ATTN: Canadians - You now NEED a cruising permit to enter the US

[adlib2]

Originally Posted by alctel

New thing for 2016 - they also said I didn't need my customs decal anymore (after I'd paid for it a few days ago - 40 CAD I won't be getting back )

I am a member of the SVRS program so I can usually just call in from the water and avoid having to go to a port of entry, but this time I had to go into Friday Harbour, where I spent 90 minutes while the customs people figured out the forms needed (I guess I am one of the first Canadians to enter there this year)

So if you go to the US - be aware you now need a cruising permit (Before, Canadians were exempt)

When I entered the US in 2006 to sail south I obtained a Cruising Permit. It had expired by the time I arrived in San Juan, PR and obtained another. USCG tells me I need another as I'm back in the US.
Nothing appears to have changed for me.

[adlib2]

Originally Posted by alctel

New thing for 2016 - they also said I didn't need my customs decal anymore (after I'd paid for it a few days ago - 40 CAD I won't be getting back )

I am a member of the SVRS program so I can usually just call in from the water and avoid having to go to a port of entry, but this time I had to go into Friday Harbour, where I spent 90 minutes while the customs people figured out the forms needed (I guess I am one of the first Canadians to enter there this year)

So if you go to the US - be aware you now need a cruising permit (Before, Canadians were exempt)

The Plot Thickens: Just phoned CBP and was advised I need a Customs Decal before obtaining a Cruising Permit; however, I only need a Permit to move my vessel. Staying put I'm legal, one I move I need permission.
I'm changing my Marina next month from JAX to St.Augustine, 38 miles away and need a permit and permission to do so.
They have a File on me dating back many years.

[alctel]

Originally Posted by adlib2

The Plot Thickens: Just phoned CBP and was advised I need a Customs Decal before obtaining a Cruising Permit.

Hahaha wow! Maybe I did need the decal then?

[hamburking]

Very little info in that article.

Do the new rules apply only to the west coast?

I've heard nothing about this on the great lakes.

I guess I'll find out this summer, when I cross over to the states to fill up on cheap fuel, food, booze and beer. Plus now I have to go to the US to visit west marine. I won't buy anything there, just like to visit.

[BobH260]

Originally Posted by PappysSailing

Question for anyone with experience in deletion/ transfer of Canadian registry of vessels. American friend buying a Canadian flagged boat in Martinique this week. I meet him this weekend for return. U.S. National Doc Center is backed up four months for processing U.S. Doc requests. So, his plan is either (if he is ok w survey) we take orig Canadian document and new bill of sale with us (if we can clear Martinique with those), fly a Can flag into San Juan where we make entry into U.S. and ask for a cruising license. Or we try to get a temp endorsement from Consulate in Martinique, or more likely Barbados (way out of the way) under U.S. Code 46 12115 provision, which makes it easier for us to make landfall in foreign ports and into U.S. ports along the way, after still making formal entry in San Juan ...I guess? CBP attorney is unwilling to speculate on how we will be handled in foreign ports under these plans. Either no response from any of the French Embassies, consulates, or their custom people or we play ping pong by being directed to multiple non answered numbers or email addresses.
Question 1. Do either of the two plans above sound right? 2. How long does it normally take for Canadian registration/documentation of their vessels to be deleted? Any advice from experience here is welcome. Thanks, Pappy

You are a bit off the topic here but I'll try to tell you our experience.
We are Canadian, we bought a US documented vessel in the US. We applied to have the US documentation dropped so we could get it documented in Canada.
The US customs officers advised us that at that point we were an undocumented Canadian vessel. We should stay in port until our documentation was completed and then ask for a US cruising permit. Or we could ask and pay for for a "permission to proceed" each time the boat was moved.
The correct procedure in these matters usually varies with the customs officer asked.
You might be able to speed the whole documentation process up by using a good documentation company, there are several in Miami and Ft Lauderdale.

Bob

[Seymore]

Originally Posted by jackdale

We always called the customs decal cruising permits.

The US DTOPS customs decal is an empty tax. President Ronald Reagan wanted to raise some money for a project and started it, a tax on US vehicles, trucks and planes crossing the borders. It's not a permit for anything, it gives no privileges, and it's supposed to be applied only to Americans. Canadians are not supposed to be made to get the decal and pay the tax, but US ustoms doesn't seem to understand this, and forces them to do so.

[Sunsetrider]

I cruise the 1000 Islands every weekend from Canada and frequently pull ashore Stateside for one reason or another. Telephone report on the US side and then again on returning to Gananoque. Need to have passport or Nexus card handy of course. Has this procedure changed now? We never had to have a custom sticker or anything else!

[Ziggy]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

I just started to wade into this, but as a US citizen planning to visit Canada.

Confusing doesn't begin to cover it! Not sure if I need a DTOPS sticker, LBO card, SVRS registration, NEXUS card, or what.

