So, Brexit, Jan 31st 2020, and here we are five years on, and a lot has changed!
We are still transporting boats both in and out of Europe, working alongside our customer friendly customs agents, to make it all come together.
If you’re wishing to keep your boat in Europe, we would normally apply for a Temporary Admission (TA). This allows you 18 months grace before you need to act further. After this period, you have to either move the boat out of Europe for 24hrs, say to Monaco or Gibraltar for an overnight stay, or even just a fuel stop - get receipts - and then you can apply for another 18 month TA. Other options are; to fully import the boat into the country where she is moored, which means paying the local VAT rate on the boat’s current value. And a third option if you want to bring your boat back to the UK then you can use the Returned Goods Relief (RGR) procedure, which avoids paying any VAT anywhere!
If you are looking to purchase a boat in Europe for example, and then transport her back to the UK, then you have to pay VAT on both the boat’s current value, and the transport charges directly to HMRC - this is done via our customs agent. We can normally help you with any scenario, in fact, we have gained a truck load of experience over the last 5yrs, and what can sometimes look daunting, can usually be resolved with our knowledge and can-do attitude!
If you want to discuss your particular circumstances on these matters, probably best to speak with Geoff first, he is in touch with the customs agents at least twice a week, so is up to date with the evolving legislation. We are always happy to help.
