Canadian Boat in Florida

[pjmacl]

We are about to become owners of 2 good boats and insted of selling one we would like to take it to Florida to use there in the winter.
How long can we leave a Canadian regiistered boat in Florida without having to register the boat and pay Florida taxes?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, pjmacl.

IIRC 90 days.

[skipmac]

Short answer.

If you keep the boat in FL more than 90 days the state wants you to pay FL registration. This isn't much. Depending on the boat it might be US $50-$100. I am certain of this for US citizens but would have to research it for non-US, but since it's not much and very easy to do I wouldn't worry about this.

The sales and use tax is potentially a lot more money, 6% in most locations (some counties add a local surcharge of 0.5% or so). Again my information is a based on US citizens so may differ for a Canadian.

- If you purchase a boat in Florida you must remove the boat within a deadline or pay the sales tax.
- If the boat is in a yard for repairs that deadline you can request an extension of the deadline.
- If you are not a resident of FL, purchased the boat outside FL for use outside FL, owned the boat and used it for a minimum of six months before bringing the boat to FL then you will be exempt from the 6% tax.

Hope this helps.

[olepedersen]

depends on boat if it is american built, and canadian registered you can keep it on cruise permits in the us year after year. Ole

[pjmacl]

I just talked to the registry office in Lee County Florida and the say you can only leave the boat in the water for 90 days consecutively but there is no limit if it is stored on land. We intend to store the boat on land when we are not there so I think we are OK Thank for the quick reply

[skipmac]

Olepedersen brings up a good point. My answer addressed only FL registration and taxes. You do also need to consider US customs and immigration regulations on cruising permits, how long you are allowed to keep a non US owned vessel in the US, will the boat be subject to import duties at some point, etc.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by olepedersen

depends on boat if it is american built, and canadian registered you can keep it on cruise permits in the us year after year. Ole

Wrong!! To renew a cruising permit you have to leave the US for at least 15 days. Only resident aliens can renew the cruising permit without leaving the US and then only if the duty has been paid or the boat was made in the US. Do not rely on internet forums for info such as this. The correct info is available from US Govt sites.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/det...ld-one-expires

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by pjmacl

I just talked to the registry office in Lee County Florida and the say you can only leave the boat in the water for 90 days consecutively but there is no limit if it is stored on land. We intend to store the boat on land when we are not there so I think we are OK Thank for the quick reply

Sorry, not clear on this. Lee county said you can only leave the boat in the water for 90 days for what purpose? Are they referring to FL sales and use tax, FL state boat registration, non US citizen cruising permits, or???

If they are referring to FL boat registration I would not worry about it. It will cost you +/- $100 per year and 10 minutes at the county registration office (assuming no wait in line) to get a FL state registration. They don't care if you live on Mars as long as you pay the fee.

Federal restrictions on visas, cruising permits, time limits, import fees, etc are a whole different issue and no FL county registration office will have a clue about this.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Sorry, not clear on this. Lee county said you can only leave the boat in the water for 90 days for what purpose?
.

The 90 days in the water thing is for FL boat registration.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Vasco

The 90 days in the water thing is for FL boat registration.

That was my assumption. I wouldn't worry about FL registration. It's cheap and easy. The other issues are by far the biggest problems.

[REsCat]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Wrong!! To renew a cruising permit you have to leave the US for at least 15 days. Only resident aliens can renew the cruising permit without leaving the US and then only if the duty has been paid or the boat was made in the US. Do not rely on internet forums for info such as this. The correct info is available from US Govt sites.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/det...ld-one-expires

This has been my experience:

• any foreign owned, registered or documented cruising vessel in US waters (floating and actively used or not) is required to have a valid cruising permit
• cruising permits will generally only be renewed after the 1 year term has expired and met the 15 day out of US waters requirement.
• if the boat is hauled out for an "extended period" of time a valid cruising permit is not required.
• most states will not impose any fees,taxes etc if a valid cruising permit is in place or the boat is hauled out for an "extended period" of time

what constitutes an "extended period" of time?... more than two months but is subject to the whims of the Port CBP officer you are dealing with and I am afraid to ask
If you haul your boat out for an "extended period" of time, you should immediately surrender your cruising permit and apply for a new 1 year cruising permit upon relaunch.
Check each states laws regarding a foreign boats status while hauled out
for an "extended period" of time (especially Florida!)
Check each states laws regarding a foreign boats status while in the water with a valid cruising permit (especially Florida!)

As with most things in life YMMV..... and much is up to the discretion of the CBP officer you are dealing with

Bob

[denverd0n]

If you want to keep the boat in Florida, it will be easier to just register it there, than to get a cruising permit and move it out of the country for a period of time every year. Besides, the fee for registration is minimal--unless it's a mega-yacht you're looking at less than $200 per year, probably less than $150.

If you have owned and used this boat for more than 6 months already (outside of Florida) then you do NOT have to pay any sales/use taxes on it. Sounds like that is probably the case, or at least will be by the time you get it moved down to Florida.

[REsCat]

Do you know for a fact that a foreign owned , documented/registered cruising vessel can be Florida registered and not need a CBP cruising permit?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by REsCat

Do you know for a fact that a foreign owned , documented/registered cruising vessel can be Florida registered and not need a CBP cruising permit?

Two separate and unrelated issues. The state of FL wants their pound of flesh (or in this case an ounce or so) from boats that spend a lot of time in their waters. Again, not sure how that applies to non-US citizens but 100% positive that any US citizen will be required to pay FL registration if here more than 90 days no matter which state the owner lives in or has their boat registered.

On the other hand, CBP doesn't care anything at all about FL registration or not. Their issue is strictly with the country of residence of the boat owner and the country of registration (or documentation) of the boat.

[REsCat]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Two separate and unrelated issues.

These are not two separate and unrelated issues, the OP wants to know how a Canadian registered vessel is treated in the state of Florida. The laws regarding US vessels in Florida are not applicable to foreign owned/flagged cruising boats.