Importing a boat to colombia

[I_squared_r]

Maybe I'm not leaving this group yet lol. I am inspired by another member here that imported a AR192 to Chile a year ago Hello from Chile I am currently looking into importing a AR192 to Colombia (the newer AR195 is a few inches longer and doesn't fit in a standard 20ft freight container) The idea is that I can keep it at the marina here at the lake and rent it out for some income. This is a long shot, but anybody have experience with ocean freight? I'm already in contact with some car dealers here that import new cars and they're looking into the process of nationalization of the boat here in Colombia

 

[2kwik4u]

Maybe I'm not leaving this group yet lol. I am inspired by another member here that imported a AR192 to Chile a year ago Hello from Chile I am currently looking into importing a AR192 to Colombia (the newer AR195 is a few inches longer and doesn't fit in a standard 20ft freight container) The idea is that I can keep it at the marina here at the lake and rent it out for some income. This is a long shot, but anybody have experience with ocean freight? I'm already in contact with some car dealers here that import new cars and they're looking into the process of nationalization of the boat here in Colombia

We ship ocean freight out of the office all the time. Lots of products going to South America in particular (Argentina seems to like us for some reason), as well as a good number of items that go to Poland and other places around Europe.

It took us a couple tries to find a good freight forwarder. This is a person, or company, that handles all of the import/export documents. We crate and package the machines for shipment. Get them dimensions, weights, special handling (this side up, no fluids, no forklift, etc) instructions, and they seemingly take care of the rest. They have us sign some documents, and then a truck shows up. We load, and away it goes. They handle all the communications with the customer on status, pickup/delivery, etc. It's not absurdly expensive either. Like we just sent a $400k machine to Poland last month. Air freight was $26k, freight forwarder cost us $3.5k to handle the logistics. I can get their name/number if you want to reach out and see if they handle personal logistics like what you're looking at.

Secondarily, I've imported a vehicle from Canada to the US. While there isn't the freight portion (I flew into the selling location and drove home), the logistics of getting the paperwork were, generally, pretty straightforward. It started with some phone calls to the local DMV where I had to escalate to find a manager, or supervisor that knew the process. From there I got a list of documents I needed. Then I called the border crossing office and got an understanding of that process and what documents I needed. I assembled all the documents I needed and made like 6 copies of each. Then, just follow the process they told me. Had one minor hiccup I wasn't expecting during the registration process, but it was quickly solved with a 3rd party (sheriffs department) inspection of the vehicle.

I've read several stories of how people have imported things from China (like Kei trucks, or little EV's, etc), and the process sounds and feels largely similar to what I've seen and experienced. It's not really difficult, but it's very specific and not immediately clear on how it works to someone that's never done it before. Lots of research ahead of time seems to help grease the wheels. Speaking of which, I wouldn't be completely surprised to see you have to "grease some palms" along the way. I've heard stories of other companies having local "fixers" they keep on the payroll to ensure smooth and easy transactions at border crossings.

Good luck brother!

 

[I_squared_r]

We ship ocean freight out of the office all the time. Lots of products going to South America in particular (Argentina seems to like us for some reason), as well as a good number of items that go to Poland and other places around Europe.

It took us a couple tries to find a good freight forwarder. This is a person, or company, that handles all of the import/export documents. We crate and package the machines for shipment. Get them dimensions, weights, special handling (this side up, no fluids, no forklift, etc) instructions, and they seemingly take care of the rest. They have us sign some documents, and then a truck shows up. We load, and away it goes. They handle all the communications with the customer on status, pickup/delivery, etc. It's not absurdly expensive either. Like we just sent a $400k machine to Poland last month. Air freight was $26k, freight forwarder cost us $3.5k to handle the logistics. I can get their name/number if you want to reach out and see if they handle personal logistics like what you're looking at.

