Leaving a country after change in ownership

[tarkaadventures]

With the sale of my boat, I now want to make sure I leave Panama correctly. The boat was cleared into the country under US flag with me as the Captain, and now has a new owner, and will have a new flag when it leaves the country.

Is there anything I need to make sure I do with the authorities here before leaving the country?

[belizesailor]

Unlike a car, with a boat there is no indication in your passport that you brought a boat into the country. You are free to leave.

The only issue might be when the boat goes go clear out again. I suggest asking the local port captain about that. Where is the boat now?

Assuming the sale has been legally concluded then the boat is technically no longer your problem, but it would be a nice gesture.

[Shrew]

Either you leave the way you came in, or they are going to want to know what happened to you. If you're flying out, you may want to provide the new owner a copy of your plane ticket.

I would definitely contact the local officials.

[sailormed]

As the sale took place with the boat in Panama I hope they are not going to charge the new owner some kind of sale tax

[belizesailor]

No, they may ask since entry/exit points will be different (stamp shapes are different for different POEs), but its not an issue. Have done so many times in Panama (and other coutries to...most recently Portugal). They dont care. Again, there is no indication made in passport by Panamanian officials that he came in with, or even by, boat.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by sailormed

As the sale took place with the boat in Panama I hope they are not going to charge the new owner some kind of sale tax

Ive not bought or sold a boat in Panama, but know folks who have and none had this issue.

[john61ct]

If you plan on returning to Panama, you have an interest in assisting, at least confirming that their legal/final exit was smooth everything above board.

[CarinaPDX]

It's been a long time since I transited the canal and I don't remember the details of the paperwork. Generally speaking, in Central America and the Caribbean a crew list must be presented when entering the country. When leaving the country a new crew list is presented, along with a copy of the old one; a copy of the new crew list will be presented at the next entry. When leaving, if the new crew list does not include all those on the entry crew list there will usually be questions asked. In some places just saying that the missing crew had left by air is sufficient, but in others the captain is expected to have alerted the port captain as to the departure at the time the crew leaves, and have them removed from the crew list. Again, I don't know where Panama fits in this range.

Some places, like Gibraltar, are used by shipping companies for changing ownership because of the legal and tax environment. Others are more difficult. Sales tax is just one potential problem. In some places it might be required to import the boat first. These are things that the broker, or if not used a lawyer, should advise about. Of course if taxes were owed then the sale doesn't magically exempt the PO from tax liability. In practice boat sales between foreign owners does happen without issue in places where the law could be a problem.

As far as leaving, I would go to the port captain with the new owner and remove yourself from the crew list. You may need your airline ticket as proof of your departure.

Greg