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Transport and Communications Agency

Deregister a boat

Deregister your boat if it no longer needs to be registered. Depending on the situation, you can deregister it temporarily or permanently. On this page, a boat refers to a boat or another registrable watercraft. You can deregister a boat only if you are its owner.

On this page

When can you deregister a boat?

You can temporarily deregister a boat if it

  • has been stolen 
  • has been redeemed 
  • has been sold abroad 
  • has been taken abroad 
  • has been taken out of use 
  • has broken down 
  • has sunk 
  • no longer meets the requirements for registration. 

You can later take a temporarily deregistered boat back into use by re-registering it.

If you wish to use an engine registered for the boat in another boat, remove the engine from the boat’s details before deregistering the boat. The deregistration applies to both the boat and the engine registered for it.

Permanently deregister a boat only if it has been destroyed or scrapped. A permanently deregistered boat cannot be re-registered.

Do the following when you temporarily deregister a boat

  1. Step 1

    Log in to My e-Services

    Select Watercraft and vessels. Use of the service requires identification. You must be at least 15 years old.

  2. Step 2

    Select the boat

    Select the boat you wish to deregister from the list. Select Deregister a watercraft.

  3. Step 3

    Select the reason for deregistration

    Select the reason for deregistering the boat. The reason may be, for example, sale abroad, removal from use or breakdown.

    You can also deregister a boat if it no longer meets the requirements for registration. This may be the case, for example, if the boat is less than 5.5 metres long and the power of the engine registered for the boat is less than 15 kilowatts, or 20.4 horsepower.

  4. Step 4

    Print the receipt if necessary

    On the confirmation page, you can print a confirmation and a receipt of the deregistration. The boat will be removed from the list of watercraft you own approximately 5–10 minutes after deregistration.

    Deregistration is free of charge.

    The service uses automated decision-making. 

If you cannot take care of the matter electronically, you can visit a registration office of your choice. Remember to bring the necessary documents and proof of identity with you.

Do the following when you permanently deregister a boat

Permanent deregistration means that the boat is permanently removed from the register. It cannot be re-registered. Permanently deregister a boat only if it has been destroyed or scrapped. Traficom processes all permanent deregistrations.

Prepare the necessary documents

Attach proof that the boat has been permanently destroyed or scrapped to your notification.

If the boat has been scrapped at an official scrapping point, you will receive a certificate of destruction from the scrapping point.

If you have destroyed the boat yourself, attach a free-form report. In the report, state where and when the boat was destroyed or scrapped.

Send the application to Traficom

Send a free-form application and the necessary attachments to Traficom

  • by post to Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, PO Box 320, FI-00059 TRAFICOM, Finland 
  • by email to kirjaamo(at)traficom.fi.

Also state in the application whether the engine registered for the boat was disposed of at the same time. 

Wait for the decision

You will receive a decision once your application has been approved. Permanent deregistration is free of charge.

Processing time for the application

We process permanent deregistrations within 30 days. We will contact you if we need additional information.

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