First of all, Brexit will happen and Belgium will not cease to exit. The British have almost no time left to backpedal and it would be political suicide to try in the
current climate. As for Belgium, the situation is way too complex for the country to just dissolve. It would require a war or a major global economic collapse or any other serious upheaval to trigger anything.
You’re doing the right thing by reflagging into a EU country in my opinion.
The cost for the Belgian flag is 50 euros per 4 years, for a private recreational yacht under 24 meters. (If you register through a company that does the paperwork for you then you’ll have to pay their
fees on top of that of course.)
Yet, under that most basic of registrations you’re still allowed 6 paying passengers.
You do not need any personal
boating license and your boat must not comply to any rules such as
safety rules (except for some EU directives such as “all boats built since 1998 must have a
holding tank,” but these are rules aimed at boat builders.)
There is a 2000 euro tax on new boats that decreases by 10% per year so it comes down to zero if your boat is ten years or older.
You need to have the Belgian nationality (you can live anywhere in the world)
OR
You need to have a EU nationality (and live in the EU if I’m not mistaken)
OR
You have to be a
legal resident of Belgium (any nationality)
Last time I registered was two years ago (all my info in this post dates from then) and I sent copies of all the required documents + proof of payment by email and that was it. They mailed me my paperwork (a
single page) and were also happy to send me a copy by e-mail.
I believe they’re slightly more strict now and it requires a touch more
red tape. But it’s still super easy and the Belgian and Dutch
flags are still considered to be the “flags of convenience” of
Europe.
See their contact details in one if the previous post.
You will also have to register your ship’s communication
equipment with the BIPT and they will send you your ships
radio license in return. (All your
equipment must be EU approved.)
BIPT - Licences