Boats under Croatian flag: Compulsory deregistration threatens at the end of the year

The relevant Croatian authorities, responsible for maritime affairs, have published a list of boat registration numbers on its homepage which are subject to the cancellation of their registration at the turn of the year, if the missing data is not implemented online into the system immediately. As this information has been published solely in the Croatian language, SeaHelp has partially arranged for the facts of this important document to be translated as a special service for its members. The cancellation of the registration may entail comprehensive measures for a new registration and, in some cases, may even lead to the loss of the insurance cover. Virtually inseparably linked to the registration, there is the payment of the so-called ”fee for maritime safety‟ which the owners will receive by post in form of a notification of charges.

Many foreign owners with boats mooring in Croatia on a permanent basis, choose the Croatian flag after Croatia had joined the EU because the re-flagging proved to be particularly advantageous to them. On the one hand, they saw the possibility of paying significantly less import sales tax shortly prior to Croatia’s EU accession. In addition, owners sailing under the Croatian flag are entitled to use moorings reserved for the locals in some town harbours. And another reason: those who recently purchased a boat from a Croat or a Croatian company normally keep the Croatian flag for reasons of convenience.

Nevertheless, owners who are not a hundred percent sure if their registration is perfectly in order, should have a look at the table, because even if the current billing address is incomplete or not recorded at all, it is impossible for the central register office in Zagreb to mail the notification of charges. Consequently, there is the threat of a compulsory deregistration by the end of 2019 and, on top of this, in some cases, a comprehensive technical inspection in the case of a missing CE label (not applicable, if only the OIB number is missing) is required.

In addition, a valid OIB is essential for the notification of charges, i.e., a Croatian tax number which can be applied for at the relevant Croatian authorities. If this information is not available, the authorities are not capable to issue the corresponding notification of charges.

In order to bury any ”dead bodies‟ on file, the register office in Zagreb has published a list of registration numbers. Owners who find their boats on the list, have only until the end of the year to react, otherwise their boat will be deleted from the list. Or, to put it the other way round: those sailing under the Croatian flag and who have never received or paid any notification of charges are in need of particularly urgent action before the year ends.

Should the list include any registration numbers of SeaHelp members, the breakdown service will readily support its members by maintaining the data, as far as this may be possible in the short time available. In the case of non-members, an appropriate expense fee will be charged.

Contact details:
Tel.: 00385 (0) 51 855 743
Email: helpline@sea-help.eu

SeaHelp has already taken action regarding insurance cover and informed the reinsurers about the measures taken by the central register office in Zagreb about vessels sailing under the Croatian flag. They are currently examining to which extent insurance cover might be maintained. All the insured persons concerned will be notified by the SeaHelp Insurance company directly, so it is not necessary to become active themselves. In any case, there is no need for the precise knowledge of an insurance expert to come to the conclusion that many insurance companies will refuse to settle a claim if there is no proper registration available.

Hier ein paar wichtige Links:

1. Beantragung kroatische Steuernummer OIB
2. Beantragung kroatische Steuernummer auf Deutsch
3. Alle Anträge zum Download auf der Homepage des Ministeriums

Table with registration numbers of boats and yachts threatened with compulsory deregistration due to incomplete information!

You can find the original list under the following LINK.