Importing boat from US to Canada

[wedivebc]

Next week I take possession of my HR Rasmus 35. It was owned by a friend who wanted very much for me to have it so it was sold at a price I could not refuse.
It lives in the US (Friday Harbour) and we will be sailing it north, making a stop at Sidney BC customs dock. Our timing will be tight and in order to expedite the import process I want to be sure to have all the correct documents and papers on hand to present at the border. The present owner will be sailing up with us so that will likely help.
Is anyone here familiar with this process and can maybe offer some pointers to a trouble free import?

[DeepFrz]

I hope this link will help.
https://canadianvesselregistry.ca/ho...l-into-canada/

[deblen]

Get your paperwork done fast.
Sailboats & other recreational boats are listed in the proposed tariffs on US goods-(effective July 1? )


https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/...zzas-and-pens/


Len

[wedivebc]

Originally Posted by deblen

Get your paperwork done fast.
Sailboats & other recreational boats are listed in the proposed tariffs on US goods-(effective July 1? )


https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/...zzas-and-pens/


Len

Thanks but won't be a problem, my boat is made in Sweden so I would be paying import duty anyway as only US and Mexican made boats were exempt under NAFTA.

[Uricanejack]

Did the exact same thing a few years ago. Done it twice.
Bill of sale. proof of what you paid. I bought my boat through a broker so no further questions other than a comment I got a surprisingly good deal.

First time I went to canoe cove.
2nd time the, dock at the Sydey town marina.
Used the phone to call customs, I had to explain it was boats first time into Canada and I was declaring it.
They showed up about an hor later I had to wait until they had dealt with a flight arriving at Victoria airport.
They come inspected boat the bill of sale was inspected. Value calculated in Canadian dollars.

Boats built in N. America no import duty.
There is no GST.
Just PST which is 12 percent for used cars or sailboats.
you can pay by cash credit debit or cheque.

Make a note in the log and keep the receipt from customs. when I went to register the boat in BC. I got sent a bill for the same PST. I sent a copy of customs receipt. Problem sorted.

If your boat was built outside NA you will be subject to import duty and PST

[Stu Jackson]

To determine the value of our boat, which we've had for 20 years, we got "comps" of boat ads to show, showed three, picked the middle value.


Even with a recent bill of sale, you might want to find some low comps that match what you paid for it; some CBSA folks are knowledgeable about boats, specially with your really good deal.


The Sidney customs dock is a small nightmare. You may want to try Tsehum Van Isle, much easier and more space, same telephone call.


We imported our US boat in March this year, did it in the office in Nanaimo. Did pay tax, NAFTA has nothing to do with it. Of course, out of NA is different.



Good luck, by and large they are friendly helpful officers.

[wedivebc]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

To determine the value of our boat, which we've had for 20 years, we got "comps" of boat ads to show, showed three, picked the middle value.


Even with a recent bill of sale, you might want to find some low comps that match what you paid for it; some CBSA folks are knowledgeable about boats, specially with your really good deal.


The Sidney customs dock is a small nightmare. You may want to try Tsehum Van Isle, much easier and more space, same telephone call.


We imported our US boat in March this year, did it in the office in Nanaimo. Did pay tax, NAFTA has nothing to do with it. Of course, out of NA is different.



Good luck, by and large they are friendly helpful officers.

The boat will live in Nanoose so Nanaimo would be convenient. If I am bringing the boat across from the US how can I sail it for 2 days in Canadian waters without registering it? It will take 3 days to get her home with Dodd Narrow tides but we were planning an overnight in Nanaimo on day 2

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by wedivebc

The boat will live in Nanoose so Nanaimo would be convenient. If I am bringing the boat across from the US how can I sail it for 2 days in Canadian waters without registering it? It will take 3 days to get her home with Dodd Narrow tides but we were planning an overnight in Nanaimo on day 2

Check in at Bedwell, Sidney or Tsehum, altho Bedwell would be easier from Friday. You HAVE clear in first anyway, and just be a visitor. When you get to Nanaimo go to the Customs dock there. Tell them you just came in and want to import. It's actually easier for them since they're right there, whereas all the other three are phone-in stations (even Bedwell that has an office with real staff!). They do airport duty from Nanaimo, too, and the day we went they were out from 1300 to 1500!!!


