Anyone ever ship a yacht to the philippines?

N

nuccifilms

New Member
Joined
8 Sep 2016
Messages
14
Visit site
my goal is to purchase my 33' yacht from greenline, and get her to palawan, philippines. some sources have scared me into thinking that purchasing a $300K yacht is the easy part :(

http://greenlinehybrid.com

over the next year i need to become educated on all i must know, all necessary steps, the pitfalls, etc. i'm literally just getting started, and at this stage i know just enough to find myself in trouble.

"greenline 33" purchase factory direct from slovenia $291,000 USD
shipping from slovenia to subic bay, PH $15,000 (subtotal $306,000)
15% import tax $45,900
12% VAT charge $36,720
.5% releasing cost $1,530
total $390,150 for my palace on the water

and THEN i've heard contrary reports, that i can avoid the $90K in fees by registering the new vessel in a duty free region like Delaware, USA??? a $90K in fees is a obviously a HUGE difference. i'm told by the PH yacht clubs, that most of their yachts are foreign registered, and their only restriction is that they cannot use them for business. so my big question is, what happens when my, US registered, $306K investment arrives on container in Subic Bay, PH? is it just the $1,530 releasing cost i'd be paying? (not even sure what releasing cost is?)
 
welcome to the forum.

Doubt anybody here has enough knowledge of the law on boats in the Philippines. Using a "flag of convenience" like Delaware is very common in countries where the owner wishes to either avoid local taxes (as you are) or hide their ownership from the government. You need to take local advice as to whether it applies in your situation. If it is an established process, almost certainly there will be somebody (lawyer, boat dealer, broker etc) locally who can advise you.
 
Ì have zero expertise in such matters, but have you considered a delivery skipper? Another thing, Delaware reg doesn't prove title, as far as I know. If you're British, why not go for UK part 1 reg?
 
Slow internet here, the builder's website finally opened. Forget a delivery skipper for that sort of distance in a mobo.
 
thanks, any advice helps. in fact, the boat dealer is where i got the delaware registration advice. he said it's done on most his sales, and it's no trouble. i was like, "really, how many boats from your company to you have in the philippines?" (. . . none). can't wait to be back in philippines to talk to anyone with a motor yacht (all 10 of them) got a year to keep inquiring. it's just very unnerving to navigate in waters where one says "no problem, you'll do it duty free", while another says i'm in for a customs nightmare, be ready to pay for your boat twice.
 
amen to that!! not exactly about to throw half my net worth on an impulsive, sketchy proposition. i got 2 years to learn what i can. i feel a bit dumb, as it's a blank canvas at this point. a used boat already comes in as a much better investment (if you can call a boat an investment) but all those hours of stored up lithium battery power and solar panels on a modern designed hull of the greenline 33 seems like the way of the future in pleasure yachts. who knows, 2 years from now i could be an authority on living like a king on the sea on an average home owners budget?
 
Given the historic and current political system in the Philippines, I would say that you have no chance whatsoever of being able to import any yacht whatsoever without paying exorbitant and completely unpredictable duties, levies, taxes, bribes, kickbacks. Why do you want to do this?
 
yes, that is what i go into this thinking as well. the challange is to find out what is possible, and at what risk or cost. on the other end, the decent but used 30 something foot yachts for sale in PH are few and far between, so prices are grossly inflated. then there's paying a builder the equivalent in money for a yacht built in PH, which is no way compared to a factory hybrid powered yacht from Greenline. it would be as silly as thinking you could build a ferarri from scratch to save on the cost of purchasing one. yeah, good luck with that.
 
nuccifilms, just a thought, I think most of the people on this forum own sail boats. There is also a very popular motor boat forum on here, where I am sure you will find mobo owners who have actually had their pride and joy shipped great distances.

