Does a yacht need a Visa if i'm not there?

[Marriner]

Sorry for the bone title all, I just wanted to hook you in. I'm in the vinegar strokes of buying my first yacht currently in the water in Istanbul. If all goes well with survey etc then i'll have her around the end of August. I work overseas (currently in Vietnam) so my plan is to leave her in Istanbul for the time being and periodically head out for maintenance/holidays and so on.
After a quick scan of Turkey on Noonsite I see a lot of long term cruisers are avoiding Turkey because of some 3 month Visa limitations. I'm happy to sort myself out a short term visa each time I head out to the yacht but is there any issue with me leaving her there for up to say a year? It's currently Turkish flagged but once I complete the exportation process I will be registering her as a British vessel.

Any long term cruisers out there have any experience with leaving a boat in a foreign country and disappearing for months on end to see family/do some work?

Cheers team

[bellasailor]

In short, no the boat does not need a visa but:

1. You should check if she has the equivalent of VAT paid status in Turkey and if re-flagging will negate that +/- check if she is taxable (age may exempt her for example)

2. If the result one way or another is that she is taxable but not tax paid, she can likely remain in Turkey for up to a specified period before tax becomes payable; I'm not familiar with Turkey but think it is either 3 or 5 years. Can't say what paperwork is needed

3. Likewise if you don't pay EU VAT but take her to the EU, she could be there without tax becoming payable for 18m, under a temporary importation (TIL)

Actually, beyond the above (should have checked first!) there is info on Noonsite but the new format makes it hard to find https://www.noonsite.com/place/turke...ustoms-section

[belizesailor]

Dont know Turkey specifically, but yes pretty universally a boat will need proper paperwork to remain in any county (Visas are for people).

[Marriner]

That's really helpful stuff, thanks for taking the time.

Fair winds

[stormalong]

I was in Turkey about 25 years ago so the situation has probably changed.

Back then you had to put your boat in bond when you were away. That stopped the clock on taxes, etc. When in bond the boat could not be used or moved. Any marina that hes frequent foreign visitors should be able to help you. We wintered in Antalya and the marina did all the paperwork for us.

[Stingo]

Originally Posted by Marriner

{snip} It's currently Turkish flagged but once I complete the exportation process I will be registering her as a British vessel.{/snip}

Why not keep it Turkish flagged until you are ready to head for other countries?

[Perfect Ride]

I had a boat in Turquoise Coast of Turkey from Oct 2015 to July 2016. It was US flagged and we had no problems and little expense for the boat in our time there. You will need a transit log. The majority of Turkish boats were Delaware registered flying US flags. Southern coast of Turkey is one of our favorite cruising areas. Cannot speak to cruising around Istanbul. Might check Noonsite for more up to date information.

[KP44]

In Mexico, we have visas (tourist cards) and our boat has a TIP (temporary import permit). Never heard of a visa for a boat. But the boat might need a permit or other documents.
Contact the local government.