You should also consider the differences between licensing by province and registration Federal, your boat, your choice. Those are separate from CBSA, who take your import tax, these guys: Importing marine pleasure craft


I licensed first in BC (decided not to register) and imported later. I do not believe they are concerned one way or the other. Just tell them your plans. It takes time to get the boat registered anyway, more than licensing. Visitor Information - Transport Canada





Good luck.

[roland stockham]

I would call customs and let them know what you are doing before hand. They will be able to advise you on exactly what they need and what the procedure will be as well as any recent changes. They may also have a preferred port.

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by Uricanejack

Did the exact same thing a few years ago. Done it twice.
Bill of sale. proof of what you paid. I bought my boat through a broker so no further questions other than a comment I got a surprisingly good deal.

First time I went to canoe cove.
2nd time the, dock at the Sydey town marina.
Used the phone to call customs, I had to explain it was boats first time into Canada and I was declaring it.
They showed up about an hor later I had to wait until they had dealt with a flight arriving at Victoria airport.
They come inspected boat the bill of sale was inspected. Value calculated in Canadian dollars.

Boats built in N. America no import duty.
There is no GST.
Just PST which is 12 percent for used cars or sailboats.
you can pay by cash credit debit or cheque.

Make a note in the log and keep the receipt from customs. when I went to register the boat in BC. I got sent a bill for the same PST. I sent a copy of customs receipt. Problem sorted.

If your boat was built outside NA you will be subject to import duty and PST

PST is 7% and GST is 5% for a total of 12%. You paid both.

[nightowle]

If you clear customs at Van Isle marina, be cautious of submerged rocks near the customs dock.

[PrairieSkipper]

I did the same thing last year with my boat and wrote about the experience on a similar thread (Importing an American registered French made boat to Canada - Page 2 - Cruisers & Sailing Forums). That should help a bit.
You or the current owner need to apply to the USCG to have the boat deleted from its register. This is a prerequisite to a registration with Transport Canada. The whole process took me 3 months (The selling broker arranged for the USCG deletion (took 3 1/2 weeks) and I made the TC application - I forgot one signature on the series of TC application documents that caused me 2 weeks delay). The lack of a USCG deletion will limit your legal (perhaps not your practical) rights to use the boat until the TC registration is in effect. You can get a TC license within a day that could be a temporary workaround until the TC registration is in effect.
To save you some money, you should ask the vendor to break the sale into 2 parts and give you 2 receipts that you can present to Canadian customs. The first is for the boat alone and whatever is still attached to it that originally came from Sweden. The second receipt should be for everything else that was part of the sale. This might include sails, a dinghy, dishes, safety equipment, etc. The idea here is that the boat is subject to a 9.5% import duty as a non-NAFTA vessel. Presumably, everything else was procured in the USA and should be exempt from the duty, although you would still pay GST and HST on that part, as well as the boat
BTW, I am still in the middle of a convoluted appeal to the Canada Border Services Agency on how they applied the duty on my import..
Hope this helps.

[Mike OReilly]

We did exactly the same thing with our current boat. American made, bought in the USA, imported by us into Canada.

Process was pretty easy, as others have already outlined. Make sure you have a proper bill of sale. If you’re getting a deal too good to be true the customs folk might question it. Try to make it reasonable.

Be sure to un-document the boat in the USA first. We received a formal certificate stating this was done. CND border folks actually didn’t ask about this, so may not be an issue until you license or register the boat here in Canada.

Hit the border. You must clear in at the first point of entry. You definitely cannot should not sail for two days without clearing in. I think you’ll have to import the boat as you clear in at the first point. In BC you’ll pay PST and GST, plus 9.5% duty on non-NAFTA boats (but after July 1st I guess it will be 10% on all American-made boats as well).

Like I say, we found the process to be pretty easy, just a bit financially painful.

[nightowle]

I may be missing something here. I understand that a sales and/or excise tax would need to be paid for the purchase of the boat, whether that be in the US or Canada. But why would there be duty owed again if the boat was already imported to the US (with duty paid at that time) and he's taking it to Canada before July?

[PrairieSkipper]

I have argued this very issue directly with the CBSA and learned that logic and fairness simply do not apply. This is a link to the CBSA's classification codes for imported boats: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/trade-co.../ch89-eng.html
There is no evidence in there that real life situations, never mind fairness was involved in the crafting.