Cruising Permit

[sailingduke1950]

I just (today) bought a US registered sailboat in Maryland and I plan to sail it to Canada to (cough) pay Taxes and then enjoy the boat.
Do I need a cruising permit to sail it through the US to Canada?
Do I have to report in at each state?

[Cheechako]

Generally you should be OK in transit. Keep your bill of sale with you. If the current registration is displayed on the vessel and is up to date, I doubt if you will attact any attention at all... I know of no requirement to check in.... in fact, I dont think any state agency would know what to do if you asked how to check in! Just my 2 cents worth....

[Hud3]

I know that foreign-flagged vessels need to obtain a cruising permit and also check in with Customs and Border Protection each time they travel to a new port. This has been a fairly recent development, but some boats have been hit with huge fines for not complying. See an article here. It sounds like your boat won't be "foreign flagged" until you reach Canada, so I'm not sure where that leaves you. I'd suggest that you go to the CBP website and find a phone number to call so that you can ask. Write down their name and badge number.

[Cheechako]

I stand corrected, first I've heard of it. I guess we wont be seeing all our Canadian friends down here in Puget Sound and the San Juans this summer! What a hassle..... I'm not even sure where or how they would do the checking in here.....

[Cheechako]

from the link: "Additionally, boats registered outside Canada or the U.S. must contact a local CBP office for a cruising license."
Evidently Canadians dont need the license anyway...

[GordMay]

No - As Hud suggested, your US registered sailboat will remain a US flagged vessel until you re-register it in Canada, thus not requiring a cruising permit whilst in US waters.
It’s a simple procedure to pre-arrange for Canadian registration. When you arrive home, CCRA will meet you at the dock, complete the paperwork, and demand payment (cheque).

Canadian vessels DO require a cruising permit in US waters!

[Cheechako]

I guess it's our gov't at work, confusing at best. What do you make of the "Additionally, boats registered outside Canada or the U.S. must contact a local CBP office for a cruising license."
statement?

[speciald@ocens.]

Not only foreign vessels have new regulations. When we arrived from Bermuda last month we called the coast Guard to report in as we always did in previous years. We have that little sticker that we buy each year. The boat was cleareed in with no problem or official visit to the boat but the entire crew was required to go to the closest Home Land Security office to clear immigration ( BWI airport ). Luckily we had a car. When we got there, the officers had never the procedure before ( must be a new procedure ) and it took over an hour to complete the clearance.

[alibaba.e]

I bought a boat in the US and was told by coast guard I did not need a permit unless I left US waters and returned. This was wrong. Customs demand you report to Customs as entering the country as soon as you are under a foreign flag even if you have not left the marina. Then you get a cruising permit from them for a maximum of one year and report each time you enter another port. It is important that you call as soon as you dock they don't take kindly for a delay such as overnight. They will give you the phone numbers of all your planed ports. Follow the rules and they will treat you very nice and are good people.

[Maggie-K]

I brought a boat back to Canada from Seattle last year , as it was not yet registered in Canada a cruising permit was not required. Canada customs did not require any advanced notice just a bill of sale , all they want is the tax money within 48 hours. Just returned from 3 weeks in Puget sound where we were treated wonderfully . Got my decal in advance threw the new DTOPS online https://dtops.cbp.dhs.gov/. checked in at the boarder no problem at all. They give a clearance # and I was away no other check in's required

[christmasisland]

It easy enough to search but quicker to click ...

Pleasure Boat Reporting Requirements - CBP.gov

Here is a link to a MS Word doc:

http://www.customs.gov/ImageCache/cg...asureboats.doc

A quick exerpt about Cruising Permits from the above doc:

"Cruising licenses exempt pleasure boats of certain countries from having to undergo formal entry and clearance procedures such as filing manifests and obtaining permits to proceed as well as from the payment of tonnage tax and entry and clearance fees at all but the first port of entry."

[Vasco]

The regulations are confusing and applied differently in different locations. The various bureaucracies are so large that uniform enforcement is beyond their capabilities. It has been this way since I first started sailing south many years ago. Since nine eleven enforcement has increased and the authorities are slowly getting their act together. This year, for the first time, we saw go-fast customs boats that came out into the offshore waters to check on sailboats. They did not board us but came close and did a computer check on us ( I think). Then they sped off to look at another boat.