How hard is it to acquire a boat from Canada, i.e. border checks and paperwork?
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How hard is it to acquire a boat from Canada, i.e. border checks and paperwork?
its not hard at all....just need the bill of sale and all the paper work pull up delcare the boat and trailer present ownerships.... pay taxes and be on your way.
I bought my boat from Canada but it was originally a USA built boat and it was a breeze.
All they care about is that you own it and you gotta cough up some dough to bring it in...... not like cars that have to comply with emissions and such
The license plate and registration of the trailer is sometimes questioned - but I haven't had a problem. Even better to bring your own plate with matching trailer ownership and then there are no issues. If the trailer mfg date label is over 20 years old then they don't care....even better if there is no manufacturer identification on the trailer ( maybe it happens to fall off) so they can't compare the date of the trailer to year date of the trailer ownership
If the bill of sale includes boat, motor and trailer they have an issue figuring out the import /sales taxes to be paid. Have a separate amount on bill of sale for the boat/motor and separate amount for the trailer.
If its an American made boat or trailer it's US goods returned so no duty and even Canadian products probably duty free under NAFTA. Any taxes due are usually state at the time of registration. Call the CBP Port of Entry you plan on crossing at beforehand and get the scoop and name of the officer you talk to. Check the CBP website Know Before You Go section.
Is this true even if the boat was owned by a Canadian and sold to a U.S. citizen and brought back here?Quote:
Originally Posted by Ing
Yes. If the country of origin of the merchandise is the US like in your scenario then Customs doesn't care about the transaction. It's US goods returned. It's Customs duty free. Now your state sales tax is a separate issue. CBP doesn't collect sales tax. Most states want to see that you declared the motor vehicle to Customs and then the state will charge you tax on the transaction, at least this shot state of NY does. Call CBP to get the straight scoop before leaving to get the boat.Quote:
Originally Posted by flabum1017
Also the US dollar is kicking the crap out of Canadian dollars so make sure you account for the exchange rate when making the deal.
Ok, I looked it up. This is true only if there have been no upgrades that increase the value of the item. So, if a 1992 boat was taken into Canada with a 1992 engine and the engine was replaced with a newer engine, then the entire rig is subject to duty fees. This, I suppose, would only be known if the new owner told the customs officer or if there were some readily accessible records to the officer for him to know if there were any improvements. CBP uses the example of a suit having alterations abroad.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ing