What Paperwork Do I Need to Sell My US-Documented Yacht?

Start with a readable copy of the Certificate of Documentation and the documents from the purchase through which the current owner acquired the yacht. Put them beside the proposed listing details and check every identifier. A marketing name is not a substitute for the documented vessel name.

Use a single working checklist, with one person responsible for keeping it current. A sensible seller’s file contains:

• Certificate of Documentation and previous acquisition documents.
• Seller identification and, where applicable, entity or trust documents for review.
• Signed purchase agreement, amendments and equipment inventory.
• Draft bill of sale and any required mortgage-release paperwork.
• Service history, major repair invoices and equipment records.
• Draft closing statement and delivery receipt.

Keep sensitive material separate from the sales brochure. Prospective viewers need useful technical information, not unrestricted access to identification documents, bank details or corporate records.

For this article, the transaction is a sale of the yacht itself, not a sale of shares in its owning entity. Legal requirements vary with the ownership structure, destination registry and transaction, so confirm the documents and signing arrangements with a qualified maritime adviser for your own case.

A good preparation target is to have the ownership file reviewed before survey day. That leaves room to correct a name mismatch without asking an accepted buyer to wait while the seller searches an old office archive.

The Coast Guard’s bill of sale asks for the vessel’s name and official number or hull identification number, the sellers’ and buyers’ legal names, the ownership interests being transferred, and the capacity of each person signing. It also contains a notarial acknowledgment. These are substantive details, not clerical decoration. (dco.uscg.mil)

Copy the ownership details from the reviewed ownership file, not from an email signature. If a company owns the yacht, identify the company as seller and establish who will sign on its behalf. Ask the closing professional to approve that person’s authority documents before arranging execution.

For a trust, estate or jointly owned vessel, raise the signing question immediately. Do not assume that the person who has always dealt with the captain can dispose of every ownership interest.

The transfer instructions call for signatures by or on behalf of everyone transferring an interest, with the sellers’ signatures acknowledged by a notary public. Altered bills of sale may be rejected. Complete a clean final version rather than correcting a signed document with handwritten changes. (dco.uscg.mil)

A practical signing sequence is:

1. 1Confirm the buyer’s final legal identity and ownership proportions.
2. 2Have the closing professional approve the completed draft.
3. 3Arrange the required signatures and acknowledgment.
4. 4Check that the executed scan is complete and legible.
5. 5Hold the document under the agreed closing instructions until release is authorized.

Never sign a blank bill of sale to save time. Resolve missing information first.

The purchase agreement records the commercial bargain. The transfer instrument must not contradict it. Form CG-1340 includes language covering the yacht’s appurtenances and a space for warranties, limitations and exceptions, making consistency between the documents particularly relevant. (dco.uscg.mil)

Prepare a dated inventory that distinguishes included equipment from excluded personal property. Avoid “all equipment as seen” if the owner intends to remove anything after the viewing.

Be explicit about:

• The tender, its engine and identifying numbers.
• Water toys and removable deck equipment.
• Spare propellers, tools and loose machinery parts.
• Artwork, tableware and personal effects.
• Navigation computers and other removable electronics.
• Equipment leased or supplied under a service agreement.

A tender deserves its own paperwork check. Ask the closing professional what separate ownership documents must accompany it, rather than assuming the mother yacht’s file settles the issue.

Record agreed repairs and price adjustments in signed amendments. A message saying “seller will sort the generator” is poor closing preparation. Specify the work, the completion evidence and what happens if the repair is unfinished at delivery.

The same discipline applies to exclusions. Photograph the items being retained and remove them before the final inventory inspection where practical. Discovering an empty tender cradle at handover is an avoidable way to sour a completed negotiation.

Ask for a draft closing statement early enough to challenge it calmly. It should reconcile the agreed purchase price, deposit already held, balance due, seller deductions and net proceeds. Give every agreed adjustment its own line.

Consider an illustrative sale of a 21-metre motor yacht in Fort Lauderdale for $1.25 million. Assume the contract provides for a $125,000 deposit, the agreed brokerage fee is $100,000, and the seller accepts a $12,000 credit instead of completing an air-conditioning repair. These are example terms, not standard rates.

The seller’s calculation would be:

• Contract price: $1,250,000.
• Less agreed brokerage fee: $100,000.
• Less repair credit: $12,000.
• Illustrative net proceeds: $1,138,000, before other agreed charges or debt repayment.

The deposit is part of the purchase price, not an extra deduction from the seller’s proceeds. That sounds obvious until two parties produce closing statements using different starting balances.

Keep government filing charges separate from professional service charges. The published federal schedule lists $84 for an exchange of a recreational Certificate of Documentation, $8 per page for recording a bill of sale and $25 for an Abstract of Title. Additional documentation years, certified copies and other services can add charges. The contract should allocate responsibility for them. (dco.uscg.mil)

If a recorded mortgage is being paid off, coordinate the lender’s release document with the funds instructions. Coast Guard exchange instructions distinguish a satisfaction completed by the mortgage holder from the owner’s paperwork; a seller’s assurance that the loan is paid is not the release instrument. (dco.uscg.mil)

Before releasing signed transfer documents or possession, require the closing agent’s confirmation that the agreed funding conditions have been met. Do not treat a buyer’s screenshot of a wire instruction as that confirmation.

A sale to a buyer retaining US documentation and a sale requiring foreign registration need different closing plans. Establish the buyer’s intended ownership and registry route while negotiating the agreement, not after the sea trial.

Under the federal rules, a change in ownership makes the existing Certificate of Documentation invalid immediately, subject to the applicable regulatory exceptions. The old certificate’s printed expiration date is therefore not a dependable post-sale departure plan. Have the buyer’s documentation professional establish the lawful operating arrangements before delivery. (ecfr.gov)

If the transaction requires deletion from US documentation, the Coast Guard’s instructions require evidence of sale or transfer and information about the new owner’s nationality or intended flag where applicable. An outstanding recorded mortgage requires a mortgage-holder-signed release before deletion. A letter evidencing deletion carries a published $15 fee. (dco.uscg.mil)

Do not promise that a foreign buyer can close on Friday and leave internationally on Saturday without an approved documentation plan. Separate the contractual delivery deadline from any assumed registry-processing date.

Also discard old advice that the original paper certificate must always be mailed back for an exchange or deletion. The Coast Guard’s December 2024 rule removed that submission requirement. Keep the certificate available in the closing file, but follow the applicable filing instructions rather than an outdated checklist. (public-inspection.federalregister.gov)

Create a delivery receipt recording the agreed handover location, date and time. Ask the closing professional to align it with the contract’s provisions on possession, risk and acceptance. Do not leave those concepts to a casual exchange of keys.

For a Fort Lauderdale closing, identify the actual berth or yard location. Record engine and generator hours at handover, together with any agreed fuel readings. Photographs are useful supporting records, particularly when the yacht will immediately depart with a new captain.

Prepare a handover pack that includes:

• Keys, access devices and safe operating instructions.
• Machinery manuals and current service records.
• Major refit invoices and available warranty documents.
• Equipment serial-number lists and spare-parts inventories.
• Relevant inspection certificates and maintenance schedules.
• A list of connected services requiring cancellation or transfer review.

Separate service history from promotional claims. An invoice for an engine service is not evidence of an overhaul. Label the work accurately and retain the underlying invoice rather than supplying only a summary spreadsheet.

Finally, agree a controlled process for changing onboard passwords and removing personal accounts. Keep copies of the executed closing package and filing confirmations. The seller’s file should show what was sold, what was delivered, how the proceeds were distributed and which follow-up tasks remain assigned.