The purchase of a yacht is a major asset acquisition, therefore matters such as registration of ownership, selection of the correct flag and ownership confidentiality cannot be neglected.

Agent Legal can guide you each step of the way advising you on the flag of convenience that would best suit your needs, incorporating a corporate vehicle that would hold and protect your yacht or structuring and implementing a tax effective scheme in order to reduce a tax burden on your yacht (this is especially the case for VAT unpaid yachts intending to sail in EU waters).

By engaging our expertise, you can rest assured about the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the services we offer.

Agent Legal can assist you with the registration of your yacht under the flag of any of the following jurisdictions:

• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Cyprus
• Gibraltar
• Guernsey
• Isle of Man
• Jersey
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Marshall Islands
• Mauritius
• Panama
• Seychelles
• St. Kitts & Nevis
• St. Vincent & the Grenadines
• Seychelles
• UK

Each of the said countries may have specific registration requirements and restrictions, therefore we recommend you to contact us for further information so that you could make the right choice.

1) Your indication as to whether your yacht will be used for private or commercial purposes, as registration requirements differ substantially.

2) Whether you decide to proceed with incorporating a company that will hold your yacht (in many jurisdictions this is the only way to own a yacht) or have the yacht registered in your name directly, then you, as an individual yacht owner, or company owners and its prospective directors must produce the following:

1. a copy of valid passport certified by Notary Public;
2. confirmation of residential address (PO Box not accepted) in the form of a recent (less than 3 months old) utility bill or bank account statement or credit card statement;
3. a bank reference letter issued by a bank in which said individuals hold their personal account (the reference should state as a minimum that the bank has known an individual for at least 2 years and that the client-bank relationship has been maintained to the bank’s satisfaction)

3) In relation to a yacht, while we complete most of the registration forms and attend to various formalities, please note that there are certain documents that can only be obtained by you. These are normally the following:

1. Builder’s Certificate (if the yacht is newly built and/or has never been registered under any flag) or Bill of Sale (if the yacht has been previously owned and is transferred to a new owner, i.e. you or your company);
2. Deletion Certificate or evidence to the effect that the yacht is no longer registered with the previous Ship Registry or Maritime Authority;
3. Certificate of Survey/Tonnage Measurement issued by a surveyor acceptable to Ship Registry or Maritime Authority with which the yacht is going to be registered (we can advise which surveyors are accepted once we know the country in which you want yacht registered).

Registration requirements vary from country to country, therefore you may be requested to provide further details or documents. However, the information specified in point 4 above is asked by almost every registration authority.