Buying a Used Yacht in Hong Kong as an Expat: Documents, Berths and What to Ask

Short answer: the buying process is basically the same for expats and locals. The differences are in four places: identity and address documents, holding the boat personally or through a company, finding a berth, and how banks and insurers view a buyer with no long local record. Whether someone without a Hong Kong ID card (a visitor, or a newcomer still on a visa) can apply for a local vessel Certificate of Ownership is something to put to the Marine Department in writing before you pay a deposit. This article does not repeat the step-by-step process (see the complete guide to buying a used yacht in Hong Kong); it covers the points where expats differ. It is also useful if a colleague or a local partner is helping you buy.

The process is still: view, offer, survey, deposit and contract, transfer, arrange a berth. The table shows where expat buyers are more likely to hit delays.

The Marine Department's form for transferring a local vessel is MD 513; the guidance is in the MD 513 guidance notes PDF. In broad terms, buyer and seller both sign, a company owner signs through an authorised person and affixes the company chop, and the new owner provides valid third-party insurance. The filing deadline, how a mortgage endorsement is handled, government fees and the full document list all follow the Marine Department's latest form and guidance, so check with the Marine Department before you file. For how a mortgage relates to the boat, see the yacht financing guide.

Names and spellings on all identity and address documents must match. If the name on your passport, bank account and the form differ, it can lengthen the process, so check before you file.

Holding through a company is a common arrangement: an authorised person signs and affixes the company chop, and company documents are required. Expats usually consider it because several people will use the boat, the owner may leave Hong Kong, or the company is paying. The questions below are for an accountant, a lawyer or the Marine Department, not for us:

• Whether the Marine Department accepts an overseas company, and whether a non-resident owner needs to appoint a local agent: ask the Marine Department in writing.
• Tax and accounting treatment of a company-held yacht (including private use by directors). We do not comment.
• What happens to the boat if the company is wound up or you leave Hong Kong.
• Who may lawfully operate the boat. Owning and driving are different things; see the next section.

Owning a boat does not mean you can drive it. The Marine Department has two grades of local pleasure vessel operator certificate, Grade 1 and Grade 2. What each grade lets you operate and what the exams require follow the Marine Department's latest information; see Marine Department: pleasure vessel operators and the examination rules.

For expats the real question is whether Hong Kong recognises the boating certificate or licence from your home country, or whether you must sit the local exam. Ask the Marine Department in writing. If you plan to hire a professional skipper in the first year, say so when you ask about insurance, because insurers may ask who will be at the helm.

A Certificate of Ownership in your name does not mean you have somewhere to berth. For the local picture see our Sai Kung Marina Cove berthing article, and for an overview of options the berthing page. Expats should watch for:

• Yacht club berths come with membership. Club membership pages generally state that the facilities available differ by category (some categories cannot rent a marina berth or mooring), that berth quotas are limited and that each category has a waiting list; for example the Hebe Haven Yacht Club membership page. Which category lets you rent a marina berth, and how corporate membership nominations work, are questions for the club. Berth fees always follow the club's latest published rates; we do not copy figures.
• Joining usually needs an introduction. Clubs commonly require existing members to act as proposer and seconder; the length of membership required follows the club's latest rules. After you apply there may be an interview, then acceptance or a place on the waiting list. How a newcomer with no local contacts gets in, and how long the wait is, are questions for the club (other yacht clubs have their own rules; ask each one).
• Government private moorings: the Marine Department restricts applications for private moorings, and waiting lists and application rounds follow its latest announcements, so a new buyer should not count on this route. Source: Marine Department private mooring page.
• Match the boat length to the berth. The three examples below are roughly 40 to 44 ft (as listed), and a berth prepared for a smaller boat may not fit.

If you plan to leave within a couple of years, ask each club how membership or a berth is handed to the next owner when you sell. It is part of your exit cost.

We picked three Sun Yachts boats that map onto different first-time budgets. This is not a recommendation to buy; it shows what the money gets you and what to ask about each.

Source: Sun Yachts stock listings (as of 2026-10-27). Asking prices are not sale prices, and lengths are as listed, to be measured at viewing. For other boats at similar prices: under HK$1M, HK$1–3M, HK$3–6M, HK$6M+, or the price guide and all stock.

Price distribution of current stock (as of 2026-10-27): of 65 boats, 62 carry an asking price and 3 are price on request, which are excluded from the table and median below.

The median asking price of the 62 is about HK$2.72M. On a tight budget you can start with boats under HK$500,000.

Payment is what expats get asked about most. Have your source-of-funds records ready (salary, property sale, savings). We do not quote bank limits or fees: ask your bank how it handles moving a large sum to a private seller or a broker's client account.

For finance, the yacht financing guide covers local options. Whether a lender will lend to a non-resident, and on what terms, should be asked of each lender in writing.

For running costs see what a boat costs to run for a year. The items below vary by boat and club, so we give no figures; ask about each before you commit:

If you expect to leave Hong Kong within a few years, ask three things before buying: how long similar boats take to sell, who will show the boat while you are away, and whether the berth or membership can pass to the buyer. For the selling side see the guide to selling a yacht in Hong Kong. How a company-held boat is sold, and the tax effect, is a question for a lawyer and an accountant.