Vessel flag vs. passport flag?

andreasmehlin · #1 (**permalink**) 03-11-2007

Something is bothering me. Why is the world so complicated?

I am swedish according to my passport

....but want to be something else when doing boat-deals and sailing...it would be much easier.

I havent got it, but if I buy a vessel in USA or anywhere in the caribean.
Will things be complicated if I buy a boat over there and sailing with that vessels (where it is registrated) flag.

Is the only non-complicated situation when I buy a boat within EU (where I belong)?

Regards
Andreas

Sequitur · #2 (**permalink**) 03-11-2007

On two occasions, I have bought and operated boats in foreign countries; once in France and once in the United States of America. On both occasions, I registered the boats in Canada and flew my Canadian colours.

You should be able to do something similar; buy a boat offshore and register it in Sweden.

andreasmehlin · #3 (**permalink**) 03-11-2007

ok. The only problem is...I have too pay the damn swedish bloddy VAT (25%). And if I import it (which it almost is like, if I sail it to Sweden) I have to have a CE stamp it (not that easy according to many)

Regards
Andreas

Idiens · #4 (**permalink**) 03-11-2007

The only way I have seen round it, is to register a company in the land you want to flag and then have the company buy the boat and register it there. But I expect there are snags to that too. The EU customs men are wise to the trick and you may have to prove that the company is chartering it to others in the flagged state.
Buying in the US and importing to Sweden means not only VAT, if its new, it might mean import duty too, plus the CE RCD cert., as you say. An old boat might get away with less.
But there are plenty of boats in Sweden to buy, and they are reputedly cheaper to buy than elsewhere in Europe....

Giulietta · #5 (**permalink**) 03-11-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idiens

But there are plenty of boats in Sweden to buy, and they are reputedly cheaper to buy than elsewhere in Europe....

ABSOLUTELY TRUE....

I read this a long while ago and was going to say the same...makes no sense to me, why he wants to buy in the US...

andreasmehlin · #6 (**permalink**) 03-11-2007

The main reason I want to buy i abroad is that I want to skip the sailing in Europe. And vessels in the size of 36-38 ft is much cheaper in US. My purpose was/is not to sail it to Sweden and then sell it there.

Regards
Andreas Mehlin

sailingdog · #7 (**permalink**) 03-11-2007

You can't buy a boat in the US and fly the US flag, since you're not a US citizen. US-flagged vessels must be owned by US Citizens. You could flag the vessel as a Swedish vessel, but then you have to deal with the problems of long-term cruising as a foreign flagged vessel.

Giulietta · #8 (**permalink**) 03-11-2007

Still does not make sense to me...

Every year, we see a true "migration" of Southern Europeans, that go to Scandinavia just to look and buy their cheap boats ( I remember when we were young asking a friend that was a Pilot with Air Portugal) to get us Scandinavian boat magazines to see the boats we wanted to buy).

These boats are well maintained by rich Scandinavians, sail 6 months and spend 6 months dry.... The best prices in the World...he wants a "shorter" short cut....

Buy your boat in Europe like I do and pay taxes like we do.... it stimulates the Economy!!

Sequitur · #9 (**permalink**) 03-11-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giulietta

... and pay taxes like we do.... it stimulates the Economy!!

I agree, taxes are a part of the price of most things we buy. Because of taxes, spending money does more to share your wealth with the rest of society than does anything else short of charitable donations.

sailingdog · #10 (**permalink**) 03-11-2007

I think the real issue is that he doesn't want to buy the boat in Europe because he doesn't want to have to sail the boat to the USA. He wants to buy the boat where he is going to be sailing the boat.