CRUISING
EU VAT-paid status and potential new problems
Q Further to PBO’s April 2023 news story on Britain’s change to VAT status, we now face a new situation with EU VAT which might also be a problem for others.
We purchased our boat in the autumn of 2020, and were assured by the yacht broker in Greece that EU VAT had been paid because the boat had always been under the Italian flag. The broker explained that EU VAT was tightly linked to the Italian flag authorities.
We bought the boat in good faith assuming this to be true.
As part of cruising in Greece, it has become apparent that proving EU VAT paid is required in order to obtain an unlimited transit log. This is highly desirable for liveaboards as it allows cruising, ie leaving the marina, throughout the year.
The alternative transit log valid for 18 months, issued to all boats that cannot prove EU VAT paid, only
