Anyone who owns, or is responsible for, a pleasure craft (such as a yacht) that sails to or from locations outside the UK and the Isle of Man is required to provide information for customs purposes about:
- the vessel
- the voyage
- individuals on board
- goods documentation
Departing from Great Britain
You must tell HMRC if your pleasure craft is leaving Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) to go anywhere other than Northern Ireland.
Report departures for:
- EU countries
- rest of the world
- the Channel Islands
Reporting requirements
As the UK is no longer part of the EU single market, pleasure craft owners now need to report in line with the ‘Rest of World’ requirements. From 1 January 2022, all pleasure craft arriving in and departing from the UK and the Isle of Man (including those arriving in and departing from EU countries) must report in accordance with the requirements published in Notice 8: sailing your pleasure craft to and from the UK.
The e-C1331 is an excel template that will allow data to be submitted via email to the National Yachtline and the relevant regional Border Force command. Users of the e-C1331 version can use the links and the guidance within the template to complete and submit the form without posting it.
The previous PDF version can be downloaded and posted if required. The preference is for the new e-C1331 template to be used for reporting pleasure craft details to HMRC and Border Force. If you prefer to post the pdf version of the form, the address is: Yacht Reports, Freight Clearance Centre, Lord Warden Square, Western Docks, Dover, Kent, CT17 9DN.
If you are arriving from outside the UK (and this includes the Channel Islands) you must fly the ‘Q’ flag as soon as you enter UK waters (the 12 mile limit).
Do not take down the flag until you have finished reporting to the customs authorities. If you do not comply you will be liable to a penalty.
