On 30 April 2026, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union, DG TAXUD, published a guidance note aimed at harmonising the interpretation of the rules governing the Customs and VAT status of pleasure vessels within the EU. The note does not change the existing legal framework but addresses questions that have long been...
On 15th June 2021, the Director of the Agenzia Entrate published protocol number 151377/2021, which sets out the new procedures for applying for a certificate of purchase under the Italian Commercial Exemption (ICE) for commercial vessels. From 15th July 2021, in order to benefit from ICE, owners and/or operators of merchant ships will be able...
On 17th May 2021, the “State Action at Sea” division of the French Maritime Authorities for the Mediterranean published prefectural order n°094/2021 which, in article 1, provides for the removal of the measures inserted in article 4 of prefectural order n°238/2020 on 30th November 2020. This article provided in particular that foreign ships, flying flags...
Due to the current health crisis (COVID-19), the activity of commercial vessels in 2020 is not representative of reality and some vessels were not able to pass the 70% navigation outside French waters threshhold, a condition of the FCE (French Commercial Exemption). To compensate for this, the tax authorities exceptionally authorise vessels to assess compliance...
For ship rental and charter contracts concluded by 31st October 2020: Short-term leasing of ships (less than 90 days) to a taxable or non-taxable person was taxable in France as long as the ship was made available to the lessee in France (Article 259 A 1° a) of the General Tax Code). Rentals were taxable...
