Buying in USA

[rach]

Hi all,
I hope I'm posting this in the right section, I am thinking of buying a 40 to 46ft yacht in the USA. I have researched the possibility of buying here in Europe but I just can't find what I'm looking for.
My intention is to buy to live aboard and do some long distance cruising, the type of boat I'm looking for is a 70's or 80's long keeler like a Island Trader or similar.
with a boat that age I want to do a complete refit to get the boat to a good spec and to meet my needs, so what I am asking is what are the rules for staying in the USA while I live aboard and do the refit, I will need more then the 90 visa, I'm looking at wanting to stay in the USA for about a year while I do this.
I've looked at the US embassy web site and all I can find is notes about a 90 day duration. any one out there who has done this before.

thanks in advance and kindest regards Rachel.

[DrewT]

People admitted to the United States on a B2 Tourist Visa are usually issued a 6-month stay. The maximum length of stay for visitor visa holders is 6 months. The immigration officer at the port of entry determines how long each visitor is allowed to stay in the country.

The other side to that story is, if you're not causing problems, people will generally not ask you for your ID and won't care. A foreigner who is contributing to the local economy and not breaking the law is always welcome.

What about buying the boat, fixing it up for 6 months and moving it another country for a few months, like the Bahamas or Canada? Spend the last 6 months there.

[valhalla360]

Legitimate visitors get hammered if they break the rules. It's only if you want to stay illegally that they seem to ignore you but that presumes you plan to stay permanently. Reality is if you have assets and are flying in and out, they will likely flag you and not let you back in if you are illegal.


If you buy in Florida or the Great Lakes, it gives you options to get out of the country easily to reset the visa clock (Canada or Bahamas).


I'm not sure with boats that old but check into the CE requirements if you plan to eventually make it back to Europe. I know newer boats need to be CE certified and that can be impractical if not originally CE certified. It may be that really old boats are exempt but check ahead of time.

[savoir]

B2 visa for 6 months is the way to go. You will need a few passport photos, pay USD160 and will have to attend a US consulate for an interview. Apart from that they are easy to get. Details here
https://travel.state.gov/content/vis...t/visitor.html

The US has 7 consulates in France so one should suit.


After you buy don't forget that many states have boat taxes so you will need a plan for that. Typically you get 30-90 days to leave the state or pay up. The tax guys really do walk the docks looking for offenders and only care about the boat not your visa.

[rach]

thanks for the info guys, Savoir is that 90 days from the date you purchase the boat and at what % is it charged.

regards Rach

[Cheechako]

Re , the 90 days: It just depends on the state. While I hear some
"walk the docks" there are many instances of no one looking that hard. I wonder what the situation is for a non US owner, yacht in transit and under repair?
I doubt the big boys having their 150 ft yacht refit in a US yard that is registered in Timbuktu are paying tax on a multi million $ yacht......
If your refit includes yard time, I have also heard they don't count that for the 90 days allowance. (?)
The boat you want may be in a French island in the Caribe though!

[savoir]

The states are all different both in their tax rates and their tax rules. For all of them the clock starts on the day of purchase and that means final payment not the date of the contract. They also differ in their boat tax %. eg Florida charges a one off 6% while New York charges a smaller amount each year. Being a foreign person makes no difference. The tax people follow the boat not the owner.

Once you register in a foreign country you can enter the US with a cruising permit and the boat can stay for 1 year without tax liability. The owner still only gets 6 months.

[savoir]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Re , the 90 days: It just depends on the state. While I hear some
"walk the docks" there are many instances of no one looking that hard. I wonder what the situation is for a non US owner, yacht in transit and under repair?
I doubt the big boys having their 150 ft yacht refit in a US yard that is registered in Timbuktu are paying tax on a multi million $ yacht......
If your refit includes yard time, I have also heard they don't count that for the 90 days allowance. (?)
The boat you want may be in a French island in the Caribe though!

States with high boat taxes have inspectors all over the place. I have never seen them in RI but in California they were regular visitors.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by savoir

States with high boat taxes have inspectors all over the place. I have never seen them in RI but in California they were regular visitors.

Yes CA is definitely one to avoid. I know someone () who bought in Florida. after deciding to keep the boat there 7 months later he registered the boat there. The boat had been "out of state for repair" during that time. Minimal fees were involved.
Also several boats that were for sale in FL were there a lengthy time with no tax or registration.

[rach]

thanks for all the help but I've got a bad feeling that my house sale may not happen now, due to the brexit referendum.
it was going to be bought by folk from England but it's getting complicated, it would seem that the british are backing out of buying in France until all this mess is sorted out.
regards Rach

[savoir]

It's all Donald Trump's fault. I read about it in the New York times so it must be true.