Legal
The paperwork that travels with the boat
A boat moving between ports, and especially between countries, travels with a folder. Preparing it before departure is half an hour of work; sorting it out at a stopover with the coastguard standing there is another matter.
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Photo by Gareth Wyn Jones · CC BY-SA 4.0
The boat
Registration certificate, valid seaworthiness certificate, CE declaration of conformity and builder’s plate, radio station licence and MMSI, and the service certificates for the liferaft and extinguishers.
If the boat is commercial or used for charter, add the documentation evidencing its operating regime.
The insurance
Policy in force with the premium paid and, crucially, written confirmation from the insurer that the passage and the third-party crew are covered. It is the document nobody looks at until it matters.
The crew
Skipper and crew qualifications appropriate to the navigation zone of the planned passage. Valid identity documents or passports, and radio operator certificates where the equipment requires them.
For international passages it is worth having a crew list prepared in advance, complete and ready to hand over.
Clearance and destination
Within the European Union movement is straightforward, but it is worth checking whether the destination port requires any entry formality, and being clear on the boat’s customs and tax status if it changes country.
Outside the EU it gets considerably more complex and needs studying case by case: inward and outward clearance, crew visas and, in some destinations, a local agent.
How we organise it
A waterproof physical folder on board with everything on paper, and the same folder digitally, accessible to both crew and owner. If something gets soaked or lost, the copy is one click away.
Frequently asked questions
What papers must the boat carry on passage?
Registration, seaworthiness certificate, CE declaration, radio licence and MMSI, liferaft and extinguisher service records, and the insurance policy in force.
Does any qualification work for a delivery?
No. It must cover the actual navigation zone of the passage, including the maximum distance from shore planned, not that of the home port.
Does the boat need clearing on departure?
Within the EU normally not, but check the destination port’s requirements. Outside the EU each case needs studying.
