LADY LARISA
SANLORENZO SX88 Built by Sanlorenzo in 2018, LADY LARISA combines contemporary Italian design with versatile living spaces and a seamless connection to the water. Exterior
THE EYB COUNTRY GUIDES · Italy
Understand the seller's VAT treatment, the EU new-boat test, import calculations and the documents to request before paying.
Boat VAT questions in Italy start with the transaction, rather than the boat's appearance or the flag on its stern. Who is selling, where the boat moves and whether it meets the tax definition of a new means of transport all affect the checks you need. Start with a written description of the proposed purchase and its tax treatment. Then compare that explanation with the invoice and supporting documents before agreeing the final amount payable.
This guide covers domestic purchases, qualifying acquisitions from another European Union country and the calculation of import VAT. It distinguishes verified rules from practical document checks. It does not promise an exemption for a particular yacht or cover every commercial arrangement. Ask a locally qualified tax adviser to assess any proposed exception. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Key facts at a glance
Presidential Decree 633/1972, Article 16 sets the ordinary VAT rate at 22% of the taxable base.
Normattiva, VAT rates (Presidential Decree 633/1972, Art. 16), updated 1 Jan 2016 ·A domestic disposal by a private owner outside a business, trade or profession falls outside the business-supply scope in Article 1; imports and qualifying intra-EU acquisitions need separate analysis.
Normattiva, VAT scope (Presidential Decree 633/1972, Art. 1), updated 1 Feb 1979 ·Under Decree-Law 331/1993, Article 38(4), a qualifying boat is not considered new only if it has navigated for more than 100 hours and the sale occurs more than three months after first registration, public-register entry or an equivalent measure.
Normattiva, intra-EU acquisitions (Decree-Law 331/1993, Art. 38), updated 5 Jul 2022 ·Article 69 bases import VAT on the customs value plus customs charges other than VAT and forwarding expenses to the EU destination stated on the transport document.
Normattiva, import VAT calculation (Presidential Decree 633/1972, Art. 69), updated 14 Mar 1997 ·Article 8-bis(1)(a) expressly excludes the recreational units referred to in that provision from its qualifying ship-sale treatment.
Normattiva, qualifying ship transactions (Presidential Decree 633/1972, Art. 8-bis), updated 1 Jan 2021 ·Section 1
An asking price gives you a starting point for negotiation, but it does not describe the tax treatment by itself. Ask the seller to identify the contracting owner and explain whether the sale is being made in the course of a business. Italian value added tax, called imposta sul valore aggiunto (IVA), applies to domestic supplies within the statutory business or professional scope. A broker arranging introductions is not necessarily the owner making the supply; request a clear distinction between those roles.
For an ordinary domestic sale by a private owner outside a business or profession, the business-supply limb of the VAT rule does not apply. That statement has a defined scope: it does not remove the separate rules for imports or qualifying new boats acquired across an EU border. As a practical check, write down the boat's location, the seller's capacity and the intended destination. Give that description to your adviser rather than asking whether all second-hand boats are free of VAT.
Request a written breakdown showing the agreed price, the applicable VAT treatment and the total you would pay. The ordinary rate is set by the decree Istituzione e disciplina dell'imposta sul valore aggiunto, Presidential Decree 633/1972, Article 16. Its invoice provisions also recognise a margin-scheme annotation for used goods. The annotation does not establish that a particular yacht qualifies for that scheme. Ask the invoicing seller to explain the legal basis of any proposed special treatment before accepting the quotation.
Broker tip: Ask for the total payable and the seller's written tax explanation before negotiating the final offer. Keep the boat purchase and any separate brokerage invoice clearly identified so you can review each charge. Readers often go on to our guide on how to import a boat into Italy.
Boat insurance and tax paperwork on a desk.
Domestic sales and VAT
Section 2
The tax meaning of new is separate from the wording in a sales advertisement. Decree-Law 331/1993, concerning tax harmonisation and intra-EU VAT, Article 38, contains the relevant acquisition rule and the definition of qualifying means of transport. Check whether the vessel falls within that definition before applying the age and use tests. A yacht already owned by someone else can still be new for this purpose. Conversely, do not apply the qualifying-boat rule indiscriminately to every craft that crosses an EU border.