Secondarily, I've imported a vehicle from Canada to the US. While there isn't the freight portion (I flew into the selling location and drove home), the logistics of getting the paperwork were, generally, pretty straightforward. It started with some phone calls to the local DMV where I had to escalate to find a manager, or supervisor that knew the process. From there I got a list of documents I needed. Then I called the border crossing office and got an understanding of that process and what documents I needed. I assembled all the documents I needed and made like 6 copies of each. Then, just follow the process they told me. Had one minor hiccup I wasn't expecting during the registration process, but it was quickly solved with a 3rd party (sheriffs department) inspection of the vehicle.

I've read several stories of how people have imported things from China (like Kei trucks, or little EV's, etc), and the process sounds and feels largely similar to what I've seen and experienced. It's not really difficult, but it's very specific and not immediately clear on how it works to someone that's never done it before. Lots of research ahead of time seems to help grease the wheels. Speaking of which, I wouldn't be completely surprised to see you have to "grease some palms" along the way. I've heard stories of other companies having local "fixers" they keep on the payroll to ensure smooth and easy transactions at border crossings.

Good luck brother!

Yes please. It would help if you sent me the company's information.
My friend told me that companies usually charge 40% fee of the purchasing value, but I don't think that fee would apply to me. Because I would purchase the boat in Florida or near to Florida, register it in my state (NY), wait for the title, then coordinate with a shipper in Florida to send it to Colombia. The agency in Colombia would just have to take care of the nationalization of the boat here and I contract someone to deliver the boat from Cartagena to Guatape (google says 14hr but those roads its probably like 20+). Colombia charges 19% IVA, but I think that taxes would be less because I can declare a lower value.

The idea is that I can find a clean AR192, lake boat, for $16-18k during the off season. Even if it costs me $5-9k, the boat is worth much more here in Colombia. Currently theres a 2019 AR240 with 450hours going for 350.000.000 pesos, which at the current exchange is $87,500. If I recall right, last year I saw a AR195 selling for $45,000 USD.

I think an issue could be the IVA, that is, Colombia's "fasecolda" lists the boat at a much higher value than what I paid and I have to pay 19% IVA on their value. But I have never seen a fasecolda value on boats, just on cars. Every year they list values for cars and mine is currently 128.000.000 which I pay 3% yearly in taxes.

 

[2kwik4u]

Yes please. It would help if you sent me the company's information.
My friend told me that companies usually charge 40% fee of the purchasing value, but I don't think that fee would apply to me. Because I would purchase the boat in Florida or near to Florida, register it in my state (NY), wait for the title, then coordinate with a shipper in Florida to send it to Colombia. The agency in Colombia would just have to take care of the nationalization of the boat here and I contract someone to deliver the boat from Cartagena to Guatape (google says 14hr but those roads its probably like 20+). Colombia charges 19% IVA, but I think that taxes would be less because I can declare a lower value.

The idea is that I can find a clean AR192, lake boat, for $16-18k during the off season. Even if it costs me $5-9k, the boat is worth much more here in Colombia. Currently theres a 2019 AR240 with 450hours going for 350.000.000 pesos, which at the current exchange is $87,500. If I recall right, last year I saw a AR195 selling for $45,000 USD.

I think an issue could be the IVA, that is, Colombia's "fasecolda" lists the boat at a much higher value than what I paid and I have to pay 19% IVA on their value. But I have never seen a fasecolda value on boats, just on cars. Every year they list values for cars and mine is currently 128.000.000 which I pay 3% yearly in taxes.

Give me a couple hours to round up some contact info. I'll PM you with the details.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

How are you planning on fitting it in the container? My understanding is the interior dimensions are 7’8” - 7’9” wide.” Doesn’t the Yamaha have an 8’ beam?

Jim

 

[I_squared_r]

How are you planning on fitting it in the container? My understanding is the interior dimensions are 7’8” - 7’9” wide.” Doesn’t the Yamaha have an 8’ beam?

Jim

On it's side it will fit in a high top 20ft container

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

On it's side it will fit in a high top 20ft container

I’ve seen this done with sailboats, but not powerboats before. Hope it works out for you.

Jim

 

[I_squared_r]

I’ve seen this done with sailboats, but not powerboats before. Hope it works out for you.

