Registering a yacht in Australia

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by hoppy

That would be fantastic, thanks. I was going to email them but the AMSA contact page just shows a blank section under the "email" heading ��

It would be nice if AMSA did not try to cover small yachts and container ships with the same paperwork.

I wonder what deregistration is like? I just now walked into the Swedish Cruising Club office with my registration saying I will export my boat and need to deregister. I just gave them my certificate and phone number and they will call when it's done. Will cost something like $50 and no paperwork to fill


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Hi Hoppy, Wanderlast is correct. I've spoken to Pat at AMSA and the tonnage questions are only for vessels over 20meters. His only comment to me to pass on to you is to make sure you know your not permitted to leave without it being registered. I said I'd pass that on but I think you know that.

So, I would think all you have to do is the affidavit in lieu of the Builders Certificate. Unless you have a builders certificate.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by hoppy

That would be fantastic, thanks. I was going to email them but the AMSA contact page just shows a blank section under the "email" heading 😳

It would be nice if AMSA did not try to cover small yachts and container ships with the same paperwork.

I wonder what deregistration is like? I just now walked into the Swedish Cruising Club office with my registration saying I will export my boat and need to deregister. I just gave them my certificate and phone number and they will call when it's done. Will cost something like $50 and no paperwork to fill

Australian Deregistration is a LOT simpler than Registration

The relevant info from the AMSA "Closure of Registration" leaflet:

The Shipping Registration Act 1981 requires a ship’s
owner or registered agent to notify the Registrar of
Ships immediately if a ship ceases to be entitled to be
Australian registered or if the ship is lost, broken up or
taken by an enemy. The documentation that is to be
lodged is described below.

Ship Ceases to be Entitled
• Notice by the owner that the ship has ceased to
be entitled to be registered, together with details
of the circumstances (e.g. the name, address and
nationality of the buyer); and
• A certified or notarised copy of the bill of sale or
other document that transferred ownership.
The Australian Registration Certificate must be
returned to the Shipping Registration Office as soon
as possible.
Voluntary Closure
Ships that belong to a class that is not required to
be registered, may be deregistered upon lodgement
of an application for closure made by the owner.
Voluntary closure applies only to:
• pleasure craft;
• fishing vessels;
• government-owned ships;
• foreign-owned ship that are on demise (bare boat)
charter to Australian operators; and
• ships that are less than 24 metres in overall
length.
The owner must lodge the following
documentation:
• an application for closure of registration; and
• the Australian Registration Certificate....

Deletion Certificates
Upon receipt of a written request together with the fee of
$A85, a deletion certificate can be granted relating to a
ship whose registration is closed. There is no provisional
deletion certificate.
The deletion certificate comprises three documents:
• a certificate stating that the ship is not Australian
registered and stating the circumstances of its closure
of registration;
• a statement of the registered ownership and mortgages
in force at the time of closure; and
• the registered description of the ship at the time of
closure.
Deletion certificates can be granted immediately after
closure of registration, if the Registrar has received a
written request and the fee.

[Tientos]

[QUOTE=hoppy;1974629]Btw is the Aussie MMSI connected to the radio licence holder or the boat?


MMSI only applies to Australian vessels and coast stations using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and Automatic Identification System (AIS),

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

Hi Hoppy, Wanderlast is correct. I've spoken to Pat at AMSA and the tonnage questions are only for vessels over 20meters. His only comment to me to pass on to you is to make sure you know your not permitted to leave without it being registered. I said I'd pass that on but I think you know that.

So, I would think all you have to do is the affidavit in lieu of the Builders Certificate. Unless you have a builders certificate.

Thanks...

The only place Jessabbe is going at the moment if from her marina berth to the travel lift for 3 months on the hard. Hopefully shell be a true blue Aussie by the time she's wet again in spring

[monte]

Hoppy what what was the story with paying GST and duty for you? Did you supply a value estimate or did customs or did you need to have her valued?

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by monte

Hoppy what what was the story with paying GST and duty for you? Did you supply a value estimate or did customs or did you need to have her valued?

The boat is in Greece and won't be in Aussie for a couple of years at least, so I'll cross that bridge when it gets there

[hoppy]

Just thinking about being prepared for the markings on the outside. Name on the bow 100m high and home port on the transom the same height? I seem to recall someone mentioned a specific font but at the same time that AMSA is not so strict on that. What is the font?

