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aquabouy10 · 28-03-2010, 18:46

Hi out there in the cruising community,i am a senior experienced sailor looking to go to the Med (at this stage Croatia),to buy either a Bavaria or Beneteau in the 44 to 49 ft range,then sail around the Med for 6 to 12 months,that is until i found out that 90 days is the max stay,does anyone out there have any experience in staying in the Med for a extended period,i will be sailing the boat back to OZ. Also anyone with hands on experience in buying a boat in the E.U. I would appreciate any useful comments

Regards
Neville.

Palarran · 28-03-2010, 19:11

Here is a part of the equation:
Non-EU vessels which are intended for re-export may be temporarily be brought into and used for private purposes in the EU, or more strictly in the "customs territory of the Community", (which includes our territorial waters) without customs duties or Value Added Tax (VAT) needing to be paid. But this can only be done by persons who are not EU residents - in official terms - by people who are "established outside that territory". This facility is thus NOT available to EU residents.

The boats concerned have to be placed under the "temporary importation procedure" (TI) with Customs and the period of use in the EU is limited in time. When the time is up the boat has to leave, in official jargon this period is called "the period of discharge". The re-exportation of the goods from the customs territory of the Community is the usual way of ending or "discharging" a temporary importation procedure. If the boat does not leave before the end of that time then customs duty and VAT become due.

A boat is temporarily imported into the EU and not into one of the constituent Member States. Thus it can move from one Member State to another with no further customs formalities during the 18 month period allowed.

It needs to emphasised that the 18 month TI period only applies to privately owned, non-EU yachts and sailed by non-EU owners or skippers. If an EU owner or skipper sails a non-EU registered boat, then the TI period is only 1 month.

Palarran · 28-03-2010, 19:17

It appears to me that it will depend on whether you boat is a vat boat or not. If it is, and since you are not a EU member, you do only have 90 days. If the boat is not, and you are not, then you have 18 months. Seems crazy to me but I had been planning on the 18 months so I hope I'm reading it right.
Noonsite: Regional Agreements

Kordie · 28-03-2010, 19:34

This is my plan as well.

I am also considering buying in the US, Mexico or the Caribbean.

I am finding some great deals there online which seem very cheap compared to what we pay here.

US built boats are exempt from import duty here in Australia or so I gather.

But my plan is to buy the boat then spend 3-4 years with my girlfriend bringing her home again. No schedule or timeframes.

I have a fixed income which will keep us afloat and fed. I sail weekly and am chasing up as much learning as possible between now and 2012 when I hope to head off to parts unknown.

Love to keep in touch and share info. Will PM you - I am in Newcastle so pretty close by.

Simon

**boatman61** · 28-03-2010, 20:55

Well... you could always zig zag ... 85 days Spain... 20 days Morroco, 85 days France and Italy.... 20 days Tunisia/Malta, 85 days Greece... then pop across to Turkey, back to the Southern Greek isles etc etc...

MarkJ · 28-03-2010, 21:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by boatman61

Well... you could always zig zag ... 85 days Spain... 20 days Morroco, 85 days France and Italy.... 20 days Tunisia/Malta, 85 days Greece... then pop across to Turkey, back to the Southern Greek isles etc etc...

Its 90 days in any 6 months.

I have this same problem too.

**boatman61** · 29-03-2010, 06:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Its 90 days in any 6 months.

I have this same problem too.

Bumma... Makes me glad to be an European... apart from US controlled waters the bulk of the Med and Nth Atlantic/Caribbean is practically free....

Opps.. dont think I shoulda said that...lol

Palarran · 29-03-2010, 07:27

Mark, I'm not getting that conclusion from reading Noonsites guidelines. Where are you coming up with the 90 days? I'm pretty sure I've read on CF in past threads that it's 18 months also. And, if you want, you can put your boat in "storage" at approved yards which will stop the clock during periods that you are not using the vessel and they restarts it when you do.
From Noonsite:
How long can the yacht stay in the EU?
Normally, you can use the vessel in the EU for one and a half years. In technical terms, the period for discharge for privately used means of sea and inland waterway transport is 18 months. This is laid down in Article 562(e) of the implementing provisions of the Customs Code. If the boat is "laid up" ("put in bond") for a time the possibility exists for not counting the period of non-use (see below).
Can the 18 months be extended if the yacht is not used? You may want to go home for Christmas!
Yes, the eighteen month period may be extended for the time during which the yacht is not used. Article 553(2) second sub-paragraph of the implementing provisions of the Customs Code allows for this. However, the maximum overall period during which the yacht can remain in the EU is 24 months (Article 140(2) of the Customs Code).

beneteau-500 · 29-03-2010, 08:12

buying in greece is now the time as alot of the owners have been hit with vat tax bills as they have been declaring them as charter boats when they are not the sister yacht to mine is now for sale it was at 100,00 euros but the owner has been hit with a vat bill of 25k he will sell for about 65 to 75 k as for being a non eu yes boat can stay in eu for 18 months and yes non eu person 90 days but you can get extensions and as i aussie i have been here for 17 yrs with no probs the only thing now is the charges are going up vat has now risen to 21% and i do belive in next two weeks a decision on the cruising charges will be made

aquabouy10 · 30-03-2010, 00:39

Thanks to all of you who replied to my query,you have been most helpful,looks like noonsite is the go, will follow up on noonsite.
Regards to all,
Neville.