(a) Any documented vessel with a pleasure license endorsement, as well as any undocumented American pleasure vessel, shall be used exclusively for pleasure and shall not transport merchandise nor carry passengers for pay. Such a vessel which is not engaged in any trade nor in any way violating the Customs or navigation laws of the U.S. may proceed from port to port in the U.S. or to foreign ports without clearing and is not subject to entry upon its arrival in a port of the U.S., provided it has not visited a hovering vessel, received merchandise while in the customs waters beyond the territorial sea, or received merchandise while on the high seas. Such a vessel shall immediately report arrival to Customs when arriving in any port or place within the U.S., including the U.S. Virgin Islands, from a foreign port or place.
(b) A cruising license may be issued to a yacht of a foreign country only if it has been made to appear to the satisfaction of the Secretary of the Treasury that yachts of the United States are allowed to arrive at and depart from ports in such foreign country and to cruise in the waters of such ports without entering or clearing at the customhouse thereof and without the payment of any charges for entering or clearing, dues, duty per ton, tonnage, taxes, or charges for cruising licenses. It has been made to appear to the satisfaction of the Secretary of the Treasury that yachts of the United States are granted such privileges in the following countries: ArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBahama IslandsBelgiumBermudaCanadaDenmarkFinlandFranceGermany, Federal Republic ofGreeceHondurasIrelandItalyJamaicaLiberiaMarshall IslandsNetherlandsNew ZealandNorwaySaint Kitts and NevisSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSwedenSwitzerlandTurkeyUnited Kingdom and the Dependencies: the Anguilla Islands, the Isle of Man, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands
(c) In order to obtain a cruising license for a yacht of any country listed in paragraph (b) of this section, there shall be filed with the port director an application therefor executed by either the yacht owner or the master which shall set forth the owner's name and address and identify the vessel by flag, rig, name, and such other matters as are usually descriptive of a vessel. The application shall also include a description of the waters in which the yacht will cruise, and a statement of the probable time it will remain in such waters. Upon approval of the application, the port director will issue a cruising license in the form prescribed by paragraph (d) of this section permitting the yacht, for a stated period not to exceed one year, to arrive and depart from the United States and to cruise in specified waters of the United States without entering and clearing, without filing manifests and obtaining or delivering permits to proceed, and without the payment of entrance and clearance fees, or fees for receiving manifests and granting permits to proceed, duty on tonnage, tonnage tax, or light money. The license shall be granted subject to the condition that the vessel shall not engage in trade or violate the laws of the United States in any respect. Upon the vessel's arrival at any port or place within the U.S. or the U.S. Virgin Islands, the master shall comply with 19 U.S.C. 1433 by immediately reporting arrival at the nearest Customs facility or other place designated by the port director. Individuals shall remain on board until directed otherwise by the appropriate Customs officer, as provided in 19 U.S.C. 1459.
(d) Cruising licenses shall be in the following form:
License To Cruise in the Waters of the United States To Port Directors:
For a period of -------- from --------(Date) the --------(Flag) -------- (Rig) yacht --------(Name) belonging to ---------------- of (Owner's name) ----------------(Address) shall be permitted to arrive at and depart from the United States and to cruise in the waters of the Customs port of________________________________________________________________________
(Name of port or ports)without entering and clearing, without filing manifests and obtaining or delivering permits to proceed, and without the payment of entry and clearance fees, or fees for receiving manifests and granting permits to proceed, duty on tonnage, tonnage tax, or light money.
This license is granted subject to the condition that the yacht named herein shall not engage in trade or violate the laws of the United States in any respect. Upon arrival at each port or place in the United States, the master shall report the fact of arrival to the Customs officer at the nearest customhouse. Such report shall be immediately made.
Issued this ---------- day of --------------, 19----________________________________________________________________________
(Port Director of Customs)
Warning: This vessel is dutiable:
(1) If owned by a resident of the United States (including Puerto Rico), or brought into the United States (including Puerto Rico), for sale or charter to a resident thereof, or
(2) If brought into the United States (including Puerto Rico) by a nonresident free of duty as part of personal effects and sold or chartered within one year from date of entry.
