The procedure for registration of a private yacht consists of two stages:
- Provisional
- Permanent
PROVISIONAL REGISTRATION OF PLEASURE YACHT IN BELIZE
In accordance with The Registration of Merchant Ships Act 1989, as amended by Act No. 5 of 1996, a provisional registration of pleasure yachts in Belize is valid for six months. During this time, the shipowner or his representative is expected to gather all documents necessary for permanent registration.
The following documents required for provisional registration of Commercial yacht:
- Completed application form for registration.
- A copy of an official documents providing ownership, in the form of a Bill of Sale duly signed and notarized.
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Power of Attorney. In accordance with the requirements of Registration of Merchant Shipping Act, resident shipping agent/company must be chosen and appointed by. The shipping agents in Belize act as an “assured communication link with owners” in accordance with the requirements of Registration of Merchant Shipping Act as well as the provisions of Act. 10(2) of the U.N. Convention of Conditions for Registration of Ships, 1986 which states that “the Flag State should ensure that there is a representative of the owner of the Ship flying its flag domiciled therein.”The shipping agent in Belize acts on behalf of the ship owner and in that capacity does not provide such services. Please note that all services requested will be effected by our office.
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Copy of yacht’s Deletion Certificate from the previous Registry or permission to transfer or delete or consent to transfer Registry from the current Registry (if any) OR Letter of Reliance in free format stating that the originals will be submitted during provisional registration.
- Declaration concerning the vessel’s intended use (commercial or private) as well as the area of operation. Such declaration can be signed by the owner, operator or their manager. It is an offense under IMMARBE’s Disciplinary Regulations to register a yacht as private yacht when it is in fact in commercial use.
- Certificate of Survey. During Provisional Registration, the yacht shoul d stand the survey conducted by recognized organization or authorized surveyor on behalf of the Administration and receive the necessary technical documents depending on the area of its operation and number of people aboard.
- Copies of previous Registry Certificates of the yacht.
- Payments of the respective fees for the registration of the yacht.
PERMANENT REGISTRATION OF PLEASURE YACHT
The following is a listing of requirements for the permanent registration of a yacht which is already registered provisionally:
- Original or certified true copy of a duly notarized Bill of Sale
- Original or certified true copy of a duly notarized Power of Attorney executed by owner thereby appointing a shipping Agent in Belize
- ORIGINAL Deletion Certificate from the Previous Registry.
- Copies of all statutory certificates issued by recognized organizations on behalf of IMMARBE (if any).
- Payments of the Permanent Registration.
Please note documents must be in the English language or, if not in English, accompanied by English translation thereof.
DECLARATION OF PRIVATE USE
As you will have observed from IMMARBE's Codes of Standards for Yachts, there is a clear distinction between Commercial and Private use, the requirements for the former being more comprehensive. When applying for the registration of a yacht, you will be required to choose between Commercial and Private use and the intended operating range of the yacht.
We are mindful of the fact that many owners of yachts which are in Private use may wish to charter them out for short periods in order to recover some of their operating expenses. Therefore, we have decided to allow private yachts to be chartered for up to a total of 112 days in any period of 12 consecutive months provided they satisfy our additional requirements for commercial yachts of this size as well as those appertaining to any change in the operating range during the period when they will be in commercial use.
The "Declaration of Private Use" reflects the terms upon which this facility is granted to such yachts.