My
boat has proudly worn the Red Duster since she was built in 2001 but I am an EU resident and I'm starting to think that my luck may someday run out with VAT inspections and so forth. She was VAT-paid in the UK and is not legally VAT-paid in the EU since she was physically present in the EU (Denmark) and I have a letter from the harbourmaster attesting to that.
The problem is I can imagine a case where I get inspected and the jobsworth of whatever state decides he wants to check my U.S. passport for Schengen days (this has happened to me in German waters) and I am forced to whip out my EU residence
permit. Then the question of the British flag and VAT comes up. I can prove that I am
legal but my long experience with bureaucrats is that the less standard the case is, and the more documents you need to prove it, the greater risk of getting screwed over the in the process.
So maybe it's time to break down and re-register in the EU.
I am aware of the glories of the Polish registry but I don't want the flag of a state I have no connection with.
The EU countries I have the closest connection to are
Denmark,
Finland, and Estonia.
Denmark is out because they have an
ownership tax (charged through insurance). That leaves
Finland and Estonia.
Anyone have experience with these registries? I am a
member of a Finnish yacht club and the Finnish flag would suit me. I believe there are no
taxes.
Estonia would also be fine, and Estonia is an all-digital
government with exceptionally simple bureaucratic procedures, so maybe that's better. The
registration application is one page long and you do it online if you have an electronic signature card (which I do).
Comments? Experiences?