Any offer to sell or charter (for example, a listing with yacht brokers or agents) is considered evidence that the vessel was brought in for sale or charter to a resident or, if made within one year of entry of a vessel brought in free of duty as personal effects, that the vessel no longer is for the personal use of the non-resident.
If the vessel is sold or chartered, or offered for sale or charter, in the circumstances described, without the owner first having filed a consumption entry and having paid duty, the vessel may be subject to seizure or to a monetary claim equal to the value of the vessel. See Chapter 89, Additional U.S. Note 1, HTSUS, and subheadings 8903.10, 8903.91, 8903.92, 8903.99.10, 8903.99.20, and 8903.99.90, HTSUS.
(e) A foreign-flag yacht which is not in possession of a cruising license shall be required to comply with the laws applicable to foreign vessels arriving at, departing from, and proceeding between ports of the United States. [T.D. 69-266, 34 FR 20423, Dec. 31, 1969]
Editorial Note: For Federal Register citations affecting Sec. 4.94, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the printed volume and at www.fdsys.gov. Sec. 4.94a Large yachts imported for sale.
(a) General. An otherwise dutiable vessel used primarily for recreation or pleasure and exceeding 79 feet in length that has been previously sold by a manufacturer or dealer to a retail consumer and that is imported with the intention to offer for sale at a boat show in the United States may qualify at the time of importation for a deferral of entry completion and deposit of duty. The following requirements and conditions will apply in connection with a deferral of entry completion and duty deposit under this section:
(1) The importer of record must certify to Customs in writing that the vessel is being imported pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 1484b for sale at a boat show in the United States;
(2) The certification referred to in paragraph (a)(1) of this section must be accompanied by the posting of a single entry bond containing the terms and conditions set forth in appendix C of part 113 of this chapter. The bond will have a duration of 6 months after the date of importation of the vessel, and no extensions of the bond period will be allowed;
(3) The filing of the certification and the posting of the bond in accordance with this section will permit Customs to determine whether the vessel may be released;
(4) All subsequent transactions with Customs involving the vessel in question, including any transaction referred to in paragraphs (b) through (d) of this section, must be carried out in the same port of entry in which the certification was filed and the bond was posted under this section; and
(5) The vessel in question will not be eligible for issuance of a cruising license under Sec. 4.94 and must comply with the laws respecting vessel entry and clearance when moving between ports of entry during the 6-month bond period prescribed under this section.
(b) Exportation within 6-month period. If a vessel for which entry completion and duty payment are deferred under paragraph (a) of this section is not sold but is exported within the 6-month bond period specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, the importer of record must inform Customs in writing of that fact within 30 calendar days after the date of exportation. The bond posted with Customs will be returned to the importer of record and no entry completion and duty payment will be required. The exported vessel will be precluded from reentry under the terms of paragraph (a) of this section for a period of 3 months after the date of exportation.
(c) Sale within 6-month period. If the sale of a vessel for which entry completion and duty payment are deferred under paragraph (a) of this section is completed within the 6-month bond period specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, the importer of record within 15 calendar days after completion of the sale must complete the entry by filing an Entry Summary (Customs Form 7501) and must deposit the appropriate duty (calculated at the applicable rates provided for under subheading 8903.91.00 or 8903.92.00 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States and based upon the value of the vessel at the time of importation). Upon entry completion and deposit of duty under this paragraph, the bond posted with Customs will be returned to the importer of record.
(d) Expiration of bond period. If the 6-month bond period specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section expires without either the completed sale or the exportation of a vessel for which entry completion and duty payment are deferred under paragraph (a) of this section, the importer of record within 15 calendar days after expiration of that 6-month period must complete the entry by filing an Entry Summary (Customs Form 7501) and must deposit the appropriate duty (calculated at the applicable rates provided for under subheading 8903.91.00 or 8903.92.00 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States and based upon the value of the vessel at the time of importation). Upon entry completion and deposit of duty under this paragraph, the bond posted with Customs will be returned to the importer of record, and a new bond on Customs Form 301, containing the bond conditions set forth in Sec. 113.62 of this chapter, may be required by the appropriate port director. [68 FR 13625, Mar. 20, 2003]