Jim

@chileanJK in the forum had done it from Miami to Chile with a 19ft boat. I messaged him, but he hasn't been active on the forum for 1 month. Do you have contact with any of the people that have done it with sailboats? It would be helpful if they have a preferred shipper.

I contacted some businesses in Colombia. Mostly car dealers that work with importing cars, but I think are full of s**t because they say "yeah we can help you" and don't follow up. Seems they just want to make business selling my BMW through consignation and are saying whatever to win my business. But I did contact the marina here that works with a importer from Brazil and listed a new Aventura for like $80,000 USD which I think is very expensive. Years ago I met someone that is a dealer for boats called "Ventura" that lives in Brazil. I'm going to reach out and see if he can help me out.

 

[I_squared_r]

Well, it is possible. I contacted the marina that I know at the lake and asked them. They gave me the contact of someone and he said he imported a AR192 here (shown below). I'm waiting for a quote. He says it isn't a smart idea to put the boat on its side and its better on a "breakbulk". So it means that I'm not constrained by a standard 20ft freight container. I'm thinking a 2016+ AR190 because they're cheaper, have the upgraded timing chain, and use regular gas. I think around Thanksgiving I can find 1 for about $20k.

 

[I_squared_r]

Well, I received a quote and I don't think it is worth it. The picture below is only to get the boat here, then I need to pay the taxes:
19% IVA
10% Arancel
8% Impoconsumo

So we're talking $18,000 for a $25,000 boat. It's actually $8,000 more than I expected! I don't think I can make this work any way that I calculate this. I can't imagine finding a 2016+ cheap enough to make the numbers work.

 

[VitaminSea]

How is the value (base) determined to assess the taxes?

 

[I_squared_r]

How is the value (base) determined to assess the taxes?

He said that I can say another price, but it has to be believable. I'm going to have to put this on hold because I sold my car and now I need to find another.

 

[chileanJK]

I was in hibenation!!

I paid almost the same money 9000 USD for all the process, they check the boat and bought in US, ship it to Chile and put it to my name, but Chile is farther than Colombia and they have to cross trough Panama so costs are greather than shipping to Colombia

 

[Angperal]

Yes please. It would help if you sent me the company's information.
My friend told me that companies usually charge 40% fee of the purchasing value, but I don't think that fee would apply to me. Because I would purchase the boat in Florida or near to Florida, register it in my state (NY), wait for the title, then coordinate with a shipper in Florida to send it to Colombia. The agency in Colombia would just have to take care of the nationalization of the boat here and I contract someone to deliver the boat from Cartagena to Guatape (google says 14hr but those roads its probably like 20+). Colombia charges 19% IVA, but I think that taxes would be less because I can declare a lower value.

The idea is that I can find a clean AR192, lake boat, for $16-18k during the off season. Even if it costs me $5-9k, the boat is worth much more here in Colombia. Currently theres a 2019 AR240 with 450hours going for 350.000.000 pesos, which at the current exchange is $87,500. If I recall right, last year I saw a AR195 selling for $45,000 USD.

I think an issue could be the IVA, that is, Colombia's "fasecolda" lists the boat at a much higher value than what I paid and I have to pay 19% IVA on their value. But I have never seen a fasecolda value on boats, just on cars. Every year they list values for cars and mine is currently 128.000.000 which I pay 3% yearly in taxes.

Hey question just ran into this forum looking for the cost to ship a boat to cartagena . Maybe you can help me, I ma trying to ship a boat to cartagena . I shipping company already quoted me $5,850.I wanted to know what other cost will I come across and how much taxes will I have to pay in colombia for a boat where I paid 10k? Just trying to see if its worth it?

 

[I_squared_r]

Buenas noches. I stopped research because the cost didn't make sense to me. You will need to pay 19% IVA, 10% Arancel, and 8% Impoconsumo. You can see the complete quote that I was given from an individual here in Medellín. It is post #10 in this thread. Keep in mind in Cartagena you need a boat suitable for the ocean if you want to go to Islas Rosarios. I saw that the ocean can be rough in the afternoon.

