Registration in Holland: WATERSPORTVERBOND & ZEEBRIEF

Navigating under a foreign flag and adopting a flag of convenience is an advantage available to boaters. You do not wish to register your pleasure boat in France but prefer to turn to another nationality for your vessel? The experts at Bateau-immatriculation.com present the Dutch flag in every detail.

There are two options for registering your boat in the Netherlands:

• obtaining the ICP (Internationaal Certificaat Pleziervaartuig), issued by the Watersport Verbond sports association
• obtaining the Dutch Worldwide Zeebrief, issued by the Kadaster, the official body that handles boat registration in the country.

The ICP does not allow you to fly an official Dutch flag because it has no longer been recognized by international maritime authorities since 2018.

It is a certificate of ownership that nevertheless authorizes navigation locally in rivers or in maritime areas in the Netherlands. Since March 1, 2021, it has been reserved for Dutch citizens and residents of the country for more than 5 years.

If you meet these restrictions, you can apply for it for any recreational vessel with a hull length of less than 24 meters (sailboat, motorboat, yacht, PWC such as a jet ski).

On the other hand, the Zeebrief is recognized worldwide and is accessible to all nationalities. For non-EU nationals, you will need to declare a legal or natural person officially belonging to the European Union. However, it is not possible to register a vessel with the Zeebrief in the name of a company. Please note that the procedure is costly!

Since 1993, when the internal borders of the European Union opened, recreational boaters have been able to choose to sail under any foreign flag in the inland waters of the EU area. The only constraint is to apply the navigation rules of the country of registration. Compared to other member states like France or the United Kingdom (until Brexit), the Netherlands is more flexible on many points.

For a boat flying the Dutch flag, there are no circulation restrictions. You can therefore navigate freely and interchangeably in river, coastal, or offshore areas as long as the construction category (A, B, C, or D) allows it.

In some cases, you also don't need a boating license. A sea license and a river license remain mandatory if the hull length exceeds 15 meters and/or if, with the installed engine, you can sail at more than 10.8 knots (20 km/h).

Regarding safety, the required equipment is reduced to the essentials, which doesn't prevent you from fully equipping yourself to guarantee your safety. A life raft is not mandatory (only recommended), regardless of the navigation area.

The procedures for obtaining the flag are also simplified but remain essential for any boat between 2.5 and 24 meters long. With just a valid identity document and proof of ownership, you can register with the Dutch Land Registry. Boating insurance is not mandatory for registration, but we strongly recommend that you take out one to protect yourself in case of damage, theft, or loss. You will also not have to prove VAT payment if the boat is imported from the EU, nor CE certification if the boat was built before 1998. A safety inspection is mandatory and will be funded by the boat owner; an authorized agent will come to identify and check the boat. Although it is more of a courtesy visit, it is mandatory.

Thus, the application is generally processed quite quickly, within 2 to 6 weeks.

Furthermore, you are free to choose your home port in the Netherlands. If you don't, registration in Amsterdam will be automatic. The name appears on the title and on the hull of the boat.

From a financial point of view, sailing under the Dutch flag is also attractive. Indeed, there are no navigation taxes to pay in the Netherlands (unlike the mandatory DAFN payment in France), regardless of the type of boat (yacht, sailboat, motorboat, personal watercraft); however, the registration fee is higher than elsewhere.

In short, registration with the ZEEBRIEF is advantageous, provided you carefully examine the application documents.

The cost of registration with the Dutch land registry is also higher than the European average, costing around €2000. This depends on the location of the boat at the time of the inspection visit, as the agent's travel expenses are borne by the owner.

But there are more constraints if you wish to leave Dutch territorial waters, particularly to sail in French waters. Indeed, with the Leroy Law on the blue economy, promulgated on June 20, 2016, navigation in French territorial waters (and mooring at a French port) is entirely subject to French legislation, regardless of the nationality of the flag and the boat owner.

First, if you do not have the Dutch Worldwide Zeebrief but only the ICP, you will be considered stateless, which is prohibited in France. If you do not have a navigation permit, you will not be able to navigate more than 6 miles from the French coast (semi-offshore and offshore zone). Then, you must have on board all the safety and arming equipment required by French law, which is much more regulated.

Finally, if you are a French citizen flying a Dutch flag, you are not subject to the payment of the DAFN (Annual Francisation and Navigation Tax) to French Customs, as these are only required for French residents. Nevertheless, if your pleasure craft measures 7 meters or more and/or if the administrative power of the engine exceeds 22 HP, you will have to pay a passport duty, the annual amount of which is strictly identical to that of the DAFN. In addition, if the verification of VAT payment is not carried out by the Dutch maritime authorities, rest assured that their French counterparts will not fail to do so at the slightest check.

To navigate serenely and legally in French or foreign waters if you are a French resident under the Dutch flag, you will still have to pay the passport fee. Its amount is strictly identical to that of the DAFN (Annual Francization and Navigation Fee). Furthermore, it is mandatory regardless of the maritime navigation zone on the globe and also during wintering.

You have decided to register your pleasure boat in the Netherlands and you meet all the validation criteria for the application? Our experts will obtain the navigation title for you from the Dutch Maritime Authorities (Kadaster).

Do you prefer to sail under the French flag? We also offer to Frenchify your boat. We also handle applications for foreign flags (Polish flag, British flag, Spanish flag).

It is entirely possible to insure a foreign-flagged vessel. We are insurance brokers, and it's our job to find solutions for you!

One of the most serious European registries (along with the French and Polish). Both accessible, valid for life, and with no additional annual taxation, the Dutch Zeebrief is a registry worth looking into. The only drawback remains its prohibitive price.