Buying a yacht in Spain — FAQ

No — VAT status is a matter of documents, not of condition, and it sits outside a technical survey. It matters a great deal: a yacht in EU waters without proof that VAT was paid, or that it is legitimately exempt, can leave the new owner liable for it. The survey report lists the documents presented on the day and notes what was and was not among them, so nothing is assumed. Verifying VAT status is a job for a maritime lawyer or a specialist gestor, and it is worth having the sale contract address it explicitly.

The registration certificate, proof of VAT status, the builder's certificate and the CE declaration of conformity, any previous survey reports, the engine and service records, invoices for major works, and the current insurance certificate. The survey reads the service history against what is actually found on the boat. A complete file that matches the vessel says a great deal about how it has been kept; gaps in the file say something too.

Not necessarily. Many yachts bought in Mallorca stay under the flag they arrived with, and a buyer who is not resident in Spain commonly keeps a foreign registration. Registering in Spain means the matriculación process and, for a resident, the registration tax — the impuesto de matriculación — at 12% of the vessel's value on boats over eight metres. Boats under eight metres are exempt, and so are boats registered for charter. A resident in Spain owes it whichever flag the boat carries, which is the trap a foreign registration does not avoid. Which flag suits you depends on where you live, where the boat will be kept and whether it will be chartered — questions for a maritime lawyer or a gestor, and worth settling before the purchase rather than after it.

At whichever yard or marina with a travel lift is nearest the boat — Palma and the bay, Port Adriano, Alcúdia, Portocolom and others around the island all have facilities. The lift is booked with the yard, usually by the seller or the broker, and the yard's lifting and hardstanding charges are paid to the yard. The slot is the thing to secure early: in season, lifts are booked well ahead, and the boat needs time ashore to dry before the survey — how long depends on the weather.

That the hours and the wear are real, and that the maintenance behind them may well be better documented than on a privately used boat of the same age. Charter yachts are used hard and serviced on schedule; the survey looks at what that use has left behind — engine hours against the log, gelcoat and deck wear, rudder bearings, stern gear, sail condition on a sailing yacht — and at whether the servicing kept pace with it. Neither is a verdict in itself. What matters is the condition found, and whether the asking price reflects it.

Yes. Viewings and surveys are regularly attended on behalf of buyers elsewhere in Europe: the vessel is inspected, the end-of-day walkthrough is done by video call, and the report follows within two to four working days. The purchase itself — contract, deposit, transfer of title and registration — goes through your broker and a maritime lawyer, and can be completed from abroad.

It means the offer is accepted, and usually a deposit paid, on condition that the survey and sea trial are satisfactory. What happens if they are not is set by the contract — commonly a price adjustment, remedial work before completion, or the buyer's right to withdraw and recover the deposit, often within a stated number of days. Read those terms before booking the survey, and tell us the deadline: the report is normally issued within two to four working days, and an express report within 24 hours is available at a 25% surcharge when the window is tight.