It’s an incredible feeling to be out on your favorite boat. To be clear, it’s great to be on any boat, but being on your favorite boat, possibly one that you’ve brought a long way to this body of water can be even sweeter. Finding the right boat isn’t easy, which anyone who’s looked for a boat knows. Many Canadian vessel owners have had to look beyond our borders to find one. Import a boat from USA into Canada may not be the most complicated process, but there are easy ways to do it and hard ways. We want to make it as easy on you as possible.
Who you have to Tell
In the best world, it’d be easy to import a vessel into Canada without having to let anyone know. You’d just buy a vessel and then drive it (or ride) it into Canada. That would be it. We don’t live in that world. When you bring a pleasure craft into Canada, you have to let the authorities know. Namely, you have to report this purchase to the CBSA, which stands for “Canada Border Services Agency.” This is written with the idea that you’re a Canadian resident. If you aren’t, then it may be a more complicated process. You may want to call us for more help with that particular scenario.
Kinds of Pleasure Craft to Import
In Canada, “pleasure craft” is usually defined as “vessels used for non-commercial purposes.” That means that folks didn’t pay to be on the vessel. Use some common sense here. For example, if you’re having a party, and someone chipped in cash to pay for the food, it’s still a “non-commercial vessel.” However, if you plan on using the vessel to give tours that you’re going to charge for, then that’s a commercial vessel. Typically, these pleasure crafts are personal watercraft, like float boats, Sea-Doos, speedboats, that kind of thing. It also includes sailboats, fishing boats, dinghies, yachts and more.
By Land or Sea
You have the option of importing the vessel on land or at a marine border crossing. If you do it by sea, then you have to go to one of the CBSA designated marine sites. If you go by land, then you’ll be declaring it to a border services officer. No matter whom you declare it to or how you do so, make sure that you have the bill of sale and proof of ownership with you. Those forms are critical to making sure that everything goes right with the boat’s importation.
All Forms to Import Boat from USA
Speaking of forms, here at our Registry site, we can provide you with templates for all of the forms that you might need. You can register your vessel, obtaining licensing, and perform many other actions right at our site. We put the most used forms in the center, and the rest are on the left. For more info, call us at (800) 419-9569.