Buying a boat outside the US and bringing it home

[Mirror16]

I am a US citizen and resident. If I buy a yacht outside the country and bring it back to the States, do I have to pay a US sales tax or some kind of federal import duty?

[Paul L]

Is it a US registered boat? Do you plan to US document it?

[dlymn]

If it's from Europe, read up about 110v vs 220v and metric threads and chandlery

[Mirror16]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Is it a US registered boat? Do you plan to US document it?

Actually I don't have a specific boat in mind; just looking and considering associated costs. I suppose I'd have to document/register it somewhere? But the customs form that everyone has to fill out on entering the US (by any mode of transportation, from anywhere) ask the value of any items purchased overseas and being brought into the country - for the purposes of determining import duty. Wouldn't the value of my boat that I arrived on apply to this, regardless of anything else? Or does the boat's place of registry at the time of its overseas purchase make a difference to this?

[denverd0n]

If the boat has never been imported to the United States before, then you have to pay import duty. This is only due once during the life of the boat. So if it was originally manufactured on the U.S., or if a previous owner imported it to the U.S. and then moved it back out, you won't have to pay it.

[mako]

If I recall correctly the import duty for boat is only a few percent. Also you might think about purchasing a European A+++ refrig/freezer before you leave since they're alot more efficient than American appliances, Danfoss compressors, etc.. Keep your 230V/50hz system also. You can always install a second 110v system side by side.

[redhead]

We bought our boat (Canadian built and registered) and brought it into the US. We had to pay import duty (somewhere in the back of my head I think Washington State called it a sales tax, but I may be wrong). We had to have documentation that it was "decommissioned/un-registered" in Canada and present that in order to have it registered here.

A fairly simple process. Of course, the degree of difficulty might vary depending on country of origin. Hope this helps, good luck!

[Gedoyon]

I just did it. Bought a French boat. Someone has already talked about import duty. It's about 10% of the purchase price. i used a service to handle the deflagging and reflagging as well as USCG documentation. t's only paid once. If you are cruising and not staying in any state for long periods of time (typically more than three months) you won't need to register with any state. I kept the 220/50 and installed a phase transformer. If I go to a marina I can plug in anywhere in the world. Hope this helps.

[mako]

Originally Posted by Gedoyon

I just did it. Bought a French boat. Someone has already talked about import duty. It's about 10% of the purchase price.

Why so high? Per CBP:

"Rates of Duty: Pleasure boats are generally dutiable when imported into the United States. The following duty rates apply to boats imported for recreational purposes:

-Sailboats and motorboats other than outboard motorboats: 1.5 percent"

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/det...-into-the-u.s.

[sailguy98245]

It sounds like there is some confusion about import duty vs sales and use tax. Import duties are levied by the federal government. Sales and use tax is charged by the state and is due if you keep the boat in the state for a specific period of time, usually 3-6 months.

[Lepke]

My current boat was Canadian registered, but originally built in the US. The total cost of entry was $12. My residence of record is in a no sales tax state, so no tax.
When you enter, call ahead with the arrival date. The customs people like to know. Canadian registration was all screwed up, wrong builder, build date, etc. and I entered with a wad of papers and was still in the process of getting correcting documents. Custom agent appeared pleased he knew in advance of the entry and problems. He even filled out the papers, collected 12 bucks, and sent me on my way in about 5 minutes.

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by redhead

We bought our boat (Canadian built and registered) and brought it into the US. We had to pay import duty (somewhere in the back of my head I think Washington State called it a sales tax, but I may be wrong). We had to have documentation that it was "decommissioned/un-registered" in Canada and present that in order to have it registered here.

A fairly simple process. Of course, the degree of difficulty might vary depending on country of origin. Hope this helps, good luck!

Since that tax you mention was for the state, it was almost certainly a sales tax (or a type of equivalent) mot an import duty. There is a difference between import duties and sales tax in the USA. At present there are no Federal (US government) sales taxes, but most states do have them. I have never imported a boat, so I will leave the question of import duties to others. BTW, among the US states that have sales taxes, there are significant variations as to what may be taxed, and the tax percentage.

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by makobuilders

Why so high? Per CBP:

"Rates of Duty: Pleasure boats are generally dutiable when imported into the United States. The following duty rates apply to boats imported for recreational purposes:

-Sailboats and motorboats other than outboard motorboats: 1.5 percent"

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/det...-into-the-u.s.

The OP, and anyone considering importing a boat, needs to visit and read the link in the quoted post. While the import duty (tariff) is fairly low, a potential obstacle/significant expense is the engine and the EPA. I'd never thought about the latter before.

[StevenP]

Please pardon the naive question! In this case, is import duty the same as VAT?

If I were to buy a VAT not paid boat from Europe, would the previously mentioned 1.5% tax be it?

Thanks.

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by StevenP

Please pardon the naive question! In this case, is import duty the same as VAT?

If I were to buy a VAT not paid boat from Europe, would the previously mentioned 1.5% tax be it?

Thanks.

VAT is similar (but not identical) to a sales or use tax, and I believe you are talking about a situation where the VAT is waived because the boat is being exported to a non-EU country.

Assuming your new boat met EPA regulations and was allowed to be imported to the USA, it seems the answer is, yes. BUT, note there are weasel words on the previously mentioned website reached by the previously cited link. The website also has a provision for you to ask a specific question from the people that know or should know. I'd ask, providing a full description of the proposed transaction. The tariff or import duty does not exclude sales or use tax if the vessel is registered in a US state or jurisdiction that has a one.

Just so no one forgets, boats are also subject to property tax (annual) in the states that have it, and regular registration fees as well. I know this applies to a state registered boat in California. I do not want to comment on documented vessels because my knowledge is so out-of-date that it is probably older than most readers.