Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam Plan B  Well now. That's all clearified. I have a UK work permit and will be crossing to London in July where I have a berth reserved. My boat, a Columbia 41 (1974), is a documented US vessel. So, if I stay in the UK perminently will I have to pay VAT (or something) at some point? Will I need to obtain UK documentation for the boat? I have a bill of sale from the most recent previous owner but more distant owners are unknown to me. |
If you are an EU
resident, you have not right to use the temporary importation regime, which allows you 18 months at a time VAT-free. Living in the UK on a work permit will definitely make you a tax resident, and I am guessing that this makes you a resident for temporary-import purposes too.
But I would check to be sure. Conceivably there is a higher standard in the U.K. In Spain, as we know from the misadventures of fellow forumers, the standard is
lower -- physical presence for six months out of 12, no working necessary.
Paying VAT might not be the end of the world -- if you ever plan on selling the boat in the U.K. you will get (most of) it back, eventually.