Key Benefits of Boat Registration in BVI

Catamaran Key Benefits of Boat Registration in BVI

NO CORPORATE TAXES
There is no sales tax in the BVI when purchasing anything
Red Ensign Group. Your ship will be entitled to British Diplomatic and Consular support
BVI tax exempts
Low Registration and Maintenance fees.
Yacht registration and Certificates recognized worldwide.
BVI stable government and British Judicial System
BVI is the yachting centre of the Caribbean

To Register a Boat in BVI

You will need:
Application to register
Declaration of Eligibility
Original Documents of sale
Certificate of Survey and Tonnage Measurement
Certificate of Incorporation (if company)
Deletion certificate and an extract of register
Closed Transcript and copy of original Certificate of Survey/Tonnage Certificate
Notarized translation certified as correct by a notary public
More, depending on country of origin...

Too Complicated? Get competitive quotes from BVI Registration Companies

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Boat Registration BVI

The British Virgin Islands (BVI) possesses a modern yacht registry system, which offers a fast, secure and worldwide accepted registering of boats. The registry allows for registration and discharge of mortgages, change of ownership, transfer of ownership and other similar services.
As of 2007, the BVI Shipping registry started offering Category 1 registrations, which includes large cargo vessels of unlimited tonnage and megayacht grossing below 3000 tons, joining Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man and the United Kingdom, to be able to register ships of unlimited tonnage and type. Inquire about using BVI registration for yachts commercially chartering in the Mediterranean. Also, the BVI Register is independent from the UK Register.

Why register in the BVI

NO CORPORATE TAXES, making the BVI an interesting place to own a boat
There is no sales tax in the BVI when purchasing anything
Your ship will sail as a member of the Red Ensign Group. Your ship will be entitled to British Diplomatic and Consular support, including Royal Navy Protection. Also, the BVI provides access to the expertise of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
BVI tax exempts based on BVI’s positive reputation of leading offshore financial centre
Low Registration and Maintenance fees.
Yacht registration and Certificates recognized worldwide.
BVI has stable government and working British Judicial System
BVI is the yachting centre of the Caribbean

Who can own a British Virgin Island Ship?

Citizens and Companies registered in the BVI

Other entities should seek registration advice from BVI law firms with one of the registrars, as there are usual ways how to achieve eligibility to register a boat in the BVI.

What boats can be registered in the BVI

What boats can be registered in the BVI
General cargo ships of unlimited tonnage;
Yachts of up to 3000 gross tons; and
Vessels previously covered under Category 2.
Recreational craft and yachts of up to 400 gross tons (about 45m in length);
Cargo and commercial craft of up to 150 gross tons (roughly 24m in length); and
Domestic passenger ships on domestic voyages.

By tradition, ownership in a British Ship is divided into 64 shares.

Majority share of the boat (at least 33 of the 64 shares) must be owned by qualified persons (Citizens or BVI Companies).

Foreign citizens may own a minority interest (up to 31 of the 64 shares) in the boat.

What do you need to register

You will need:
Application to register
Declaration of Eligibility
Original Documents of sale (Bills of Sale, Builders Certificate)
Certificate of Survey and Tonnage Measurement issued by one of our Classification Societies. If the vessel is over 24 metres in Load Line Length an International Tonnage Certificate (ITC69) is required
Certificate of Incorporation (if a company is applying)
Deletion certificate and an extract of their register is required if the ship is coming off a foreign register
Closed Transcript and copy of original Certificate of Survey/Tonnage Certificate if the ship is coming off a Red Ensign Register
Notarized translation certified as correct by a notary public if providing any documents in language other than English

Boat Registration BVI Fees and Costs

Fees of the Virgin Islands Shipping Registry are not public, but are furnished upon request.

ServiceCharge
Initial Registration and Issue of Certificate of RegistryCost Furnished Upon Request
Re-Registration and Issue of Certificate of RegistryCost Furnished Upon Request
Annual Fee Maintenance of the RegisterCost Furnished Upon Request
Registration of Bills of SaleCost Furnished Upon Request
Registration of Change of Ownership of vessel including issue of New Certificate of RegistryCost Furnished Upon Request
Registration of MortgageCost Furnished Upon Request
Recording of Mortgage IntentCost Furnished Upon Request
Current TranscriptsCost Furnished Upon Request
Certified Copies of Closed Transcripts (Closed)Cost Furnished Upon Request
Manual Searches of the Register, per ShipCost Furnished Upon Request
Issue of New Certificate of RegistryCost Furnished Upon Request
Re-Issue of Certificate of Registry on Loss of or Damage to OriginalCost Furnished Upon Request
Registration of Change of Name of Ship including Issue of New Certificate of Registry for ShipCost Furnished Upon Request
Copies of Certificates and Transcripts and Documents Folio/pageCost Furnished Upon Request
Name Reservation for a period of one hundred and eighty daysCost Furnished Upon Request
Fax per folio/pageCost Furnished Upon Request
Unspecified Assignments of the Registrar, including work outside of office, per hour for the first hour plus transportation and incidental costsCost Furnished Upon Request
Unspecified Assignments of the Registrar, including work outside of office, per hour plus transportation and incidental costs, for every hour after the first hourCost Furnished Upon Request
Issue of Terminable Certificate for conditional short-term Registration of vessels after issue of Carving and Marking Note and before issue of Permanent Certificate of RegistryCost Furnished Upon Request

Where to start your BVI Boat Registration?

Send your basic information to a network of BVI Boat Registration companies and receive competitive quotes.