Au Citizen owning international registered boat

[Geoff409]

Hi

Looking for some advice. Am considering purchasing a panama registered catamaran currently lying in Malaysia

If I do not re-register in Australia and keep the boat SE Asia, can I sail Australian waters with a permit like another international yacht or will customs insist that I pay import duty as soon as I enter Australian waters?

Thanks
Geoff

[Wotname]

No idea; but possibly (probably?). A quick phone call to customs will resolve the issue

[David_Old_Jersey]

I am not Australian

But my understanding is that it depends on where you are resident (passport / citizenship being irrelevent - although it may confuse the issue with officialdom). If you are resident in Australia then will be getting a bill for importing as soon as officialdom discovers you (my guess is that sailing on the fringes of Australian waters might not count (might not) - but being anchored opposite Sydney Opera House probably would ).....and declaring in via Customs would.

If are resident elsewhere (Malaysia?), given you have an Aussie passport I suspect you would need your paperwork in order to prove that (you are genuinely resident elsewhere) when arriving in Australia to avoid officialdom thinking you were simply an Aussie resident Aussie taking the p#ss!

But I stand to be corrected by other folks (who likely do know better!).

[Ex-Calif]

My Australian brother bought a UK registered boat in Thailand. Here is how he proceeded.

- Survey completed in Thailand - Phuket
- Broker, owner and brother moved boat to Langkawi - Langkawi is a tax free zone in Malaysia - boat was "purchased" in Malaysia - No Thailand sales tax, Langkawi is tax free
- Boat was delisted in UK - A mail and paperwork exercise
- Boat was registered in Langkawi - Malaysia does not require residency or citizenship to register
- Plan was/is to eventually sail to Oz, import boat, pay taxes and VAT
- Boat, brother and spouse are still in Asia having a pretty good time

Some say taking a boat back to Oz is a fools mission.

You will pay 5% customs duty first on the customs value of the boat - (i.e. not what you paid but what they think it is worth)

Then you will pay 10% VAT on the sum of - Price actually paid + Cost of importing (whether shipped or costs of sailing it in from where purchased) + the duties (already paid, like tax on tax - ouch) = VAT

Here it is from the horses mouth - importing a yacht

In terms of registration I think this is a damning statement -

Ability to sail overseas

It is an offence for an Australian-owned vessel to sail for a foreign port unless it is registered in the Australian Register of Ships.
Note: vessels purchased overseas by Australians are also required to be registered before they sail for Australia or another foreign country.

In terms of boat registration the news from the gov is here - Brochure - Yachts, Cruisers and Fishing Boats

Technically an Aussie probably has to register the boat within the grace period which I think is 14 days and before sailing to a foreign port.

I could interpret this to say - Aussie buys in Langkawi. Before sailing to Phuket it must be Aussie registered.

In reality I think as long as the boat is out of Aussie waters there is not much they can do. When you get home I think the 14 day clock starts and you need to get sorted.

If they say, "Why didn't you register last year?" - I think they would have a hard time proving you didn't simply stay in Langkawi for a year...

[Ex-Calif]

Oh - PS.

That "Note - " above. Pretty hard to enforce. There are several Aussie owners of Singapore registered vessels here with no plans to take the boat back if/when they leave.

Following the rules and remote registering a boat that will never go to Oz is stupid.

In fact my brother may change his plans and sell his on. Registering in Oz remotely would be a stupid exercise.

[SimonV]

If you sail a boat that you own, into Oz and you are an Oz citizen then you must import the boat or you must remove it from Australian waters within 6 weeks.

[Wanderlust]

Originally Posted by SimonV

or you must remove it from Australian waters within 6 weeks.

I was not aware of that 6 week grace period and thought we would be stung the minute it arrived in Australian waters. Do you have a reference for it?

[Tobster]

Formal Importation

If you are an Australia citizen, permanent resident of Australia or migrating to Australia on a craft purchased outside Australia, importation of the craft is required. Customs duty and tax are payable on any craft imported into Australia upon its arrival.

information for yachts travelling to australia - your stay

[SimonV]

Originally Posted by Wanderlust

I was not aware of that 6 week grace period and thought we would be stung the minute it arrived in Australian waters. Do you have a reference for it?

Thanks Tobster, for answering the question for me. As for the 6 weeks that came from customs and a number of first person letters in various mags eg Cruising helsman and the Coastal Passage. You have to leave and it will be anytime within that 6 weeks.

[Tobster]

Originally Posted by SimonV

Thanks Tobster, for answering the question for me. As for the 6 weeks that came from customs and a number of first person letters in various mags eg Cruising helsman and the Coastal Passage. You have to leave and it will be anytime within that 6 weeks.

Yep, just parot speaking from the gov website, It always bothers me when it comes to bureaucracy as there often seems multiple interpretations are at hand.
I just dont see it and wonder why it would not be displayed on the Australian customs website when in context of Australian citizens entering on unregistered Australian vessels. But 6 weeks is good news if applicable, I would like to see the details as this would change the dynamics of popping back once and awhile for myself and others. Enough time to drop in see the family, repair n provision, catch up with friends, before sailing the coop back out to French Pol/Png or further afield, would be great ..

[SimonV]

Originally Posted by Tobster

Yep, just parot speaking from the gov website, It always bothers me when it comes to bureaucracy as there often seems multiple interpretations are at hand.
I just dont see it and wonder why it would not be displayed on the Australian customs website when in context of Australian citizens entering on unregistered Australian vessels. But 6 weeks is good news if applicable, I would like to see the details as this would change the dynamics of popping back once and awhile for myself and others. Enough time to drop in see the family, repair n provision, catch up with friends, before sailing the coop back out to French Pol/Png or further afield, would be great ..

I could not find my old documentation, so I called up a friend who fills out these forms, he informed me it is called a Temporary control Order the vessel can not be removed from the marina where it is first cleared in until it is cleared out of the country. Under some circumstances they may give permission for the vessel to be moved to a different marina If good cause is given eg Rivergate Marina is to expensive and the one up the bay is cheaper. And I can attest that they do check up on you every couple of days. .

[Tobster]

Originally Posted by SimonV

I could not find my old documentation, so I called up a friend who fills out these forms, he informed me it is called a Temporary control Order the vessel can not be removed from the marina where it is first cleared in until it is cleared out of the country. Under some circumstances they may give permission for the vessel to be moved to a different marina If good cause is given eg Rivergate Marina is to expensive and the one up the bay is cheaper. And I can attest that they do check up on you every couple of days. .

Cheers mate, that is worth looking into