First, congrats on your new purchase! A yacht is certainly one of the more opulent ways of travel and you've worked very hard to be able to afford this stunning vessel. The next question for a yacht owner is usually "Where do I register my yacht?" It is in our nature to look for the most economically viable option.
Now enter the service providers. Cheap international yacht registration - $400 only! Get your yacht registered in 5 working days! One only needs to consider the ever-true adage - If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. When a service provider is offering a product at what you know to be an unrealistically low price, the first question to consider is "What am I getting for this price?". In over 40 years of experience, we've heard customers reference jurisdictions such as Denmark, Poland, Belgium, etc. Each of these jurisdictions shares a little-known reality, none of them can legally be used for international sailing.
How do we know this? Because at CT Corporation and Delaware and Yacht Registry, Ltd., we go directly to the source. We personally talk to the jurisdictional authority about the scope of that jurisdiction's yacht registration. We've experienced a wide range of reactions:
- We don't know what you're talking about - that's not allowed. Who is doing that?
- Use of our country's registration is not meant for international use. This will lead to fines or even the vessel being impounded!
- That's not correct - We don't offer that.
The second kind of issue we've encountered is incomplete information. There are a few jurisdictions that seem to offer cheap yacht registration - until you realize the hidden costs involved. For example, The Isle of Man offers yacht registrations that cost a few hundred dollars - until you read the finer details which mention that registration requires a survey from a list of 5-6 approved companies. Such a survey can cost anywhere from $4,000 - 6,000 and can be time-consuming to arrange. How can we be sure of this? Because we called the jurisdictional authority to verify this information.
As marine authorities around the world become more strict about the legality of registration paperwork, it makes sense to be careful about who you're dealing with. Make sure you're doing your due diligence. We encourage you to ask questions, do research, and think of your yacht registration as an investment.
After all, what you really want to do is enjoy your hard-earned spoils. You don't want to have to worry about the legitimacy of your documentation while sailing or docked, and while it is tempting to go ahead with unrealistically low prices, the consequences could prove to be much more expensive: Legal fees, impounding charges, or even confiscation of your yacht.
We are very clear about our vision regarding yacht registration: We're not for everyone. We don't provide cheap international yacht registration services nor do we sell services we aren't totally confident about. We want to provide premium services to those who want to use their yachts without having to worry about other factors.
If this strikes a chord with you, get in touch with us to find out how we can help you.