Please refer to the process overview for registering sea-going vessels and commercial yachts in the Netherlands.
To start with the registration process a presence in the Netherlands is required.
To obtain a permanent Certificate of Registry issued by NSI the most common and recommended route is to start with applying for a provisional Certificate of Registry (voorlopige zeebrief). For a provisional Certificate of Registry you first need the following documents:
- a tonnage certificate (ITC'69) issued by your classification society
- a call sign issued by the Dutch Authority for Digital Infrastructure and
- proof of ownership of the vessel (bill of sale)
After a provisional Certificate of Registration has been issued, your classification should perform the necessary (statutory) certification services.
At the same time you can apply at NSI for the remaining statutory documents such as the Safe Manning Document, CSR, DMLC Part I and the applicable liability certificates.
The validity of provisional Certificates of Registry may not exceed the period of six months. During this time, shipowners can arrange the registration of the ownership of the vessel and apply for a nationality assessment at the Dutch Cadastral Register (Kadaster) in Rotterdam.
It is possible to apply for the registration of a vessel under the flag of the Netherlands if you have not yet acquired ownership of the vessel. This may be because the transfer of ownership is planned but has not yet occurred. In such an instance, you must prove that you will be the owner of the vessel within a period of four weeks after the application. Careful planning is advised.
After cadastral registration, a positive nationality assessment and carving of the vessel, the definitive Certificate of Registry can be applied for at NSI with registration in the Netherlands flag register. This document in principal has permanent validity, unless any information on the Certificate of Registry is not correct or up to date anymore. This may be because of e.g. a change of ownership or conversion of the vessel.
All ships with a definitive certificate of registry are registered in the public, online flag register. This way, the information as to who is legitimately flying the flag of the Netherlands on their vessel is accessible and transparent to everyone. The link to the Netherlands flag register can be found here.
For more information on the registration of a merchant vessel under the flag of the Netherlands under full ownership, please visit the official website of the NSI here.
For general information about flying the flag the of Netherlands, visit the general website of the NSI here.