Registration USA to Australia

[tour72]

Can anyone help me please as I cannot get a direct answer from any authorities in USA.I purchased a 34 foot Islander this year in California.The old owner signed the rego papers and gave me a bill of sale.I sailed the boat to Ensanada were she currently is.Next March I am bringing her to OZ which will be her home.I did not transfer the papers to my name in Cali as the roads dept said i would have to pay tax and if I am taking it out of the country it will be up to the authorities here in OZ.I am hearing a different story that it should be in my name when I arrive in OZ.can anyone tell me the best and cheapest way to be legal?? As I will be sailing to Hawaii so entering USA waters again.I am so confused.

[Kettlewell]

Sounds to me like a mess--I'm surprised the Mexican authorities didn't give you a hard time about not having registration or documentation on the boat. Every country I have ever checked into has asked for that information right up front. Your best bet now, I think, would be to get it Coast Guard documented, which you can do from a distance. By any chance was it previously documented? This assumes you are a U.S. citizen. Barring that, I would look into getting it documented or registered in your home country. You may need the help of a documentation office to help you and they will charge at least several hundred dollars, but it might be worth it.

[tour72]

Hi,I am an Australian citizen.I wasnt stopped coming into Mexico and told no-one i was there of authority.So I am very confused,what is the coast guard thing?? Should I have her registered in Mexico??

[tour72]

also I have the registration.It is just in the name of the guy i bought her off.

[Kettlewell]

U.S. Coast Guard documentation is only if you are a U.S. citizen, so that is out. There may be a way for you to now get Mexican registration, but I don't know anything about that. I do know that you won't be able to travel far without running into major problems when entering other countries, including the USA, if you don't have clear and up-to-date legitimate registration in your name somewhere. Now that you're in Mexico I would ask around the waterfront about ways to register the boat there. Good luck.

[tour72]

Thankyou,when I was in Mexico a few weeks ago i did touch on it with a couple of people and yes I think it is possible.I will look into that option further.Paul.

[charliehows]

yer better do a bit of research at the oz end too mate, particularly a nasty little kicker called customs duty on imported vessels...

[Factor]

Get it Aus Registered would be my view, Theoretically the shipping registration act 1981 requires it. And yes irrespective of registration you will be up for some GST and maybe some duty. Australian Register of Ships

[Morrissey]

Here is a website with all the info you need.
Guide to registering a ship
Same site as factor pointed you to, but this is the specific page you need.

I did it a few months ago. Just follow the checklist carefully. It takes a bit of time but you need to do it. In your case, although it adds to the overall cost, apply for provisional registration first as that buys you time to get all the stuff together and will enable you to keep moving in the interim.

[SimonV]

First of all you are lucky to be in Mexico and still be in possession 0f the boat . What you have done is illegal so keep a low profile or get back into the US, they tend to be a bit more understanding of you mistake. You need to contact AMSA asap, down load all the forms required for ships registration and get the ball rolling. First thing they will need is prof that the vessel has been removed from registration in the US. Coast Guard documentation is easy as they have a form and do it for you and give a certificate the original owner needs to sign this form. As far as State Rego, I don't know. As it stands now the Mexicans and in fact any country you stop at can Arrest the vessel, you have a bill of sale but no documentation. You are required by law to have Australian ships registration and the fines are out of this world, it does not matter if its a yacht or a supertanker same fine. Call AMSA in Canberra by phone, I found them very helpful and you need them on side and given the circumstances may give a bit of leeway. When I did my boat they allowed everything from my end to be done on the net, scanning the filled out forms and sending by email (this is not normal as they need originals) when I had it all done with my mistakes corrected they made me promise the Originals where in the post and they sent my Documentation on my word. Saved about 6 weeks. Make sure you talk to a supervisor not a pleb. Good luck

[jeremiason]

Although you seem to have gotten into Mexico with your boat, you will not be able to leave without proof of ownership and a current registration document.

I think you should document the vessel in Australia now...

I was in Mexico for 17 months and never heard of a cruiser registering their vessel in Mexico and I would suspect, for foreigner, it is not as easy as you would think.

Also to document a vessel in your name, in ANY country, you would have to be a citizen of that country, unless you set up a coorporation, which for older recretional boats is usually cost prohibitive.

Since your vessel was registered with the California Department of Motor Vehicles instead of the USCG, you do not have to de-register the vessel with US Authorities.

If I misunderstood you and the boat is Documented with the USCG, then you need to de-register the vessel with them, before you register it with Australia.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by tour72

Hi,I am an Australian citizen.I wasnt stopped coming into Mexico and -__told no-one i was there of authority___.So I am very confused,what is the coast guard thing?? Should I have her registered in Mexico??

are you saying that you havent checked the boat into mexico as well as having no papers!!!!!!!

[savoir]

It might be a good idea to check whether the boat was USCG registered in the first place. Sounds to me like it wasn't but was only California state registration. The broker should know that information. If the boat was registered he should have done the deregistration for you.

Do you have cash ready for your GST payment which will be due on arrival in Australia ?

[SimonV]

This thread is starting to SMELL, In your post back in February you where looking for crew for your Ericson 35 going Cal to Mex then Hawaii then Oz. Now you have an Islander 34. There has to be more to this story. Did you take crew with you to Mexico if you did get out before you end up in Jail.

[Mr B]

Which state in Oz are you heading for or where do you live in Oz,

Do you have USCG registration or the papers saying you were,

This is what I actually did last year when I bought my boat in Fiji,

It was a USA Built and registered boat with the USCG, It had a California address on the papers, But the PO hadnt lived there for 10 years,

To avoid paying duty in Fiji for buying the boat there, My Bill of sale took place after I left Fiji and I was in the middle of the Pacific,

Before I left Melbourne to pick up my boat, I state registered my boat in Victoria, where I live,

The main thing the Authorities look for, Is proof of ownership and a legitimate address where the boat comes from, or is registered,

Otherwise they consider you a Pirate and will confiscate your boat, This is no joke, It will happen, They will take your boat off you, You may even end up in Jail,

A PO Box address is not good enough,

Send your papers home and get one of your friends to register it in the state where you live, With your home address or theirs, State Rego is good enough, even for Customs here,
You can enter and leave other countrys under Australian State registration,

Leaving Australia after you have arrived here is another matter, You may need Australian Rego for that, But this info is just to get you here first,

It will cost you when you arrive in OZ, 10 % of the vessels actual value, What you paid for it, plus the costs of sailing it here, Food, repairs, Incured on the way here, crew, airfares for return of crew to home countrys,

GST is calculated by Customs here on the day you actually paid for it, They will need to see proof of that, No matter where in the world it was at the time you bought it, And they are sticklers for detail on this one,

If it didnt come from a country with a free trade agreement with Oz, it will cost you another 5 % Duty, Making 15 % all up,

If you can prove it was built in the USA, it does not attract the 5 % duty,

You have to pay AQIS fees and if your boat has a lot of wood, about $1000-00 for pest inspection and fumigation,

My boat cost $150-000-00 USD GST, AQIS, Customs, came to about $15,500 All up, on top of the cost of the boat,

Total cost to me was, $165,500 Fully imported into Australia, Victorian Boat Rego was about $70-00 per year,

Is your fridge gas or Electric, If its on gas, you wont have a problem. If it runs on CFC's They charge you $3000-00 as a fridge importer, Its cheaper to throw it over board and buy a new one here, $700-00 for a Brand new fridge,

Hope this helps, You need more info, just ask, This was all done by Australian Customs in Bundaberg Qld, November 2011,

So it is current, and not Hearsay, Or my friend told me, Or by a Computer Jockey,