British buying US boat and never taking boat to the UK

[st.matthewsmith]

I plan to come to the US in October this year to buy a SS34.

My plan is to spend a few months in the US before heading to Mexico. I need some advice about if i need to register the boat in the UK even if i never plan on taking the boat there?

I dont mind paying sales tax.

Whats involved with changing the flag of my boat? And could i cruise with a US flag? Would it make my cruising life difficult?

Thank you so much for your time.

Matt

[atoll]

all you need is a deletion certificate from the us registry,and a bill of sale to register for part 3 of the uk small ships registration,costs £25 and takes 10 days or so to process.
no need to pay vat untill the vessel enters the eu.

i belive you need to be a us citizen to keep the us flag

Registering your pleasure craft | nidirect

[David_Old_Jersey]

A few threads on this subject already (so worth a search) - but IIRC, Atoll is right - need to be a US citizen to have a US flag (USCG Documented is their term) but you could get State Registration. the downside to that is as not a national register that acceptability may well expire the further you travel from the US backyard - upside is that the boat won't be "foreign" (in the US)and therefore subject to the same rules as if you had arrived from UK on own keel - but I think you can get a (1 year?) crusing permit for your foreign reg boat easily enough. Your Visa status is of course different to the boat, no matter how it is registered.

One thing to bear in mind if you use a US reg is that they like their rules! - including on equipment fitted onboard. As a foreign reg boat you are governed primarily by the requirements of own flag (and with SSR that basically zero!) - of course that does not mean you are exempt from following local US laws, especially on stuff like head discharge (the US seems to be very keen on regulating how folks poop).

I would go for the UK SSR (Part 3) - cheap and easy and boat don't need to visit the UK (nor pay VAT - that only happens if it arrives in the UK / EU). Will just need to delist from whatever US registry (USCG or State) the boat is on, not to get on the SSR (what they don't know they don't care about) but to ensure that no complications by having dual registration. Unlike the US registrations the UK SSR is not proof of ownership - so make sure you get a Bill of Sale.

Sales tax in the US sounds wildly complicated! - the rules seem to vary by State, I will let someone else tackle that one!

[Richard_W]

If you take the boat out of state where purchased, to other state or to other country, you do not pay state sales tax ... usually. The details vary by the state, so you need to inquire in the state where the boat is being purchased.

When you register the boat with some other state, you might be required to pay sales tax in that other state ... depends on many factors, including your residency status. Again, you will have to inquire in that state.

[boatman61]

I bought a Hunter C37 in N. Carolina... there was no tax.. the deal was done in the owners bank with the BM as witness to the deal... I used a UK Maritime Bill of Sale.. so much better than the A4 scribble I'd been presented with..
For de-reg etc I went to Morehead City and saw the Customs folk there.. filled in the forms and paid the fee's... 2 weeks later return and collect clearance and cruising permit.
Meanwhile I registered the boat on the SSR and hoisted the 'Duster'..
Folk are in the main really nice and helpful.. once you get the otherside of the airline check-out...

But... like the 1st person you meet in the morning.. it can make or break your stay..

[captmikecoin]

When I bought my yacht in similar circumstances last year I had to fill in the form attached to avoid Maryland sales tax. I naturally put an EU country, I forget which, as the future location. Fortunately the broker handled all the deregistration as it proved to be long winded because of an outstanding mortgage.

Mike

[s/v Moondancer]

We are Brits with a UK SSR registered boat sailing the US on a year long US cruising certificate You get the Brit SSR registration on the Internet for 25 quid. You do need a UK address for them to send the certificate to. Our boat has never been to the UK and had a Caribbean registration.

Providing you get the boat out of the state of purchase fairly quickly you will not owe sales tax. The time line is usually 30-90 days depending on the state.

Entering Mexico directly from the US can be problematic and you need to get US custom's form 1300 from the Internet. The following article covers the possible problems.

Heading USA to Mexico? Important Information — Noonsite

If you need more information about cruising the US, Mexico or the Caribbean send me a private message

Phil

[Kettlewell]

All good info. above. I would just like to repeat the reminder that all 50 states in the USA have different regulations on these things. You need to research the particular rules in the state in which you are purchasing. Also, if the boat was U.S. Coast Guard documented (which is not the same as state registration), the previous owner has to remove it from documentation. It is important to have that done while you are in close contact with the owner--often the broker will help you take care of that.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by s/v Moondancer

We are Brits with a UK SSR registered boat sailing the US on a year long US cruising certificate You get the Brit SSR registration on the Internet for 25 quid. You do need a UK address for them to send the certificate to. Our boat has never been to the UK and had a Caribbean registration.

Providing you get the boat out of the state of purchase fairly quickly you will not owe sales tax. The time line is usually 30-90 days depending on the state.

Entering Mexico directly from the US can be problematic and you need to get US custom's form 1300 from the Internet. The following article covers the possible problems.

Heading USA to Mexico? Important Information — Noonsite

If you need more information about cruising the US, Mexico or the Caribbean send me a private message

Phil

Nice one Phil..

[st.matthewsmith]

THANKS FOR ALL YOU HELP. I have just been sailing in SE asia and Myanmar and in the maldives now so questions please