Importing boat into Canada

MSter · May 16, 2017

No problem leaving the US. However be prepared to pay HST on arrival in Canada.
Mike
s/v Ladylike

DayDreamer41 · May 16, 2017

Agree with MSter, you may want to express your intentions to the US Homeland Security when you cross over into the USA, they may give you some sort of documentation as proof of proper reporting to carry with you when on the boat in US waters. My question is, why would you purchase a boat in the US with the differential in money so large, were you not able to find a comparable boat in Canada already? Ah I am sure you have worked all the numbers.........

Tim22 · May 16, 2017

I brought my Hunter 310 in from Michigan three years ago. I had I trucked in and had a customs broker clear it in at Sarnia. Documentation required was a bill of sale. HST was paid at the border. You may want to check on the requirement to pay Michigan sales tax if you take delivery in U.S. My understanding was that I was exempt because I was taking delivery in Canada.

This is not the same as your situation but send me a pm if I can help.

Tim

dziedzicmj · May 16, 2017

I brought a Catalina 270 from the US a few years ago ($ at par, (-

). I brought it over land, so a bit different. I used a customs broker - the best $250 spent on the boat. They handled all paperwork and paid the HST.
You will need a bill of sail. The customs may also ask to prove that what it says you paid makes sense (e.g. the original ad, emails with the PO, etc.). Be prepared to pay the HST at the border. You may need to prove that the boat was built in NA (certificate of the origin).
If i were you, for the purchase this big, I would talk to Can customs before the trip. Keep in mind that different entry points interpret the law a wee bit differently (this is what my broker told me - they asked through which particular crossing I intended to bring the boat to make sure that the documents were correctly prepared).

good luck

Benny17441 · May 17, 2017

The US is a country unlike others where you do not have to check out when you leave.

DayDreamer41 · May 17, 2017

I only mention asking at the US Border when entering to pick you boat up so as to get advise on what would happen if you were in US waters and either border patrol or USCG request to board, unlikely this happening yes, but if it does you certainly want the necessary information to address the issue.

C22BC · May 17, 2017

I've purchased my last two boats in Washington State and brought them to BC . The last one in February of this year and found it to be abosoutly no problem . In my case the more paper work the better, I had the receipt from the currency exchange place and got a handwritten bill of sale for the boat , motor , trailer and any electronics on board and a copy of the craigslist add . I paid the pst and gst on the price of the boat and motor and the pst on the trailer at customs then paid the gst at the insurance outlet when I changed the title over . If you have a trailer be sure you can sight the vin number the insurance people have to see it in person . That's BC anyway . Took about 15 min at Canadian Customs to get across.

uncledom · May 18, 2017

I did the reverse and bought a Canadian documented boat in US waters. I still needed an expediter to get all the paper work done as the Canadian documentation had to be deleted before the USCG would document it in the US. I'm sure it works in in reverse if the boat is documented in the US and is being Canadian titled. I owned the boat and had it documented and insured before I moved it.

VanIslandGuy · May 19, 2017

We used these guys when importing our Hunter 410 from Seattle into BC.

http://www.rutherfordglobal.com/customs.html

It was our first import and we had two days to make the delivery up and didn't want to get stuck all day at the customs dock. We pre-paid our taxes through the customs broker based on the currency value and bill of sale. The importation couldn't have gone smoother and I would use them or a similar service again. I think it took more time to fuel in Sidney then it did to clear in with our new boat.