UK Yacht Registration
Register your boat under UK Flag

UK Yacht Registration Part 1 – British Red Ensign available for ALL nationalities!

Our speciality is to register your boat, jetski, canoe or water scooter in the United Kingdom. The UK PART 1 flag registration is part of the “Red Ensign Group” and valid around the world. We can get it your yacht flag registration done fast and with minimal paperwork. We will register your boat for 649 EUR, if you register as private owner or 799 EUR, if we need to setup a UK LTD. for you. The UK Part 1 Boat Registration will let you sail under the UK “red ensign” flag anywhere in the world. The UK yacht registration (part 1) is available for both private, bareboat and commercial vessels up to 24 meters long. If your vessel is longer than 24 meters, you can still register your vessel for any use with the UK part 1 registration, however the surveyor needs to arrange the mandatory ITC69/coding certificate.

The primary register for British ships that sail international is the Part 1 registration. Having a British Part 1 flag registration provides evidence of nationality, evidence of ownership, confers a unique name and registration number and offers the capacity to register marine mortgages.

The UK part 1 registration is open to anyone. You can register as a private owner if you are on the approved country list (see below image) or otherwise we can register any nationality by setting up a UK dormant company to own your vessel. Most of our customers are non UK Nationals, as they look for a jurisdiction that doesn't have the strict regulations of their own countries like Spain, Italy, Greece, France etc...

The UK yacht registration (part 1) is available for both private, bareboat and commercial vessels up to 24 meters long. If your vessel is longer than 24 meters, you can still register your vessel for any use with the UK part 1 registration, however the surveyor needs to arrange the mandatory ITC69/coding certificate.

Which nationalities can register under the UK flag registration?

Any nationality can register under the UK flag but only citizens of the approved country list can apply as private owner. So for all other nationalities, we set up a British LTD for the ownership of your vessel and it is part of our all-inclusive fee of 799 EUR. If you register as private owner, we do not need to setup a British LTD for you and the cost is only 649 EUR,-.

Since March 29, 2019, the UK Registry has changed it’s eligibility requirements for the UK flag registration and now accepts a wider category of shipowners. Previously, eligibility for the flag was limited to owners within the European Economic Area (EEA) and British overseas territories. Under the new rules, in addition to allowing UK, EU nationals, UK companies and EEA companies, eligibility to register a ship on the UK Registry has been extended to all Commonwealth citizens and countries and to persons who are resident in the UK as well as to citizens and companies of the following countries: Argentina, Aruba, Bahrain, Brazil, the Canary Islands, China (including Hong Kong), the Faroe Islands, Haiti, Israel, Japan, Liberia, Madeira, the Marshall Islands, Monaco, Panama, South Korea, Switzerland, Surinam, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America. Brexit: The above eligibility requirements are still in force since the Brexit on Jan 1, 2021!

See the exact list here

How long is the British flag registration valid?

The Registration document that is issued is valid for 5 years. The renewal process is simple and we will send you a reminder 6 months before the due date.

How much does it cost to obtain the UK boat registration?

The cost of the UK registration depends if you register as private person (from the approved residency list) or if you register with another residency and therefor need a UK LTD to be setup by us.

If need to set up a British LTD for the ownership of your vessel it is 799 EUR. If you register as private owner, we do not need to setup a British LTD for you and the cost is only 649 EUR,-. The standard registration procedure takes about 2 weeks from when we are supplied all documents. If you need your registration done faster, there is a express service that will only take 3 days. This service is offered by the UK ship registry and will cost an additional 250 EUR,-.
We include the cost of translations & courier fees in our service fee, so there are no hidden cost!.

How long does it take to register under British flag?

The standard registration procedure takes about 2 weeks from when we are supplied all documents. If you need your registration done faster, there is a express service that will only take 3 days. This service is offered by the UK ship registry and will cost an additional 250 EUR,-.

Can I use my vessel for bareboat charters or commercially under the UK flag registration?

Yes, you can use your vessel for private use, bareboat charters or commercial use under the UK part 1 registration. The requirements and documents are the same for all 3 categories.

NOTE on bareboat charter use: over the past years, the UK Registry has been already able to register ships for bareboat charter use but has not allowed UK ships to bareboat register elsewhere. This has recently changed and they now allow ships to bareboat charter out to another register (in a country on the approved list above) while remaining able to return to the UK Registry at the end of the charterparty. So the UK registry now has the power to suspend a ship’s UK registration while that ship is bareboat chartered out to another acceptable jurisdiction.

What requirements are there under the UK flag registration?

The vessel owner is required to arrange for the official number that is provided and the registration document and the registered tonnage to be marked on the boat. The name and also the port of choice must also need to be marked clearly on the stern of the boat. Moreover, the owner is required to certify that the boat has been properly marked by returning the certified carving and marking note within 3 months.

How do you register under the UK flag if you are not on the approved nationality country list?

We will setup a UK LTD. and you will transfer the ownership of your vessel into this dormant LTD that you own. The LTD is only used for boat ownership, so no taxes or government filings will be due. We will make a bill of sale for you transferring the boat into your new UK LTD. and it will be done in 2-4 business day.
BREXIT INFO: There are no changes in procedure even with the new Brexit laws!

What paperwork is needed for a UK registration part 1?

• An authorisation letter (we will prepare this)
• Copy of your passport
• Copy of Bill of Sale
• Your vessel must have a unique name, you need to provide 4 unique names, the UK authorities will check and determine which name is available once they have received your registration request.
• A certificate of a survey of tonnage and measurement (not older than 1 year) is mandatory but can be done in your own country. You just need to make sure it is done by one of the authorised surveyors, which are: (ABS EUROPE LTD), Bureau Veritas (BV), Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Germanischer Lloyd (GL), Lloyd' s Register (LR), Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK), Registro Italiano Navale (RINA) *
• The deletion certificate (if previously registered)
• A copy of a radio call sign (if you have one)

*for commercial use only, the surveyor needs to arrange the mandatory ITC69/coding certificate after the documents have been approved by the UK authorities. Small Commercial vessels require either a Work Boat Certificate, Passenger Boat Certificate, Small Commercial Vessel Certificate, or appropriate safety certificate at the time of registration done by one of the authorised surveyors.

What does the UK yacht registration look like?

MMSI Radio License – for VHF, AIS, radar and EPIRB

It is mandatory to have a valid MMSI / radio license on your boat so we recommend our boat owners to apply for a MMSI / Radio license when applying for the UK flag registration. The MMSI license permits the following equipment: VHF Radio, radar, epirb, transponder & radar and assigns the numbers needed to operate correctly.

We can arrange a UK MMSI radio license for our clients. The cost is cost 149 EUR,- in combination with any flag registration or 199 EUR,- if you order it alone.

Required documents: we only require a passport copy. (you do not need any radio course)

	Poland	United Kingdom	Langkawi	San Marino
How fast can it be done?	24 hours	3 Days	5 Days	2 Days
Available for all nationalities	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Validation Period	For life	5 years	For life	1 year
Flag certificate	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ownership registration	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Survey mandatory	No	Yes	No	No
Valid worldwide	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Suitable for commercial yachts	no / yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Price from	420 EUR	549 GBP	950 USD	290 EUR
	See Details	See Details	See Details	See Details