Someday I would like another boat here, but I don't know where would make sense. Cartagena would be nice. Or Florianopolis, Brazil.

 

[Angperal]

Buenas noches. I stopped research because the cost didn't make sense to me. You will need to pay 19% IVA, 10% Arancel, and 8% Impoconsumo. You can see the complete quote that I was given from an individual here in Medellín. It is post #10 in this thread. Keep in mind in Cartagena you need a boat suitable for the ocean if you want to go to Islas Rosarios. I saw that the ocean can be rough in the afternoon.

Someday I would like another boat here, but I don't know where would make sense. Cartagena would be nice. Or Florianopolis, Brazil.

Hey thank you for the reply . Don’t want to offend any boat riders I actually don’t know much about boats . I was in Cartagena and saw an opportunity to buy a boat , send it and make some money on the tours where they go out and 1hour away to party . Each of those tours pay 600-800 dollars depending on the boat . So I was gonna send a twin engine sea ray that holds maybe 10-12 passengers which was kind of what I saw but they were in those commander style boats … since I saw a twin engine sea ray for 10k I was gonna buy it, send it and start with that but if it’s not worth it do to cost of shipping and receiving then I guess not

 

[I_squared_r]

Hey thank you for the reply . Don’t want to offend any boat riders I actually don’t know much about boats . I was in Cartagena and saw an opportunity to buy a boat , send it and make some money on the tours where they go out and 1hour away to party . Each of those tours pay 600-800 dollars depending on the boat . So I was gonna send a twin engine sea ray that holds maybe 10-12 passengers which was kind of what I saw but they were in those commander style boats … since I saw a twin engine sea ray for 10k I was gonna buy it, send it and start with that but if it’s not worth it do to cost of shipping and receiving then I guess not

Maybe you have to pay taxes yearly on the boat. On my car it's 3% and last year the government said it's worth 180 million pesos, but it's real market value is 130 million (before all the mods I did). My tax bill comes soon, roughly $1317 at today's rate it's kind of luxury tax because the rates increase with the value of the car. To my knowledge, Colombia doesn't have a boat manufacturer and they import from Brazil or USA. The manufacturer from Brazil is Fibrafort www.fibrafort.com.br and the distributor in Colombia is www.botescolombia.com

I also wouldn't want to depend on a 10k boat to bring people to Islas Rosarios. Any mechanical issues and you're in a tough spot. It's a 25 mile ride in open ocean to those islands and to my knowledge, there's no Seatow to go get you. At the minimum, I would look for a decent hull, and then invest in 2x good outboard engines. "Fuera de borda". A quick google search came up with a new 300HP Suzuki going for 135.000.000 ($31,000 today's exchange). Sure you can find a 200HP for cheaper, but this should give you an idea what to expect.

Then there's the issue of getting the Visa Tipo V to legally make income here. It's based on a multiplier of the SMMLV (minimum wage) and this year it's roughly $30,000 in an account. Also those Visa agencies are the worst. It's always a problem. Ask me how I know lol

Then to do the business, you have to pay a lot of extra things when you contract an employee. You're obligated to pay double on vacation which is withheld when you pay your employee "vacation hold". You're also required to pay a 13th month at the end of the year for bonus. And there's some extra stuff that needs to be paid. But you can pay them as a contractor, but you have to be careful of reclassification, which is the DIAN sees the contractor, not as contractor, but employee. There is legal costs behind that. Basically he can't have a fixed hourly schedule, no vacation days, and you can't have a contract that he only works for you. You also start to pay taxes after 50.000.000 ($12000) on YOUR yearly income.

4x1000 is you have to pay 4 pesos for every 1000 pesos transferred.

