# Boating in Cancun



## Bugbudy (May 6, 2016)

New to the forum, pls excuse me if I don't know protocol. My problem:

I've been in Cancun for about four months and my Mexican citizen wife bought a 25 ft fishing panga. Finally jumped through all the hoops and is now registered to her because I didn't have a CURP or a RFC. After paying all the fees, I was told no foreigner can legally operate a Mexican registered boat, and in fact, you must be a natural born Mexican to qualify to operate a boat of any size in Mexico. 

Additionally, was told by the port captain I needed to take a 16 hour class even if I were Mexican to operate a boat. He went on to tell me if I had an American flagged boat I could legally operate it in Mexico, after paying a small temporary import fee. Can anyone tell me if I'm getting accurate information,or suggestions on how to solve this? Wondering if I can just register the boat in USA then operate it here.


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## chuck846 (Jan 15, 2016)

Bugbudy said:


> and in fact, you must be a natural born Mexican to qualify to operate a boat of any size in Mexico.


That seems like a stretch. There are a lot of 'wealthy' Americans who frequent the Mexican waters for fishing. Those folk travel the world fishing.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

I think the port captain gave you the correct information. Not sure if you must be “natural born“, or if you could qualify by being naturalized, which you can do after a couple of years married to a Mexican. That might solve your problem, but may be a situation unfamiliar to the port captain.


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## chuck846 (Jan 15, 2016)

RVGRINGO said:


> I think the port captain gave you the correct information. Not sure if you must be “natural born“, or if you could qualify by being naturalized, which you can do after a couple of years married to a Mexican. That might solve your problem, but may be a situation unfamiliar to the port captain.


So I put about 2 minutes into this search but :

MexOnline.com - Taking Your Boat To Mexico - Official Government Information

Is the difference permanent residency versus temporary/non ? 

There are a lot of people who fish Mexican waters with their 70' boats - for tournament. Are you suggesting that they need to have a Mexican national pilot their boats ?


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

chuck846 said:


> So I put about 2 minutes into this search but :
> 
> MexOnline.com - Taking Your Boat To Mexico - Official Government Information
> 
> ...


The difference is a Mexican registered boat versus a non-Mexican registered boat. Lots of people bring their US boats to Mexico (Search for Baja HaHa). He wants to pilot a Mexican boat.


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## chuck846 (Jan 15, 2016)

TundraGreen said:


> The difference is a Mexican registered boat versus a non-Mexican registered boat. Lots of people bring their US boats to Mexico (Search for Baja HaHa). He wants to pilot a Mexican boat.


So - to recap - I as a US expat who someday (hopefully) have my Mexican citizenship - will not be allowed to pilot my own Mexican vessel - as small as it may be.

If that is true that is almost as bad as the current US political options.

Edit : I read recently that no one but a Mexican (natural) national can get a Mexican pilots license.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

chuck846 said:


> So - to recap - I as a US expat who someday (hopefully) have my Mexican citizenship - will not be allowed to pilot my own Mexican vessel - as small as it may be.
> 
> If that is true that is almost as bad as the current US political options.
> 
> Edit : I read recently that no one but a Mexican (natural) national can get a Mexican pilots license.


Could there be a difference between taking the helm of your own boat or any private boat and being the captain of a commercial ship or boat. I couldn't find anything definitive about boats, but one source said essentially that about planes: a non-Mexican could fly a private plane but not a commercial one.


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## ExpatEmigre (Nov 22, 2015)

Only US-built (and owned) vessels may be documented (federally) in the US. And that boat probably isn't big enough to get official documentation anyway, but more info would be needed. 
You might be able to get a state title, but my professional experience is in federal documentation, so I don't really know.


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## byresch (Mar 4, 2016)

ExpatEmigre said:


> Only US-built (and owned) vessels may be documented (federally) in the US. And that boat probably isn't big enough to get official documentation anyway, but more info would be needed.
> You might be able to get a state title, but my professional experience is in federal documentation, so I don't really know.


I owned a Jeanneau, French built, that was documented federally in the US. I do not know about being US owned but I do know it does not have to be US built based on experience.


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## ExpatEmigre (Nov 22, 2015)

byresch said:


> I owned a Jeanneau, French built, that was documented federally in the US. I do not know about being US owned but I do know it does not have to be US built based on experience.


To receive a fisheries or coastwise endorsement, evidence of US-build must be provided. Perhaps I misunderstood OP's intended purpose for the vessel. But, unless it is at least 5 net tonnes (and the boat OP mentioned _probably_ isn't), it is not eligible for documentation, even for a recreational endorsement. 

As to US-ownership, *all* vessels documented in the US must be owned by US persons. See 46 U.S.C sec. 12103(b). (There are corporate & beneficial ownership rules as well, but they appear irrelevant here.)

As to state registration, there would be excise or personal-property taxes due to the chosen state, and I am not aware of a state that will allow a non-resident to register (but such a state might exist).


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## ExpatEmigre (Nov 22, 2015)

Technically, you might get a certificate of documentation as a small passenger vessel. I have no experience in such a situation (and I don't think the boat you mentioned qualifies, OP).
Contact the USCG National Vessel Documentation Centre (in, of all places, Falling Waters, WV) at 800-799-8362.


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## chuck846 (Jan 15, 2016)

In the States we had a 25' Boston Whaler. It was undocumented. Our neighbor had a 27' Pursuit. It was documented.

It has been a few years now but I spent a week diving with an American off the Mexican coast between Tulum and Puerto Aventuras. We dove a small panga style boat - which if he wasn't the owner of he might have been the money behind. He kept it anchored in the water behind a hotel. When we went out we had a Mexican 'captain' on the boat. Kind of like 'rent-a-captain'. The American guy handled the boat traversing the shallow waters crossing reefs etc. Perhaps an arrangement like that would work for you. It would give you more time to fish and/or have someone on the surface if you were to dive.


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## ExpatEmigre (Nov 22, 2015)

25' is right around where boats can begin to cross the 5-tonne threshold, which is why I keep saying OP's vessel likely can't be documented. The CG personnel at the NVDC are pretty friendly & helpful, if you want to explore options. I suspect that chuck846's idea might be the easiest in practice, though.


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