Import a vessel from usa

Cornelis

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Sep 29, 2011
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I am Dutch, married to a DR woman and do have residence in DR.
Want to buy a few years old used 47ft trawler in USA that cost about 700.000 USD but can't find out what it takes to have the proud DR flag on it. Its not for commercial use. Hear of real horror stories but who can tell me the real situation? I am not looking for a cheap way around but for the correct headache free situation and hope they are realistic and do not try to overcharge. In that case there will be simply No import of that boat in the DR.
Thanks and greetings,
Cornelis
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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Talk to Ken here on DR1...I think that his experience will help. Also talk to Mike Fisher, a charter boat captain. They have experience with sort of thing. You can either post a call here or send them PM (Private Message)...

There are yacht clubs here (La Romana, Santo Domingo and Haina)...and one in Montecristi...

Hope things work out...


HB
 

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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I am Dutch, married to a DR woman and do have residence in DR.
Want to buy a few years old used 47ft trawler in USA that cost about 700.000 USD but can't find out what it takes to have the proud DR flag on it. Its not for commercial use. Hear of real horror stories but who can tell me the real situation? I am not looking for a cheap way around but for the correct headache free situation and hope they are realistic and do not try to overcharge. In that case there will be simply No import of that boat in the DR.
Thanks and greetings,
Cornelis

I've been off my boat and away from boat owners for 12 years, so not up to date. But when I was, getting it flagged as a Dominican vessel was very expensive.

I lived on my boat in Samana harbor for 17 years. It was a US documented vessel and there were no problems maintaining that status.

But you need input from somebody more current than I am on this.
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Have you tried - or thought of - talking to an import broker?

Somebody with importing experience might know their way around problems like this.
Truly, its just an importing problem - it happens to be a boat.

My broker was www.hispaniolafreight.com , I found them to be very responsible
 

Cornelis

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Sep 29, 2011
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Why Dominican Flag it if it's not commercial? Just curious.

If I do live there, have a DR plate on the car, a DR house, a DR wife I also want my boat to have a DR flag to start with.
Also I want to have peace in my head. I don't want to get 8 officials aboard all the time. I guess this is how it should be in a normal country as well. At least I give it a try to do things straight. If everybody would do so the country would be in a better condition. However, one of the biggest enemies of the country seems to be the governmental incompetence in many issues. Lots of things could be handled in a snap and could change a lot overnight if they wanted.
 

Cornelis

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Sep 29, 2011
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I've been off my boat and away from boat owners for 12 years, so not up to date. But when I was, getting it flagged as a Dominican vessel was very expensive.

I lived on my boat in Samana harbor for 17 years. It was a US documented vessel and there were no problems maintaining that status.



But you need input from somebody more current than I am on this.

Hi, Ken,

I am aware of these kind of solutions. They still work.
Did you have a resident status there?
Also it makes a difference in risk if you own a 50K$ or less sailboat or a boat that goes into some more serious numbers.
I think there is only one way to do it and to be able to sleep at night and that is the correct way.

when this is not possible for me the story just ends and all I will do is sending my feed back to some responsable people in the government right after elections.


Thanks for reacting and greetings,
Cornelis
 

Cornelis

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Sep 29, 2011
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Talk to Ken here on DR1...I think that his experience will help. Also talk to Mike Fisher, a charter boat captain. They have experience with sort of thing. You can either post a call here or send them PM (Private Message)...

There are yacht clubs here (La Romana, Santo Domingo and Haina)...and one in Montecristi...

Hope things work out...


HB
Thanks,

I think you mean Ken that lived in Samana at his boat?
He already posted here and wrote how he did it.

He took the back door.

I know how to find it but am looking for the main entrance.

thank you for reply,

Greetings,
Cornelis.
 

oldschool

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Oct 9, 2004
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they will charge you a percentage on the value of the boat not sure what that percentage is now but I wouldn't declare the value at $ 700,000 dollars because that percentage could be 10 % or higher. I agree with bryan1258 I would just leave it registered as an American boat.

Question do you know where you will keep the boat while your here ?
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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Cornelis:

You are Dutch. In Holland, ships and things that go to sea are very common. It is part of your heritage. The Dominican Republic was a colony. All shipping was from the metropolis, there was not native shipping allowed. Shipping here is suspect, foreign and highly regulated so as to stifle it. Or so it seems.

If you try to do things "properly" here in the Dominican Republic, this is what will happen:
1) They will lay out a very easy path for you to follow.
2) About 3 or 4 months into that path, things will get very complicated with lots of hands out for some "consideration"
3) You will be fleeced, frustrated and really unhappy.

4) You will want to take your boat "home" but it seems that you can't because you do not have this paper or that paper, and it seems that a local comandante really likes your craft....