I know this is a lot, but these are things that need to be considered. The benefit is that many foreigners will be paying you in USD/EURO so you can accept payments through PayPal without exchange rates, and you would stay in the USA tax ecosystem. In this case you would have to consult with a accountant about reducing your tax liability in USA and do things correctly to avoid audits. The IRS doesn't like when you are 6 months outside of the country working and they change the classification of the business. This is why businesses use third-party agencies "EOR" to take care of the legal stuff when hiring overseas. Going this route, forget hiring as a contractor, they won't do it for blue collar type work. And as a full-time employee you will still pay the government benefits so it doesn't make sense. Now you have a third-party agency being middle man and charging a fee. But is good if you are receiving many payments in USD and don't have many COP to pay your employees.

If you decide to go ahead with this, let me know. I always am open to making investments to new businesses. And take a look at Brazil, it's beautiful there. And I think it's calmer, you don't have to go to the dock everyday and try to hustle foreigners to sell tours Brazil taxes are high too, but at least you don't have to deal with importing, nationalization, and documents.

Edit: and you need to know how to speak spanish to operate safely there. Colombians are hustlers. You can be sure that your employees will try to pocket money. You can be sure that any service paid for the boat, they will try to charge you extra. It's the culture. Every service paid, I have to fight. It took a while to find trustworthy mechanic for my Mustang.
Also, if you are interested in Brazil, I have a friend that I met years ago at a jet ski event, he is a vendor for fibrafort in Salvador.

 

[Angperal]

Maybe you have to pay taxes yearly on the boat. On my car it's 3% and last year the government said it's worth 180 million pesos, but it's real market value is 130 million (before all the mods I did). My tax bill comes soon, roughly $1317 at today's rate it's kind of luxury tax because the rates increase with the value of the car. To my knowledge, Colombia doesn't have a boat manufacturer and they import from Brazil or USA. The manufacturer from Brazil is Fibrafort www.fibrafort.com.br and the distributor in Colombia is www.botescolombia.com

I also wouldn't want to depend on a 10k boat to bring people to Islas Rosarios. Any mechanical issues and you're in a tough spot. It's a 25 mile ride in open ocean to those islands and to my knowledge, there's no Seatow to go get you. At the minimum, I would look for a decent hull, and then invest in 2x good outboard engines. "Fuera de borda". A quick google search came up with a new 300HP Suzuki going for 135.000.000 ($31,000 today's exchange). Sure you can find a 200HP for cheaper, but this should give you an idea what to expect.

Then there's the issue of getting the Visa Tipo V to legally make income here. It's based on a multiplier of the SMMLV (minimum wage) and this year it's roughly $30,000 in an account. Also those Visa agencies are the worst. It's always a problem. Ask me how I know lol

Then to do the business, you have to pay a lot of extra things when you contract an employee. You're obligated to pay double on vacation which is withheld when you pay your employee "vacation hold". You're also required to pay a 13th month at the end of the year for bonus. And there's some extra stuff that needs to be paid. But you can pay them as a contractor, but you have to be careful of reclassification, which is the DIAN sees the contractor, not as contractor, but employee. There is legal costs behind that. Basically he can't have a fixed hourly schedule, no vacation days, and you can't have a contract that he only works for you. You also start to pay taxes after 50.000.000 ($12000) on YOUR yearly income.

4x1000 is you have to pay 4 pesos for every 1000 pesos transferred.

I know this is a lot, but these are things that need to be considered. The benefit is that many foreigners will be paying you in USD/EURO so you can accept payments through PayPal without exchange rates, and you would stay in the USA tax ecosystem. In this case you would have to consult with a accountant about reducing your tax liability in USA and do things correctly to avoid audits. The IRS doesn't like when you are 6 months outside of the country working and they change the classification of the business. This is why businesses use third-party agencies "EOR" to take care of the legal stuff when hiring overseas. Going this route, forget hiring as a contractor, they won't do it for blue collar type work. And as a full-time employee you will still pay the government benefits so it doesn't make sense. Now you have a third-party agency being middle man and charging a fee. But is good if you are receiving many payments in USD and don't have many COP to pay your employees.

If you decide to go ahead with this, let me know. I always am open to making investments to new businesses. And take a look at Brazil, it's beautiful there. And I think it's calmer, you don't have to go to the dock everyday and try to hustle foreigners to sell tours Brazil taxes are high too, but at least you don't have to deal with importing, nationalization, and documents.