Although it is frowned upon to "double post", I do think that you will get far better answers from that forum. May I suggest that you ask a moderator to move this post to the mobo forum or get them to delete it and then you can start afresh?
 
thanks a bunch for that advice. hong kong is an even shorter skip away and is supposedly tarrif friendly, so i've been exploring that possibility
 
Hi there.

Is there a specific reason you chose the Philippines?

As has been eluded to already possibly not the most stable place to base yourself.

US $ 15,000 to ship a boat from Europe to Asia sounds very low. My guess would be more like GBP £ 30-40,000 for the shipping to somewhere like Singapore.

Once landed in Singapore it would be a simple enough cruise up to Langkawi in the North of Malaysia. There you benefit from tax free status. Using Delaware may or may not afford you tax free status in Asia but you are a long way from "home" and not everyone is sympathetic to the US flag. Should the unthinkable happen and Mr Trump becomes president who knows what could happen :)

Being based in Langkawi would allow you to explore Malaysia and also the delights of Thailand. Phang Nga Bay is an easy potter from Langkawi. Your boat can remain in Thailand for 12 months before you need to pop back to Langkawi.

Moorings in Langkawi are civilised and cheap. Last time I was there in a 42 foot boat the alongside Marina pontoon berth cost us just over £10 for the night, (walk ashore).

Asia is still developing its private boating infrastructure, I would choose somewhere able to provide as much support as possible when considering where to base myself.

Henry :)
 
henryf said:
Hi there.

Is there a specific reason you chose the Philippines?

As has been eluded to already possibly not the most stable place to base yourself.

US $ 15,000 to ship a boat from Europe to Asia sounds very low. My guess would be more like GBP £ 30-40,000 for the shipping to somewhere like Singapore.

Once landed in Singapore it would be a simple enough cruise up to Langkawi in the North of Malaysia. There you benefit from tax free status. Using Delaware may or may not afford you tax free status in Asia but you are a long way from "home" and not everyone is sympathetic to the US flag. Should the unthinkable happen and Mr Trump becomes president who knows what could happen :)

Being based in Langkawi would allow you to explore Malaysia and also the delights of Thailand. Phang Nga Bay is an easy potter from Langkawi. Your boat can remain in Thailand for 12 months before you need to pop back to Langkawi.

Moorings in Langkawi are civilised and cheap. Last time I was there in a 42 foot boat the alongside Marina pontoon berth cost us just over £10 for the night, (walk ashore).

Asia is still developing its private boating infrastructure, I would choose somewhere able to provide as much support as possible when considering where to base myself.

Henry :)
Click to expand...
 
thanks so much henry. that was enlightening. as i explore what is possible and practical, my direction becomes more clear. my wife is a philippine citizen. we are attached to PH and her family there. palawan philippines is stunning beautiful, so i was sold with that prospect. any powered yacht mooring i their harbors is a foriegn vessel. the owners of thr marina in porta princesa, palawan are an american couple that welcome us open arms.

$15,000 USD was the price that the slovania builder told me it cost to ship his 33 foot boats to japan. i thought it was low as well. i'm currently exploring customs in hong kong port of entry, as well as visiting palawan marinas in a few months to talk to foreign yacht owners. my plans will evolve as the information comes in. thanks again
 
nuccifilms said:
my goal is to purchase my 33' yacht from greenline, and get her to palawan, philippines. some sources have scared me into thinking that purchasing a $300K yacht is the easy part :(

http://greenlinehybrid.com

over the next year i need to become educated on all i must know, all necessary steps, the pitfalls, etc. i'm literally just getting started, and at this stage i know just enough to find myself in trouble.

"greenline 33" purchase factory direct from slovenia $291,000 USD
shipping from slovenia to subic bay, PH $15,000 (subtotal $306,000)
15% import tax $45,900
12% VAT charge $36,720
.5% releasing cost $1,530
total $390,150 for my palace on the water

and THEN i've heard contrary reports, that i can avoid the $90K in fees by registering the new vessel in a duty free region like Delaware, USA??? a $90K in fees is a obviously a HUGE difference. i'm told by the PH yacht clubs, that most of their yachts are foreign registered, and their only restriction is that they cannot use them for business. so my big question is, what happens when my, US registered, $306K investment arrives on container in Subic Bay, PH? is it just the $1,530 releasing cost i'd be paying? (not even sure what releasing cost is?)
Click to expand...