Clearing back into the US is my bigger concern. I very likely won't be able to hit one of the official ports of entry in the first 24 hours, so I'd very much like to be able to get cleared with just a phone call.

Filing an SVRS float plan does not guarantee that you will be cleared with a phone call. The CBP may clear you in by phone, but they also may direct you to a Port of Entry for inspection, at their discretion.

[foojin]

Originally Posted by Sunsetrider

We never had to have a custom sticker or anything else!

You will if you get a boat over 30'.

[Sailorbob8599]

Originally Posted by foojin

You will if you get a boat over 30'.

Not OVER 30' but 30' and OVER ... just to make things clear ... But does that include Bowsprit and Boomkin? ... If so, I need to take an inch or two off one or the other to get the OAL of my boat under 30'

[Volkeno]

Originally Posted by PappysSailing

Question for anyone with experience in deletion/ transfer of Canadian registry of vessels. American friend buying a Canadian flagged boat in Martinique this week. I meet him this weekend for return. U.S. National Doc Center is backed up four months for processing U.S. Doc requests. So, his plan is either (if he is ok w survey) we take orig Canadian document and new bill of sale with us (if we can clear Martinique with those), fly a Can flag into San Juan where we make entry into U.S. and ask for a cruising license. Or we try to get a temp endorsement from Consulate in Martinique, or more likely Barbados (way out of the way) under U.S. Code 46 12115 provision, which makes it easier for us to make landfall in foreign ports and into U.S. ports along the way, after still making formal entry in San Juan ...I guess? CBP attorney is unwilling to speculate on how we will be handled in foreign ports under these plans. Either no response from any of the French Embassies, consulates, or their custom people or we play ping pong by being directed to multiple non answered numbers or email addresses.
Question 1. Do either of the two plans above sound right? 2. How long does it normally take for Canadian registration/documentation of their vessels to be deleted? Any advice from experience here is welcome. Thanks, Pappy

I bought a Canadian boat last summer and brought it into the US and the customs people impounded it and made me hire a customs broker who filled out a few forms and got the boat released the next day. I had to pay the brokers fee although if the customs people had just given me the forms I could have filled them out and saved a few hundred dollars.
If the boat was built in the US or Canada, you could avoid an import duty. My boat was built in Sweden so I had to pay. Although I found out later that the boat was titled in the US before it went to Canada, so maybe I could have avoided that fee. Altogether it was about $500 for everything, but the import duty is based on the price of the boat.
You will need an original bill of sale, and a title ( I think the Canadian insurance might count for that.)
Then when you get to the Customs dock be prepared for them to not know what to do and have to look it up and for confusion to ensue until they figure out what they want.
Mostly have some patience since it might go smoothly, but it might not. I would say it's better to see if you can find out which customs ports handle people importing boats so it might go better than if it's the first time that they go through the process. Get a list of customs brokers and use a port close to them. If the sale is handled at a yacht broker rather than a private sale, they may be able to smooth out many of the bumps as well.

[groundtackle]

Originally Posted by reed1v

Well its about time. Canadians are not very cleaver about controlling their immigration into the US, nor about terrorists using Canada as a hopping off point(9-11). Nice folks, but should be treated like any other foreigner.

So far as I know the myth that some 9-11 terrorist came through or from Canada has been completely debunked and proven false. In spite of this some people including some American politicians continue to make the uniformed comment that some of these terrorists did come from Canada. America has lots of home grown terrorists and undoubtedly some have come from Canada too; but one of the 9-11 group did.

Try researching this a little before making comments that have already been repeated so many times with no basis in actual fact.

Respectfully
Nick


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[groundtackle]

Sorry typo
"but none of the 9-11 group did."


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Smokeys Kitchen]

Originally Posted by reed1v

Well its about time. Canadians are not very cleaver about controlling their immigration into the US, nor about terrorists using Canada as a hopping off point(9-11). Nice folks, but should be treated like any other foreigner.

I think the Canadians are pretty clever, and treat people coming into their country very nicely. I for one, plan on continuing to sail in Canadian waters as long as I can. Conversely I purchased my boat in Canada and had a straightforward, short, and very easy import into the US. All the marine ports of entry that I have used for the US and Canada have been friendly and efficient. We have found that any prior notice you can give (ie. calling ahead to make sure someone is on duty) helps a great deal.

[adlib2]

Originally Posted by reed1v

Well its about time. Canadians are not very cleaver about controlling their immigration into the US, nor about terrorists using Canada as a hopping off point(9-11). Nice folks, but should be treated like any other foreigner.

I've been listening to this BS since 9/11. Usually I ignore it, but this Site is special and I don't want uninformed comment to propagate.
All those terrorists involved with 9/11 were homegrown in the US; however, much you'd like to think otherwise.

Problem with the world is the ignorant are cocksure and the intelligent full of doubt.
~Sir Bernard Shaw~