Our law firm offers legal assistance in respect of buying, selling and owning a boats. ECD Avocats & Solicitors help you should you plan to buy or sell a pleasure boat or a commercial yacht and/or to charter a boat. In this aim we work closely with qualified surveyor to inspect the vessel before the purchase. If necessary we work with many correspondents based in UK/Yachting Lawyers, Europe or in the off-shore world to offer to our clients expertise from trusted law firms to corporate providers and trust companies.

Our expertise includes the legal and financial aspects of buying and selling a boat. We guide your client in registering a boat, owership structuring advice… We are also strongly involved regarding VAT, Taxes rules considerations.

ECD Avocats & Solicitors help you if you plan to buy a new boat from a boat builders/manufacturers or through a yacht broker/agent: we recommend your client to consult ECD Avocats & Solicitors before buying a boat to ensure that the vessel is built and fully equipped and that she complies with the rules which apply.

On the other side if our clients plan to buy a second-hand boat, we help them to check the seller’s title – to be sure that the seller is the owner of the boat- and that the boat is free of any charges, liens, loans.. We assist our clients in the issuance of the bill of sale/sale agreement. We help our client regarding VAT considerations to be sure that the VAT has been paid, to know the correct status of the vessel and to avoid difficulties if she will moore/cruise/sail/repatriate in EU waters or out of EU waters.

We also assist our clients if two or more persons plan to buy a boat together/fractional ownership as many practical aspects of managing, operating the vessel have to be taken into consideration prior to the vessel purchase.

ECD Avocats & Solicitors advise also on Mooring and Insurance (hull coverage/P&I coverage) aspects.