Begin the practical review with the registration record or equivalent evidence and a record of actual navigation. The rule requires both the age condition and the navigation condition to be passed before a qualifying boat is treated as not new. An engine-hour display alone should not be accepted as proof of navigation without checking what it records; that is a document-review recommendation, not an additional statutory threshold. Ask the seller to supply evidence that your adviser can compare with the exact conditions in the legislation.
The qualifying acquisition rule expressly reaches private parties, so the seller's description as a private owner does not settle this question. Establish whether the purchase involves transport or dispatch from another EU member state into Italy. For relevant intra-EU supplies of new means of transport, the Italian invoice rules require first-registration information and the navigation-hours figure. Request those particulars early. If dates or records conflict, resolve the classification and the payment arrangements before releasing funds, rather than relying on a promise to correct the paperwork afterwards.
Broker tip: Request the age and navigation evidence together. If the seller only supplies a build year or an engine-hour photograph, ask what document establishes the registration date and what record establishes actual navigation. Our guide on how to register a boat in Italy covers a related point.
Port customs office at a harbour.
The EU new-boat test
Buying a boat in Italy and unsure about the VAT? Speak to one of our brokers.
Section 3
For an import, start with the customs calculation rather than multiplying the advertised price and assuming the result is the whole liability. Presidential Decree 633/1972, Article 69, uses the value determined under customs rules and adds the specified customs charges and forwarding expenses. The accepted customs value therefore matters as much as the tax rate. As a practical step, ask the customs representative to show the valuation, any duties and the expenses included in the taxable base as separate entries before you commit to the transaction.
The importer should provide the purchase documents and the transport details needed for the calculation. Article 69 identifies forwarding expenses to the destination within the EU shown on the transport document as part of the base. It also addresses goods sold before clearance, using the consideration for the last sale. If the ownership chain includes an intermediate purchase before import clearance, tell the representative about it. A calculation built around an earlier sale can miss a statutory valuation rule that directly affects the tax assessment.
A worked calculation can help you read the representative's breakdown without pretending to establish the boat's actual liability. The figures in the panel beside this text use assumed values to show the arithmetic only. They do not establish a duty rate, a transport quotation or an entitlement to relief; those items need the actual documents and a transaction-specific assessment. Temporary admission, returned-goods relief, import duty rates and payment deadlines are not covered here: email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
Broker tip: Request a dated import calculation using the actual purchase and transport documents. Keep duties, forwarding costs and VAT separately visible, and ask which assumptions still need confirmation before you authorise the representative to proceed. A related question is answered in our guide on how to buy a boat in Italy.
Tablet showing a boat valuation beside a model yacht.
Import VAT calculation
Article 69 bases import VAT on the customs value plus customs charges other than VAT and forwarding expenses to the EU destination stated on the transport document.
Source: Normattiva, import VAT calculation (Presidential Decree 633/1972, Art. 69), updated 14 Mar 1997For goods sold in Italy before customs clearance, Article 69 makes the consideration for the last sale the taxable base.
Source: Normattiva, import VAT calculation (Presidential Decree 633/1972, Art. 69), updated 14 Mar 1997Article 69 applies the VAT rates specified in Article 16 to the import taxable base.
Source: Normattiva, import VAT calculation (Presidential Decree 633/1972, Art. 69), updated 14 Mar 1997For illustration only: an assumed customs value of EUR 100,000 plus assumed customs charges of EUR 2,000 and forwarding expenses of EUR 1,000 gives a EUR 103,000 taxable base. At the 22% ordinary rate, VAT is EUR 22,660 and the base plus VAT is EUR 125,660.
Source: Normattiva, import VAT calculation (Presidential Decree 633/1972, Art. 69), updated 14 Mar 1997Section 4
Review the documentary explanation of VAT alongside the commercial agreement. For a taxable sale, the Italian invoice provisions identify seller information, the goods supplied and the tax calculation. As a practical check, compare the boat described in the invoice with the boat described in the contract and ownership papers. Ask the seller to explain inconsistencies before completion. An invoice is evidence of a stated transaction; do not treat it as an automatic guarantee that every earlier movement or later proposed use has been assessed correctly.
