Boat and Yacht Legal and Tax Counsel

15 March 2016

At Allied Yachting, our Yacht Management Services team can be of useful in boat and yacht legal and tax counsel, even for superyachts, whether they are private boats or commercially registered yachts, able to charter; motor or sail.

With our years of experience ‘we simply know that it takes knowledge, responsibility, commitment and dedication to get things done properly and insure our clients the pleasure of sailing freely and without constraints” .

Our aim at Allied Yachting is to deliver a personalized, cost effective and comprehensive service to each of our clients. Unlike the majority of Yacht Management Services providers, we do not charge on a time cost basis. We also do not link our fees to Vessel value on a percentage basis. We work instead on a fixed fee basis, depending on your enquiry related to boat and yacht legal and tax counsel. We insist on being as fair and transparent as possible with our rates, to establish a long-lasting and mutually beneficial professional relationship.

Even if we extend and update our knowledge on boat and yacht legal and tax counsel on a yearly basis by attending various legal and tax seminars focusing on the European yachting industry, our company cannot represent we specialize in legal or tax issues, nor do we have in-house specialists on the subjects. Our counsel must be taken as an opinion. We strongly recommend to all our clients to take their own personal legal, tax and company advice from their professional advisers before proceeding with any form of yacht ownership structure or tax strategy.

Like most brokerage companies, Allied Yachting Yacht Management Services, works with reliable, effective and insured partners, third party firms or providers specialized in marine consultancy, law firms and fiscal representatives, to deliver a personalized and high quality service.

We have established relationships with a network of specialists who are based and licensed in the most popular jurisdictions for the ownership of yachts through corporate structures in order to provide ownership and registration packages tailored to each client’s own specific requirements.

The most common corporate structures we recommend to own and operate yachts are:

  • Yacht Owning Companies
  • Yacht Charter Companies
  • French & Italian Bank Leasing
  • Malta Yacht Leasing

Follows some of the issues we can help you solve:

LEGAL

  • New construction or pre-owned boat Seller Due-Diligence, be it from a Shipyard, a Company or a Private Seller.
  • Buyer Due-Diligence and Origin of Funds.
  • Safeguard of deposited sums in Escrow.
  • From standard Yacht Purchase Offer to the Protocol of Delivery and Acceptance of the boat sold or purchased, be it new or second-hand.
  • Yacht Purchase, Customization or Refit: Contract, Subcontracting, Work progress reports, Payment releases, Insurance and Guarantees.
  • Secure and professional drawing-up of the Sale and Purchase Contract or Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) up to the Bill of Sale.
  • Yacht Building Schedules, Classification, Delivery, Launching and Testing, Surveys and Technical Consultancy.
  • Disputes and Arbitration.
  • Crew Background and Qualifications Verifications, Employment Contracts, Payroll and Endorsements as per the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC).
  • Professional assistance in Chartering Contracts.
  • Advisory Services on Insurance Legislation and Contracts.
  • Advisory Services of Financial Resources with leading Banks, Credit Institutions and Leasing Companies for Yacht Financing.
  • Ship Flag and Registration or Documentation Formalities.
  • Management of bureaucratic and administrative matters.
  • Berth or Leasehold Purchase contracts.
  • Flag State or any other Survey and / or Commercial Certification / Coding.

TAX

  • Establish adequate and cost-effective Ownership Structures for Private and Charter Yachts and Superyachts.
  • Solutions for Joint or Multiple Yacht Ownership Structures.
  • Yacht Succession Planning and Asset Protection.
  • Applicable VAT Structure Assessment and Governing Law.
  • Tax Advice on VAT and other Tax matters.
  • Setting up a Charter Company.
  • Tax, Social Security, Social Benefits, Welfare and Insurance for Crew.
  • Fiscal Registration and / or VAT number in countries where vessel will Charter.
  • Any Customs / Fiscal Agent Representation.
  • French, Italian and Spanish VAT Registration.

Don’t hesitate to call our Yacht Management Services for boat and yacht legal and tax counsel.