Florida change of ownership costs and taxes for a non-resident and citizen.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by mabowers

At purchase you can file an "affadavit for exemption of boat sold for removal from the State of Florida by a nonresident purchaser". Whew... which may take the record for longest legal form name. You have 90 days from date of sale to prove the boat is out of state.

While this is probably useful information for some people, it is completely irrelevant to the OP. The boat is not in Florida, and he is not planning to take it there.


To the OP... Forget about Florida. The fact that it is currently registered in Florida is completely irrelevant to your situation. As has been mentioned, you need to dig into the laws in the DR concerning boat sales. Unfortunately, I cannot help you with that, though I'm sure a few minutes of googling would turn up more information than you ever wanted.

[pcmm]

You definitely want to look into this. A quick google reveals that the sales tax in the DR is 18%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Going Gaugain]

I just purchased boat in Florida. No sales tax. Moving it to Rhode Island. You won't owe Florida anything.

[hellosailor]

Note to the OP:
Whoever told you the boat is "flagged" in Florida is wrong. Like most of the US, Florida is a semi-sovereign State, part of our national Republic.
But it is not a nation state, like France or Australia, and you cannot "flag" a boat in Florida. You can obtain a state registration and a state title--but that also does not tell you if a lien has been placed on the boat outside of Florida.
In the US a vessel can have what is confusingly called "Coast Guard registration" but that is almost always called federal DOCUMENTATION, not registration, to emphasize the difference between state and national papers.

None of that will make any difference in taxes--but if the boat only has state registration, you want to make doubly certain there is proper title insurance on the boat and no outstanding liens are on it. You may also have problems registering or flagging the boat with Australia or wherever you do plan to file ownership status, as different parties may require a notarized bill of sale, or at least a signed one, and a boat without proper paperwork can get tied up in limbo for months if not years.

If the seller/broker cannot tell you the exact status of the boat (registered versus documented, last formal title holder available to sign over the papers, etc.) then walk away from the sale, something is not right. If it is just a language barrier...I'd want to find two competent translators, or let the seller be responsible for that.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by pcmm

You definitely want to look into this. A quick google reveals that the sales tax in the DR is 18%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Which is probably why he's asking about Florida, though it shows a certain lack of understanding of the process.

Another question the buyer may be asking is about registration in Florida. Many boats that travel internationally are "Documented", which is to say that the boat is titled with the Coast Guard.

Would also be helpful to know if the boat is documented, as the buyer needs to make sure there is a valid title on the part of the seller.

[john61ct]

Round and round.

Relevant thread http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/....php?p=2877788

[jmschmidt]

If documented this Australian citizen cannot be the owner of this boat. He can cancel the USCG documentation and proceed with the existing Florida state registration.

[john61ct]

Again, not relevant if the boat's never going to be in Florida, OP has not stated any intention of going to the states at all.

Yes non-citizens need to "un-document" from US CG.

But it seems he is free to transfer ownership register / flag / pay tax wherever he finds works best for him, given his plans.

About which we have no idea.

[PuttingDoctor]

As a side note on the DR sales tax. I would suggest you investigate doing the sale and registration off shore in Grand Cayman. The Caymans are a widely used registration/documentation for larger vessels avoiding taxes elsewhere.
You could also register in Canada. No sales tax due there until you land there. My current and former boats are Canadian registered and will never see Canadian waters.
All the above and former comments not withstanding I strongly suggest engaging a documentation agent to work on your behalf. It will be money well spent just as is a survey.

[Viajero]

I think your biggest problem will be the Dominican Republic. First you need to know if the boat was properly imported into DR. My guess is that it was not. If not you will probably not be allowed to buy it until that is done. Import duties will probably run 30% with all costs and bribes running over 50% of what they decide the boat is worth. You are completely at the mercy of the local comandante who will probably impose his own fees. You can’t leave harbor without his permission and proper clearance. In the past boats that tried to leave without permission were chased by helicopter and gunship and forcibly returned and the captain jailed. I think your best bet if possible is to get the current owner to clear out of DR and do the purchase in Puerto Rico.