Boat Registration BVI
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A White-glove BVI Boat Registration Service from Vetted, BVI Ship Registration Experts.
Key Benefits of Boat Registration in the BVI
Catamaran Key Benefits of Boat Registration in BVI.
Red Ensign Group
Your ship will be entitled to British Diplomatic and Consular support
0% Sales Tax in the BVI
Low Registration & Renewal Fees
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Globally Recognized Ship Registry Certificate
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BVI stable government and British Judicial System
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To Register a Boat in the BVI
You will need the following:
BVI Shipping Registry Application
Declaration of Eligibility
Depending on your desired port of registry your ship will be protected by a Maritime Squadron or Royal Navy.
Original Bill of Sale Document
Depending on your desired port of registry your ship will be protected by a Maritime Squadron or Royal Navy.
Certificate of Survey and Tonnage Measurement
Protect your yacht from confiscation orders from foreign governments.
Certificate of Incorporation (if company)
Protect your yacht from confiscation orders from foreign governments.
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
Possibly More, depending on country of origin
Incorporate a BVI Company for maximum Tax Savings and Asset Protection.
Registering a Ship in the BVI
The British Virgin Islands (BVI) possesses a modern yacht registry system, which offers a fast, secure, and worldwide accepted registration of boats. The BVI registry allows for the registration and discharge of mortgages, change of ownership, transfer of ownership, and other similar services.
Since 2007, the BVI Shipping registry started offering Category 1 registrations, which include large cargo vessels of unlimited tonnage and megayachts 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Boat Registration BVI Fees and Costs
Fees of the Virgin Islands Shipping Registry vary depending on the Vessel’s size, class, and purpose. For transparency a complete list of services charge by the Registry is listed below.
To Calculate Your cost, fill out the Ship Registration Questionnaire.
| Service |
|---|
| Initial Registration and Issue of Certificate of Registry |
| Re-Registration and Issue of Certificate of Registry |
| Annual Fee Maintenance of the Register |
| Registration of Bills of Sale |
| Registration of Change of Ownership of vessel including issue of New Certificate of Registry |
| Registration of Mortgage |
| Recording of Mortgage Intent |
| Current Transcripts |
| Certified Copies of Closed Transcripts (Closed) |
| Manual Searches of the Register, per Ship |
| Issue of New Certificate of Registry |
| Re-Issue of Certificate of Registry on Loss of or Damage to Original |
| Registration of Change of Name of Ship including Issue of New Certificate of Registry for Ship |
| Copies of Certificates and Transcripts and Documents Folio/page |
| Name Reservation for a period of one hundred and eighty days |
| Fax per folio/page |
| Unspecified Assignments of the Registrar, including work outside of office, per hour for the first hour plus transportation and incidental costs |
| Unspecified Assignments of the Registrar, including work outside of office, per hour plus transportation and incidental costs, for every hour after the first hour |
| 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 Registry |
Why Register a Yacht 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 a leading offshore financial centre |
| Low Registration and Maintenance fees. |
| Yacht registration and Certificates are recognized worldwide. |
| BVI has a stable government and a working British Judicial System |
| BVI is the yachting center 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
| 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 a boat in the BVI?
| 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 |
Start your BVI Boat Registration Directly with Local Registered Agents
MARIFLAG SHIP REGISTRATION
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