Scary? Yes. Possible? Yes...

Please listen to the people here who have done this....come here and talk to them (Mike Fisher!!! Where are you???) There are people here who have 47' boats here. Come talk to them...see how they did it. Do not listen to me or anyone else, we are trying to get you to be aware of typical scenarios. Pack an overnight bag, hop a cheap flight from Ft. Lauderdale,and spend a weekend talking to yacht owners...If you can afford a 700K boat you can afford to learn from the people that have them ...

Ken has already told you what he did.. Pay attention...

Do not ever think that things are as they are said to be or as they are in the law!! Not here, not yet.

US$700,000 is a nice boat.

HB, worried about idealism
 
Last edited:

frank12

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Sep 6, 2011
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if you bring vessel under own hull you will not need to pay duty,
if you ship it you will pay duty based on the value they put on it,
if you register dominican vessel you will be harrased at sea constantly,
if you register in us, you will not have a problem
when you purchase in us, if you sign agreement that the vessel will be out of us for more than 1 year you will not pay sales tax
if you register in U.S, while in the dominican republic you fly dominican flag under us flag,
it is a big hassel to register dom rep and has no benefits
 

Cornelis

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Sep 29, 2011
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Cornelis:

You are Dutch. In Holland, ships and things that go to sea are very common. It is part of your heritage. The Dominican Republic was a colony. All shipping was from the metropolis, there was not native shipping allowed. Shipping here is suspect, foreign and highly regulated so as to stifle it. Or so it seems.

If you try to do things "properly" here in the Dominican Republic, this is what will happen:
1) They will lay out a very easy path for you to follow.
2) About 3 or 4 months into that path, things will get very complicated with lots of hands out for some "consideration"
3) You will be fleeced, frustrated and really unhappy.

4) You will want to take your boat "home" but it seems that you can't because you do not have this paper or that paper, and it seems that a local comandante really likes your craft....

Scary? Yes. Possible? Yes...

Please listen to the people here who have done this....come here and talk to them (Mike Fisher!!! Where are you???) There are people here who have 47' boats here. Come talk to them...see how they did it. Do not listen to me or anyone else, we are trying to get you to be aware of typical scenarios. Pack an overnight bag, hop a cheap flight from Ft. Lauderdale,and spend a weekend talking to yacht owners...If you can afford a 700K boat you can afford to learn from the people that have them ...

Ken has already told you what he did.. Pay attention...

Do not ever think that things are as they are said to be or as they are in the law!! Not here, not yet.

US$700,000 is a nice boat.

HB, worried about idealism

Thank you so much for what you wrote and for your concerns.
I am aware of my gringo mortgage and always had some hope my DR wife could be a barriere to prevent too bad things happening to us.
The situation you described looks familiar to me; had that in other issues already.
A forum member here suggested to leave the importation of a boat to an import company and did put their link in his post. I already wrote them.
Indeed my Dutch roots make me think that leaving, traveling and arriving with boats is a normal thing to do.
The Dominican do have another history yes but they could make good money by just adjusting things a bit.
There are huge opportunities for the country in Yachting. Imagine when registration would cost 5% or so, how many boats would come, pay lots of money and bring work for many people.
As a spin-off the house market could see a boom as well. All would benefit.
Why why why...is all I can ask myself many times while driving around here.

Curious who is gonna win now. Unimaginable that Mr.Hipolito -papa- even had the guts to show his unashamed face again in my opinion after all that happened while he was in office. But what will Mr. Danillo do.....or not do..... We will soon know.

As far as the boat concerns; I want to do it decent or I dont do it at all. Its not a gin tonic boat but a sturdy passagemaking fuel efficient trawler. I don't want a show-off item especially not in DR but you are right, 700 plus the taxes is about half or less then a new one but still brings a nice boat.

We'll see what the import people write me.

Greetings,
Cornelis


Greetings,
Cornelis
 

Cornelis

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Sep 29, 2011
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they will charge you a percentage on the value of the boat not sure what that percentage is now but I wouldn't declare the value at $ 700,000 dollars because that percentage could be 10 % or higher. I agree with bryan1258 I would just leave it registered as an American boat.

Question do you know where you will keep the boat while your here ?

In case the charges are 10% I will just pay it and go on.
I even will declare it against invoice in order to kill any possible issue up front.

What I will not accept is gouvernmental greed, overcharging, bribing, created problems and things like that.