[44'cruisingcat]

The required font is sans serif. But it's very plain. We used something a little nicer, but still very legible. Customs didn't even mention it.


When we were overseas we saw some Aus boats with fancy lettering resulting in pretty much illegible names, and they'd had no problems with customs either.


I guess it kind of goes like - if you're going out of the country customs don't really care, since it won't be their concern when you're overseas. And if you're in the country, then you don't need Aus rego anyway..

[Wotname]

To expand slightly of the font issue; there are dozens of fonts that comply with the "sans sarif" requirement.

literally means a font without "serifs". A serif is the little triangular bits at the end of lines of the character.

Google explains it better than me

[D&D]

FWIW, our experience from 2011...

We were advised (by the then Aust Registrar of Ships) that they weren't concerned, at all, with the font on yachts...the only issue was to ensure it was clearly legible. We used the same font (Seans Other Hand) that we use for our business and there were no problems, altho of course we made sure it was large and legible.

As for GST, we supplied the value, based on purchase price 4 months before arriving in Aust, plus our own tally of the 'delivery' costs; the latter being our various costs in sailing from Italy to OZ. Our value was not challenged, altho it is very clear that Customs (and the ATO) can set aside whatever value you supply and replace it with one of their own if they form the view that you are trying to avoid tax.

[hoppy]

Thanks on the font... I suppose that the bureaucrats in Canberra probably wanted to keep themselves busy and in a job and spent many days or weeks in committees coming up with a decision on the font.

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by D&D

plus our own tally of the 'delivery' costs; the latter being our various costs in sailing from Italy to OZ.

Isn't the delivery cost only based on the cost from the last foreign port when sailed there, not the whole trip?

[D&D]

Originally Posted by hoppy

Isn't the delivery cost only based on the cost from the last foreign port when sailed there, not the whole trip?

With the proviso that you should take professional advice...

Our understanding was that the 'last port' was only relevant if (i) that's where the vessel was purchased or (ii) that became your domicile for some (unspecified) period. So in our case, for example, we bought the vessel in Italy and then sailed pretty much straight to OZ, with stopovers for a week in each of Gibraltar, St Maarten, and Panama...and short stops in Ibiza, Las Palmas and Tahiti...but we tallied all our costs for the whole voyage into the GST valuation.

The other 'hoary chestnut' in this area was whether (and, if so, to what extent) a vessel aged and thus devalued while in the hands of a 'new' buyer bound for OZ. The general view here seemed to be 'Yes, but only if the vessel was held and used for a fairly long period (say, in years) by that new buyer'.

Looking into the whole issue and process in some detail back then (2010-2011) we got the impression there were no clear answers, but the ATO held heaps of power in the process...and very little sympathy for 'rich' yachties. That said, if you move forward in good faith (i.e. don't try to be clever and find ways to avoid tax) and you're careful with your record keeping, then you should be fine.

[monte]

Regarding the font, I seem to remember the requirement being the font needs to be a minimum of 1/10 the height and a minimum of 100mm high. I guess ours don't comply.

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by D&D

With the proviso that you should take professional advice...

Our understanding was that the 'last port' was only relevant if (i) that's where the vessel was purchased or (ii) that became your domicile for some (unspecified) period. So in our case, for example, we bought the vessel in Italy and then sailed pretty much straight to OZ, with stopovers for a week in each of Gibraltar, St Maarten, and Panama...and short stops in Ibiza, Las Palmas and Tahiti...but we tallied all our costs for the whole voyage into the GST valuation.

The other 'hoary chestnut' in this area was whether (and, if so, to what extent) a vessel aged and thus devalued while in the hands of a 'new' buyer bound for OZ. The general view here seemed to be 'Yes, but only if the vessel was held and used for a fairly long period (say, in years) by that new buyer'.

Looking into the whole issue and process in some detail back then (2010-2011) we got the impression there were no clear answers, but the ATO held heaps of power in the process...and very little sympathy for 'rich' yachties. That said, if you move forward in good faith (i.e. don't try to be clever and find ways to avoid tax) and you're careful with your record keeping, then you should be fine.

Ok, interesting to hear...

I don't know yet how long I'll take to get my boat to Aussie or even how it will get there. Only planning to cross the Atlantic next year, beyond that is up for discussion.