Prove it: using red diesel abroad 

As any boater in the know will be well aware, since November recreational boaters no longer enjoy the tax break that red diesel used to provide. Ideal news as the country plunged into recession, and the boating public fumed.

There was, however, one bright spot in all of this: early fears that suppliers would have to switch to providing white diesel for recreational boaters while still supplying red diesel for commercial users was avoided.

So this summer is the first time when cruisers will head abroad with the new 'self declaration' system in place, and the RYA is keen to keep an eye on how things pan out when you come into contact with foreign officials. 

The concern is that some customs officials will not have been fully informed of recent developments and will now assume that it is not legal for recreational boaters to carry red diesel. 

Gus Lewis RYA Legal & Government Affairs Manager explained: “If we have evidence of boaters being penalised abroad for using red diesel bought legitimately in the UK, then that’s the sort of information we need to put pressure on HMRC to make the necessary changes in Europe.

“As with any new system it needs time to bed down and this may be the case for the UK’s new red diesel system.  Ultimately it is HMRC’s responsibility to ensure that our European neighbours are fully aware of our new red diesel system. 

"There are, however, always going to be some officials at a local level who will not toe the European or even national line”. 

Confirmation Letter

In order to provide you with some back up should this occur, the RYA can provide you with a letter from the European Commission which states that it is still legal to carry UK bought red diesel. This can be accessed here.

Receipts

In addition to this, it is well worth bearing in mind that you still need to prove that your red diesel was bought in the UK.

The RYA's Carol Paddison explained: "The EU commission letter confirms that you can use UK purchased Red Diesel legally, but that doesn't help if you can't prove the fuel was actually bought in the UK. 

"So the key is that you still need to keep your receipts, it's not a new thing, but people need to realise that it's still in place."

Jerry Cans

There is an additional twist, if you are carrying spare fuel in a jerry can, then it has to be white diesel. Red diesel is not legal and is likely to cause particular difficulties with the authorities.

If you experience any problems abroad relating to the use of red diesel this summer please let us know by emailing legal@rya.org.uk.