UK Pleasure Yacht Registration

FLAG: British Red Ensign 7th largest in the world PRESTIGE: The oldest and most prestigious shipping register REGISTRATION VALIDITY: 5 years TONNAGE REGISTERED: British Red Ensign fleet 50 million+ ACCESSIBILITY & EMERGENCY: 24 hours registry and dedicated customer services SAFETY & SECURITY: Consular assistance and Royal Naval Protection

• 24/7 Registry Service
• Consular Assistance and Royal Naval Protection
• International Prestige and Reputation
• Low Registration Costs
• No Annual Renewal Fees

Vessel registration in the United Kingdom is regulated by the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, as amended, and the Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Regulations 1993, as amended.

The UK Ship Register is divided into four parts:

• Part I - the traditional Register of British Ships;
• Part II - Register of Fishing Vessels;
• Part III - Small Ships Register (SSR); and
• Part IV - Register of Ships bareboat chartered-in by British charterers.

Pleasure yachts are eligible to register on either Part I or Part III, which have different eligibility criteria and requirements. Whereas the Part III (Small Ship Register) is designed for owners who only aim to prove the nationality of their yacht when sailing outside UK territorial waters, providing a simple form of non-title registration, Part I (UK Ship Register) operates as fully public register providing a legal title to the vessel, proof of ownership and record details of any mortgages on the yacht, and from which any person can obtain a transcript of its entries.

The following mainly qualify to register a pleasure yacht in the UK under Part I:

• British citizens, British Dependant Territories citizens, British Overseas citizens;
• EU citizens on the basis of the freedom of movement and establishment principles;
• bodies corporate incorporated in a EEA State;
• bodies corporate incorporated in any relevant British possession and having their principal place of business in the United Kingdom or in any such possession; and
• European Economic Interest Groupings registered in the United Kingdom

In those cases where qualifying registrants are not resident in the UK, a resident representative must be appointed.

• in case of the Small Ships Register (Part III), the same qualifying factors apply, except that only natural persons may register a yacht. Additionally: Commonwealth citizens can also apply for registration under Part III;
• the yacht must be less than 24 metres long; and
• the owner of the yacht must also be ordinarily resident in the UK, that is, must live in the UK for at least 185 days in any 12-month period.