Buying in Canada

[manawa]

Hi
I'm an Aussie looking to buy a Canadian registered boat. My intention is to keep the boat and liveaboard cruise both in Canada,[BC] and elsewhere, US, Mexico. I'm am having trouble getting clear info on the taxes, obligations and licencing of me, a foreigner, owning a Canadian boat and sailing it. Any and all help would be appreciated.

M.

[GordMay]

As far as I know, there’s no difference between foreign nationals and Canadian citizens, as regards legal requirements for purchasing/owning a boat in Canada.
Goto: http://boating.ncf.ca/license.html

[Factor]

Originally Posted by manawa

Hi
I'm an Aussie looking to buy a Canadian registered boat. My intention is to keep the boat and liveaboard cruise both in Canada,[BC] and elsewhere, US, Mexico. I'm am having trouble getting clear info on the taxes, obligations and licencing of me, a foreigner, owning a Canadian boat and sailing it. Any and all help would be appreciated.

M.

Whats the story? you got work over there? ( if you are the M.E. that I think) Is G going as well?

Look up the tonronto multihull club at http://www.torontomultihullclub.com/

Wrong side of the country but they may be able to help, also try Joe Suidisnki on www.katiekat.net - he is in san fran but again he may have contacts that could help.

[Woods Designs]

I am English, but have a summer house in BC. We have had no problems sailing here for the 6 months we are allowed in Canada on our tourist visa. However we have a small boat with a small outboard so it doesn't need to be registered. Nor do we plan to sail to the USA (even though the border is only 1 mile away as I write).

I have a full US visa which you need to have to be able to cross the US border on a sailboat. You can drive across the border without one and sail in the US without one, but you cannot CROSS the border without a proper visa.

You should check with Noonsite.com and also here

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/en/sc/boats/index.shtml

Not sure which coast you plan to buy a boat. Note that if you are not a US or Canadian flagged boat you have to pay a USD300 fee for a pilot exemption certificate if you sail in Washington state (ie the San Juan Islands) in addition to all the other fees and regulations you need to pay to sail in the USA

Hope this helps

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

[BigCat]

Originally Posted by Woods Designs

I am English, but have a summer house in BC. We have had no problems sailing here for the 6 months we are allowed in Canada on our tourist visa. However we have a small boat with a small outboard so it doesn't need to be registered. Nor do we plan to sail to the USA (even though the border is only 1 mile away as I write).

I have a full US visa which you need to have to be able to cross the US border on a sailboat. You can drive across the border without one and sail in the US without one, but you cannot CROSS the border without a proper visa.

You should check with Noonsite.com and also here

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/en/sc/boats/index.shtml

Not sure which coast you plan to buy a boat. Note that if you are not a US or Canadian flagged boat you have to pay a USD300 fee for a pilot exemption certificate if you sail in Washington state (ie the San Juan Islands) in addition to all the other fees and regulations you need to pay to sail in the USA

Hope this helps

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

I think that with yachts, only a superyacht would have to pay this.

[manawa]

Thanks all, will do some more research based on the links you've posted and report back.
M.

[BigCat]

Originally Posted by BigCat

I think that with yachts, only a superyacht would have to pay this.

A closer reading shows that the law requiring an exemption fee is apparently not applied to Canadian yachts, according to the Canadian post. I live in Washington State, and I sent an e-mail to my state representatives and sentor asking that something be done about exempting small yachts from other countries.

[jaga]

This is all so incredibly confusing for non-Americans trying to enter by 'yacht', and near impossible to get a consistent answer. I'm a yank but spent the winter (on my boat) in Victoria B.C. and had several marina neighbors very concerned about this, particularly those who were non-American or Canadian. One was told clearly by someone in U.S. Customs that it applied to all non-US yachts, while I asked on their behalf at the customs dock in Roche Harbor and they were totally unaware of it, just handing me the standard entry to the US by boat pamphlet (which makes no mention of the pilot fee) when I pressed.

Scot

- this is sort of off the original question and really deserves a thread of it's own.

[BigCat]

Originally Posted by jaga

This is all so incredibly confusing for non-Americans trying to enter by 'yacht', and near impossible to get a consistent answer. I'm a yank but spent the winter (on my boat) in Victoria B.C. and had several marina neighbors very concerned about this, particularly those who were non-American or Canadian. One was told clearly by someone in U.S. Customs that it applied to all non-US yachts, while I asked on their behalf at the customs dock in Roche Harbor and they were totally unaware of it, just handing me the standard entry to the US by boat pamphlet (which makes no mention of the pilot fee) when I pressed.

Scot

It is annoying, and I regret it. I wrote to my legislators, but I don't actually expect it to accomplish anything useful.

The law referred to is a Washington State law, and I don't know of any enforcement mechanism for it, which is appropriate, because it is completely idiotic. Clearing formalities are handled by Federal authorities, and they wouldn't have much interest in enforcing a state law.

In many countries, there is no real division between local and national enforcement, but in the US we have city, county, state, and federal levels of government, each with their own laws and enforcers: City police, county sheriffs, state troopers (usually patrolling highways,) and various federal enforcement agencies for different kinds of laws. On the water, you would be dealing at the federal level with the Coast Guard. All of the federal stuff has been reshuffled, with many enforcement agencies now part of the Department of Homeland Security. On salt water, you are usually dealing with the Coast Guard, if you aren't in a harbor with its own jurisdiction, which would normally be handled by city police in boats.