into National Law to be effective and often national law differs in tone, is more involved or less enforced (or just ignored) then the original EU Directive, leading to some confusion and variable implementation on the ground . Thers no final answer just live with it, we all do here
IN reality, for visiting yachts, official oversight is almost non-existent, partioculary in
Spain,
France,
Italy and virtually all Northern European countries.
Portugal can be a pain depending on who you meet, and as one goes east, things get more complicated ( a little more complicated). IN Ireland for example, youll have a hard time getting anyone interested in your arrival , much less stamping things, just go of and have a Guiness, Everyone knows you come fro "Amerikay" anyway, They'll find you soon enough , sort of thing, As was said , it helps when Bobs your Uncle.
OK lets deal with the myths
Quote:
Since then, I've talked to other people who say " Good God no. You need these forms filled out in triplicate, an I-something or another, a ten thousand dollar bond and a visa if you're going to stay more than 30 days."
Hogwash, There are no forms, all you need is your passports. In Greece , turkey and croatia there ( still are for non EU ) are cruising permits. They can all be acquired(bought) on arrival at the port of entry. They are not expensive, nor widely inspected, simples.
Quote:
Where do you go to get out of the EU? How long do you have to be gone before you can come back and continue?
People continually mix up the VAT allowances with the Visa allowances.
Vat( 18 months) is "reset" as described earlier by the simple process of leaving the Customs Terrority of the EU , no minimum time is specified. technically out to 12 mile limit and back is sufficient. In practice NO ONE CARES ABOUT VAT on a non EU leisure
boat crewed by Non-eu citizens.
IN the Schengen Area you are limited to 90 days out of 180. Once you have used up the 90 days you must leave for 90 days. By playing the timescales you can get in effect about 179 days in two 90 day blocks back to back.
You reset the Schengen visa by staying out of the Schengen area countries for the allotted time .
IN general , if you stay in any EU country for more then 180 days out of a calendar year, you can be regarded as a residxent and subject to local laws, just like any other resident, that can mean exposure to wealth and asset
taxes, compulsory national
registration of the boat, compulsory certificates of competence, etc etc etc, please dont do this without thinking about it. ( Or if you do , don't be like the fool Belgian when asked in a Spanish marina, how long are you there " oh 1 year" and then screamed when they taxed me like a Spaniard!). Try and look gormless and shrug your shoulders, that usually works.!!.
Yes you are correct the Schengen tourist visa is restrictive for long term cruisers, No doubt in time, it may be dealt with , but the number of long term non-EU cruisers in Europe amounts to a handful and there are still ways to handle the issue legally and enjoy your self.
Quote:
I would love to see Europe but to be honest, I'm not even sure what's in the EU. Am I going to run into the same thing? I would think you have to contact the particular country's embassy to check in and out, is that correct or is there some central place since it is the EU?
Yes contact EuroBoat, Commission Strasse 9999, Brussels present your first born, 1000000 euros, 5 triplicate passports, 10 copies of a form in two languages neither of which you understand and withstand a 2 hour interview , where an aloof Frenchman will berate your culture. OK feel better now, formalities passed, go cruising
Quote:
I'm not even sure what's in the EU
Im not even sure even I can answer that!!!!!!!!
Half the problem is people cant seem to accept there is such a light touch and go seeking trouble!!.
Dave