Generally if your import into the philippines or any country for that matter is a permanent one you will still have to pay import duty and VAT irrespective of the country of registration.

If you do it as a temporary import not VAT or duty will be payable but in most countries you will only be allowed to keep the boat in that country for a limited period of time, then it must be removed. This time does vary from country to country and some countries also have a minimum time that the boat must be out of the country for the clock to restart.

If you are migrating to the Philippines or are a returning resident then there may be special arrangements for importing personal goods.

I would check either with the Philippines embassy or a clearing that ships goods to the Philippines.

This thread my also help you.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f57/import-duty-on-a-yacht-into-the-philippines-59411.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
nuccifilms said:
thanks so much henry. that was enlightening. as i explore what is possible and practical, my direction becomes more clear. my wife is a philippine citizen. we are attached to PH and her family there. palawan philippines is stunning beautiful, so i was sold with that prospect. any powered yacht mooring i their harbors is a foriegn vessel. the owners of thr marina in porta princesa, palawan are an american couple that welcome us open arms.

$15,000 USD was the price that the slovania builder told me it cost to ship his 33 foot boats to japan. i thought it was low as well. i'm currently exploring customs in hong kong port of entry, as well as visiting palawan marinas in a few months to talk to foreign yacht owners. my plans will evolve as the information comes in. thanks again
Click to expand...

I can understand the attraction of having a boat in Palawan. It is a beautiful area and would be lovely for cruising (if you are happy with anchoring and don't desire marinas every night) and obviously the solar power element of the boat would really come into its own. However, my concern with running a single shaft presumably relatively sophisiticated hybrid motor boat in the area is the lack of support for such a type of vessel. Not only with spares availability and technical expertise in the area but what assistance and how can you summon help if you have a problem at sea?

I'm quite happy running a single shaft in Europe because as a last resort you can always call for help but in the Philipinnes unless you were to stay close to your home port then I think I personally would go for something with a sail and an engine of course but then I like my cruising as well as just days out. Generally, I think its fair to say most leisure mobos in the Philipinnes are twin engined whereas of course all the fishing boat are single but then they have their mates to help them out I expect.
 
soooooo much unforseen. it's scary to know if i'll ever have a 100% assurance of what to expect. appreciate the different areas to consider. i've had a life as a mechanic and engineer. so i don't feel quite as vinerable with a single shaft design as perhaps many orher boating couples. plus the electric powered mode, solar panels reduces my only dependency on the failure of the prop itself. perhaps you've enlightened me to carry a spare with necessary tools and procedure to swap propeller in an emergency? plus, i don't ever see myself out of view of a shoreline and communication.

feedback i've been getting so far is to register my boat "jersey, UK" an "deleware, USA". as most cruising yachts in philippines are foreign. what happens when it arrives at port on containe remains the most questionable. currently waiting to hear from a hong kong customs broker, as i'm already quick to throw in the towel on closer philippines ports. once over shipping hurdles and water n a philippines, i feel home free. speaking to retired foreign couples, you get a sense you are welcomed with open arms. after all, our presence in a philippine port is good for the local economy and good for all.

thanks for feedback, and others please chime in with anything to add
 
Last edited:
Why import a boat?

There are expatriate British and Australian power boat builders in the Philippines - in Subic Bay - who, for that sort of money, will build you a boat of equal or better specification and optimised for local conditions. I have seen some of their work and it is outstanding. Get on a plane and see for yourself. They have good local craftsmen, they will deal with all the Customs issues on the imported components, and you will get a boat built in the Philippines and immune from duty and VAT issues.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top