Berthing will be in, both, Samana and Marina Zarpar, Boca Chica.
Preferred to get a berth in Cap Cana, attached to a house there but unfortunatly that situation went out of control.
And by the way, I may hope, the boat will not spend much time at the docks anyway !

greetings,
`Cornelis
 

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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Hi, Ken,

I am aware of these kind of solutions. They still work.
Did you have a resident status there?
Also it makes a difference in risk if you own a 50K$ or less sailboat or a boat that goes into some more serious numbers.
I think there is only one way to do it and to be able to sleep at night and that is the correct way.

when this is not possible for me the story just ends and all I will do is sending my feed back to some responsable people in the government right after elections.


Thanks for reacting and greetings,
Cornelis

Yes, I was a resident. But there were others doing same thing who were not.

I would certainly not call this the "back door".

First, I was not planning to use the boat commercially. Had I been, then a Dominican flag would have been important.

My boat was my home.

Second, I wanted to be able to visit other countries in the Caribbean. Having a US flagged vessel was better than having a Dominican flagged vessel. In fact, I spent a year in Venezuela, a year in Trinidad, and the equivalent of a year in other Caribbean countries while my home port was Samana.

If you are not planning to use the vessel commercially, I see no reason to get a Dominican flag. It is not illegal, the government knew very well where I was and the status of the vessel. Every boat in any harbor must be registered by the port commander. There was no expectation by anyone that I flag the boat in the Dominican Republic.

I find it strange that you don't think that you could sleep at night if you don't flag the vessel in the DR. And I do not understand where you got the notion that it was illegal to have a boat for personal use if it is not flagged in the DR.
 

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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HAVING SAID THAT, your situation is different than mine was. Mine was a US documented vessel, meaning it was entitled to all rights and courtesies of any other vessel of the US. Because you are not a US citizen, you will not be able to get US documentation even though buying the boat in the US. You should investigate whether your country has something similar.
you could register the vessel with the state where you buy it, but state registration does not have the same meaning as national documentation.
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Cornalis,
My contact at Hispaniola was Wendoline dePena, she's from Cabrera originally.
She is very nice and is very efficient.

They did my container and car importation.

Feel free to use my name.

WW
 

Cornelis

New member
Sep 29, 2011
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0
if you bring vessel under own hull you will not need to pay duty,
if you ship it you will pay duty based on the value they put on it,
if you register dominican vessel you will be harrased at sea constantly,
if you register in us, you will not have a problem
when you purchase in us, if you sign agreement that the vessel will be out of us for more than 1 year you will not pay sales tax
if you register in U.S, while in the dominican republic you fly dominican flag under us flag,
it is a big hassel to register dom rep and has no benefits

Frank (V?),

Thank for your post. I asume you are sure about harrasement at sea when DR flagged I guess. You mean in other area's then DR then?
Since I am resident I have to be sure about what I do. Imagine they put the boat at a chain or worse....
The only benefit I saw was peace. After a long life of war this interests me more then money.But I think I know what you mean.

Thank you, Frank,
Greetings,

Cornelis
 

Cornelis

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Sep 29, 2011
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Cornalis,
My contact at Hispaniola was Wendoline dePena, she's from Cabrera originally.
She is very nice and is very efficient.

They did my container and car importation.
Hello William,

Thank you so much.
I already did send a mail to "service" but will resend her to her attention as well.

Greetings,
Cornelis
 

Cornelis

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Sep 29, 2011
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Yes, I was a resident. But there were others doing same thing who were not.

I would certainly not call this the "back door".

First, I was not planning to use the boat commercially. Had I been, then a Dominican flag would have been important.

My boat was my home.

Second, I wanted to be able to visit other countries in the Caribbean. Having a US flagged vessel was better than having a Dominican flagged vessel. In fact, I spent a year in Venezuela, a year in Trinidad, and the equivalent of a year in other Caribbean countries while my home port was Samana.

If you are not planning to use the vessel commercially, I see no reason to get a Dominican flag. It is not illegal, the government knew very well where I was and the status of the vessel. Every boat in any harbor must be registered by the port commander. There was no expectation by anyone that I flag the boat in the Dominican Republic.

I find it strange that you don't think that you could sleep at night if you don't flag the vessel in the DR. And I do not understand where you got the notion that it was illegal to have a boat for personal use if it is not flagged in the DR.

Well, Ken, -good afternoon-,

I guess this has to do with my straight- Dutch way of thinking.

To live in Holland or Belgium while having a USA flagged vessel in the docks will not end up too nice.
Even passagemakers that arrived in Spain, got to a hospital and could not get their boat out in time were catched by the taxman without scrupules and as rough as he could.

The meaning of launching my post was not to stay with my opinion but to hear other experienced people's input.

I am aware that I do not want to fidle in any way or show disrespect for local laws and for sure not when I make myself an easy target.

Also its just strange that the country has no decent set up for yachtowners. They do miss a lot this way.

I am gonna ask the seller or the broker to keep the boat registrated there if I have no choice.

Best greetings Ken,
Cornelis