Edit: and you need to know how to speak spanish to operate safely there. Colombians are hustlers. You can be sure that your employees will try to pocket money. You can be sure that any service paid for the boat, they will try to charge you extra. It's the culture. Every service paid, I have to fight. It took a while to find trustworthy mechanic for my Mustang.
Also, if you are interested in Brazil, I have a friend that I met years ago at a jet ski event, he is a vendor for fibrafort in Salvador.

Wow that’s a lot of stuff lol…. I wasn’t planning on going out there and doing it myself. I been to Cartagena a few times and have this kid that works for a touring agency and we are always talking. Spoke to him about working for me directly with paperwork promotion and getting these tourist to commit . Plus a few females I know that said for a cut they would send their Cliente’s my way . So it was an opportunity I thought I saw . Honestly I wasn’t really trying to put more than 25k to start . Figured 10k-15k boat , 5 to get it over there maybe 5k in the processing fee and get it going to make some money back and if it begins to do well then invest more …. Went a few times and the amount of boats leaving all day to these little island is insane …. One of the boats we took we paid 600 for 5 people from 9-3pm . It seems one of the engines went out and we got back basically relying on the other … so I’m understanding the things that can happen I just want to get my foot in the door and give it a shot but you scared me with all those cost . I don’t think I’ll have that money to invest without cripleing my personal life somewhat . Next year for vacation suppose to go with the guys to Brazil … for the last 3 years we been doing Medellin and Cartagena . We all agreed next is Brazil . But I don’t know anything about Brazil … at least in Cartagena I have 2-3 girls for more than a year that take care of me and a few locals that might help assist in getting this boat thing moving …. Idk a lot to think about …. I appreciate your time and information

 

[I_squared_r]

Wow that’s a lot of stuff lol…. I wasn’t planning on going out there and doing it myself. I been to Cartagena a few times and have this kid that works for a touring agency and we are always talking. Spoke to him about working for me directly with paperwork promotion and getting these tourist to commit . Plus a few females I know that said for a cut they would send their Cliente’s my way . So it was an opportunity I thought I saw . Honestly I wasn’t really trying to put more than 25k to start . Figured 10k-15k boat , 5 to get it over there maybe 5k in the processing fee and get it going to make some money back and if it begins to do well then invest more …. Went a few times and the amount of boats leaving all day to these little island is insane …. One of the boats we took we paid 600 for 5 people from 9-3pm . It seems one of the engines went out and we got back basically relying on the other … so I’m understanding the things that can happen I just want to get my foot in the door and give it a shot but you scared me with all those cost . I don’t think I’ll have that money to invest without cripleing my personal life somewhat . Next year for vacation suppose to go with the guys to Brazil … for the last 3 years we been doing Medellin and Cartagena . We all agreed next is Brazil . But I don’t know anything about Brazil … at least in Cartagena I have 2-3 girls for more than a year that take care of me and a few locals that might help assist in getting this boat thing moving …. Idk a lot to think about …. I appreciate your time and information

Be careful in Rio de Janeiro if you're planning vacation there. I lived there in 2020-2022 and it was dangerous. From what I've seen and heard, it's gotten more dangerous. Just recently a politician from Argentina made the wrong turn going to christ the redeemer and turned into a favela. They shot and killed him. My best advice is look like a local, get yourself some havaianas and dress down. And don't make yourself a target. Do tours. Walk on the same side of the street with everyone else. Plenty of information online about it. I did OK there, never had anything happen, but I don't like the feeling that whatever I own can be taken at any moment.

And be careful with locals wanting to help you in Colombia. There is good people here, but you constantly will find "good-hearted people" that would love to help you because you're a foreigner. But it is possible to find trustworthy people. I have a friend that I can trust her with my life here. And I give her the same loyalty. Actually, she is 100% in on my business idea if she decides in on it.

If you want to link up next time in Medellin, my instagram is mustang.col