Be particularly careful with an explanation that a yacht can be bought without VAT simply because it sails offshore. Presidential Decree 633/1972, Article 8-bis, concerns specified qualifying ship transactions and expressly excludes the recreational units identified in its ship-sale provision. Its high-seas test is not a blanket permission for private recreational buyers to avoid tax. If a seller proposes a commercial or high-seas treatment, ask a locally qualified adviser to identify the applicable category, the legal basis and the supporting evidence before accepting it.
The same provision prescribes a declaration and receipt protocol for purchases or imports without payment of VAT based on its high-seas conditions. That is a separate documentary requirement within the qualifying framework, rather than a substitute for qualifying in the first place. For an ordinary private purchase, concentrate on a coherent seller identity, the stated invoice treatment and the boat's relevant movement history. Keep copies of the documents used in the assessment, and record which party will supply any missing evidence before payment is released.
Broker tip: When the proposed treatment depends on an exception, ask for the exact legal basis and the documents supporting it. Do this before committing funds, and have a locally qualified adviser review the answer. See also our guide on what it costs to sell a boat in Italy. Owners living abroad can read our guide on whether a non-resident can sell a boat in Italy.
Boat registration at a marina office.
Evidence to check
Practical support
Peter Mattey is a yacht broker at European Yacht Brokers with a BA in Law. He is not an Italian lawyer or tax adviser: for Italian tax we refer you to a locally qualified adviser. What we can do is help you put the right questions to the seller and spot gaps in the invoice and paperwork before you commit.
Tell us the type of boat, your budget and the area through the enquiry form on this page and a broker will reply. For anything this guide does not cover, email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information.
The handover of a boat at the dock.
Your questions
An ordinary domestic sale outside the seller's business or profession falls outside the business-supply scope, but that does not settle every private purchase. Imports and qualifying acquisitions of new means of transport from another EU country follow separate rules. Establish the seller's capacity, the boat's movement and its relevant classification before accepting a tax explanation. (Normattiva)
Yes, a previously owned yacht can still meet the tax definition of new. For a qualifying boat, both the age condition and the navigation-hours condition must be passed before it is treated as not new. Check registration or equivalent records and navigation evidence rather than relying on the advertisement's wording. (Normattiva)
No, the statutory import base includes the customs value, applicable customs charges other than VAT, and the specified forwarding expenses. Ask the customs representative to identify the accepted value and each addition in writing, and disclose any sale before clearance because a separate last-sale rule applies. (Normattiva)
No, offshore sailing by itself does not establish entitlement to the qualifying ship treatment. The provision identifies particular ship transactions, expressly excludes the recreational units referred to in its ship-sale rule, and prescribes documentary requirements for qualifying high-seas claims. Have a locally qualified adviser examine any proposed exception before you accept a quotation without VAT. (Normattiva)
Ask for the seller's identifying details, the boat's description and the applicable tax breakdown. A taxable invoice must state the rate, taxable base and VAT amount. Relevant intra-EU supplies of new means of transport also require first-registration information and navigation hours; request those where that classification applies. (Normattiva)
This guide does not establish margin-scheme eligibility, VAT deduction or commercial-yacht treatment, because they depend on the transaction. Email us at info@europeanyachtbrokers.com for the latest information, and ask a locally qualified tax adviser to confirm before you rely on any such treatment.
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Check it yourself
Check the scope of VAT on domestic supplies and imports in Article 1.
Check the ordinary VAT rate in Article 16.
Check the invoice requirements in Article 21.
Check the intra-EU acquisition rules and the new-boat tests in Article 38.
Check how import VAT is calculated in Article 69.
Check the qualifying ship transactions and declaration rules in Article 8-bis.
Keep reading
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More guides for sellers and buyers: yacht brokers Italy.
More guides for sellers and buyers: yacht brokers Italy.