Hey guys,
I finally brought the boat home yesterday! Thanks for all the help, especially to eriks for answering my detailed questions. I did my homework before heading down to the States and it paid off pretty well. A few things worth mentioning that may help others in future:
- I called CBSA, RIV and ICBC to confirm the requirements for each step of the process. I can't believe the amount of discrepancies between what you hear from different people within the same organization. For example, the CBSA person on the 1-888 line told me that only GST would apply to my purchase but in fact, I got charged for both GST and PST at the border. When I asked the officer, she said "that's because the boat has not been listed and sold in BC". In other words, if you buy from a US seller who has been listing the boat in the US, you pay the PST at the border. If it's listed in BC, you still have to pay the PST but then you pay after you file for Transport Canada licensing! Other thing was that the CBSA person on the phone warned me on NOT using the Nexus lane for this trip but then I found at the border that the Nexus is fine as long as you're bringing the boat for personal use.
2- ICBC binder of insurance - it costs ~$25/day - if you buy the "Trip Permit" from Washington, it's only $30 USD and it's good for 3 days. That will cover your trailer both in Washington and BC. 3 days would be more than enough time to do your trailer inspection and ICBC insurance.
3- I paid online for the RIV Form 1 and downloaded the form before heading down to the border. Once you pay for taxes at the border, you should take a picture of the stamped Form 1 and email it to support@support.riv.ca right away. They will then issue the Inspection Form - aka Form 2. Form 2 is what you should bring to CT for inspection. In my case, I sent them the email before leaving the Customs office and they processed and emailed me the other form within an hour. RIV's turnaround is pretty quick during weekdays.
4- I stopped at the border before crossing to the US and spoke to the Canadian officer. She looked at my documents and asked for the RIV form 1 , whether it's a private sale or a dealership involved, method of payment, etc. On my return, she was the one who processed my file. Never asked for the Kijiji/CL Ad or email communications with the seller, etc. The custom clearance on the CDN side went very smooth.
Overall, I think I'm happy with my purchase and the "import" process. There is bigger inventory of used boats down there and as long as you have the $USD in your pocket, the risk of exchange rate fluctuations shouldn't hit you hard.
I finally brought the boat home yesterday! Thanks for all the help, especially to eriks for answering my detailed questions. I did my homework before heading down to the States and it paid off pretty well. A few things worth mentioning that may help others in future:
- I called CBSA, RIV and ICBC to confirm the requirements for each step of the process. I can't believe the amount of discrepancies between what you hear from different people within the same organization. For example, the CBSA person on the 1-888 line told me that only GST would apply to my purchase but in fact, I got charged for both GST and PST at the border. When I asked the officer, she said "that's because the boat has not been listed and sold in BC". In other words, if you buy from a US seller who has been listing the boat in the US, you pay the PST at the border. If it's listed in BC, you still have to pay the PST but then you pay after you file for Transport Canada licensing! Other thing was that the CBSA person on the phone warned me on NOT using the Nexus lane for this trip but then I found at the border that the Nexus is fine as long as you're bringing the boat for personal use.
2- ICBC binder of insurance - it costs ~$25/day - if you buy the "Trip Permit" from Washington, it's only $30 USD and it's good for 3 days. That will cover your trailer both in Washington and BC. 3 days would be more than enough time to do your trailer inspection and ICBC insurance.
3- I paid online for the RIV Form 1 and downloaded the form before heading down to the border. Once you pay for taxes at the border, you should take a picture of the stamped Form 1 and email it to support@support.riv.ca right away. They will then issue the Inspection Form - aka Form 2. Form 2 is what you should bring to CT for inspection. In my case, I sent them the email before leaving the Customs office and they processed and emailed me the other form within an hour. RIV's turnaround is pretty quick during weekdays.
4- I stopped at the border before crossing to the US and spoke to the Canadian officer. She looked at my documents and asked for the RIV form 1 , whether it's a private sale or a dealership involved, method of payment, etc. On my return, she was the one who processed my file. Never asked for the Kijiji/CL Ad or email communications with the seller, etc. The custom clearance on the CDN side went very smooth.
Overall, I think I'm happy with my purchase and the "import" process. There is bigger inventory of used boats down there and as long as you have the $USD in your pocket, the risk of exchange rate fluctuations shouldn't hit you hard.
