We start from the fact that from GESNA we have a preference for the Spanish Maritime Registry. Since it offers notarial legal guarantees. However, we understand that technical or economic reasons lead us to consider flagging in another country, such as Poland, Belgium or the Netherlands.

The advantages of the Polish flag are similar to other flags, adding to the summation that it is a flag, that is, the flag-raising is done by the Polish State, not a private institution. We can summarize the advantages of the Polish pavilion in:

The Polish flag is a license plate, that is, it is issued by a State of the European Union.
The flagging is final and does not expire. The Polish flag is the best option financially, because it is paid only once and has no renewals.
A Polish-flagged ship can be owned and operated by having a Spanish nautical title.
You can have a Polish MMSI for SMSSM communications equipment.

What about boats that have never been registered before? For example, boats that have only sailed in reservoirs and marshes or other inland waters. Or ships from Italy or other registries that are not required to be registered. Or simply boats that have never been registered and now want to restore them. For all of them, registration in Poland is an agile solution.

The Polish Maritime Registry has an abbreviated and specific administrative procedure for vessels that do not have prior registration documents. And that otherwise they would not find a possibility to enroll or enroll in Spain. Thus, Poland becomes an alternative and a solution. So that in a relatively short time and with fairly low costs, the necessary registration to sail in Spanish waters or in other countries with full legality is obtained.

The Maritime Safety Regulation drawn up by the Minister of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy of the Government of Poland, establishes in Chapter 1 the availability of commercial exploitation of ships with the Polish flag:

5. A yacht can be used in maritime transport if it meets the safety requirements in terms of condition: technical equipment, manning, rescue, signalling, navigation and fire fighting, radio communication equipment, on-board and emergency equipment and other specified requirements in the regulation
ORDINANCE: MINISTER OF TRANSPORT, CONSTRUCTION AND MARITIME MANAGEMENT
of February 28, 2012, on safe navigation on sea yachts

After issuing the Polish flag card for the vessel, with commercial identification, a request for inspection by the Polish maritime authorities is made. It is important that the ship has the Declaration of Conformity document. If you don't have one, the Polish authorities ask for two inspections:

Security inspection
Stability study

The safety inspection is similar to the Spanish ITB, but is carried out by Polish companies authorized by the Government of Poland. The stability study can be avoided if you have the Declaration of Conformity.

Once the inspection has been passed, it is the same company that forwards the report to the Polish authorities.

The Polish Maritime Authority will contact the shipowner to hold a video conference and check the security and communications equipment. Once the process is completed, and a few days have passed, the certificate of commercial operation is issued by the Polish maritime authorities.

However, of the requirements that a ship with a Polish flag has from the flag state, the owner of the recreational vessel is subject to Dispatch at the Spanish Maritime Captaincy in which he will carry out the activity. This Office will have the conditions determined by the competent unit, such as extraordinary ITB, port authorizations, etc...

• The documentation required to register boats in Poland depends on the year of manufacture of the boat. That is, whether or not it has the CE marking.

• Ship acquisition document: contract or invoice

• Certificate of deregistration of the flag of origin.

• Color photograph showing the side of the ship

• Color photograph of the serial number plate (CE plate)

• DNI of the registered owner or Passport in force

• Power of attorney (it is essential to have an authorized person in Poland)

• Declaration of European conformity of the helmet

• European Declaration of Conformity of the engine

   

• To obtain the MMSI:

  Nautical qualification of the skipper or shipowner in which it is referred to that he has training and skills in maritime radio communications (PER, Yacht skipper, Captain...)
  Written declaration of European conformity of each of the communications equipment to be registered. This information can be found in the user manuals of the equipment.

  In the case of boats manufactured before 1998 or that do not have a CE Declaration of Conformity, a responsible declaration can be made that includes the assembled data, in addition to the Seaworthiness Certificate signed by the owner of the boat.

  For motors without CE certificate, other manufacturer documents identifying the motor are accepted.

  All documents that are not written in Polish require a sworn translation by a sworn translator registered in the system of the Polish Ministry of Justice. The price of the translation is included in the price of flagging in Poland of pleasure boats. Although documents with many pages may incur a service charge.

The Flag Charter issued by the state of Poland for recreational boats includes basic information about the boat and the owner.

It is a document with information similar to that offered by the Navigation Permit for ships with the Spanish flag. Below we present the Registration model that ships with the Polish flag have, which shows the following information:

Names with Latin letters of the Polish alphabet with Arabic and Roman numerals are accepted for naming the ship.

Remember that the name must be legible and names that may hurt feelings or be offensive cannot be displayed.

The latest amendment to the Maritime Navigation Law brought as a novelty the implementation of the safety equipment that Spain requires for all pleasure boats. Even if they have a Polish flag or another country. And that they are linked to Spain by the owner or skipper.

This regulatory framework leads to compliance with the safety and equipment standards required for boats with the Spanish flag. 

Polish legislation establishes four navigation zones. In Spain, ships have seven navigation zones. Although, with the Polish flag, the boat is subject to the design category, which establishes a maximum wind force and wave height; navigation regions must also be considered for maritime safety purposes:

Every boat built in Europe or commercially imported into the European Union since 1998 must have a European Certificate of Conformity - CE marked -, where the Design Category is established. And what must be provided for the application for the Polish flag.

However, recreational boats with a construction date prior to 1998 are exempt from providing the certificate for registration in Poland. Instead, a declaration is made by the owner indicating the technical data of the vessel which are assimilated to the contents in the manufacturer's report.

If you have radio equipment you need from MMSI: as an EPIRB radio beacon, or VHF with LSD, we can process the identification number of the Polish Maritime Mobile System.

To process the MMSI you need:

Title radio operator. The title of PER, Yacht Skipper or Yacht Captain is valid.

CE declaration of conformity of the communication equipmentns.

Poland's new nautical record has no time limits, it is indefinite. As long as it has the same owner. Except for legislative amendment.

Regardless of the ship's flag, Spanish taxation obliges the payment of various taxes in Spain:

VAT: in case of boats purchased by invoice. If the invoice is not subject to VAT because it is issued by another country, the tax must be settled using the model established by the Tax Agency.
Transfer tax: if the acquisition is by contract. This tax is under the jurisdiction of the autonomous communities.
Special tax on certain means of transport: what is known as the registration tax, which adds 12% to the value of the vessel and is settled before the Tax Agency, in the case of vessels over 8 meters in length .