Buying in Florida and bringing the boat to Panama is four jobs: buy it cleanly in Florida, handle any US export filing, get it south by sea or on a transport ship, and clear it into Panama as either a visitor in transit or a definitive import. Decide which before you buy: it changes what you can pay.
Decide the Panama status before you buy
The boat will arrive in Panama in one of two ways. As a visitor in transit it keeps its US documentation or other foreign flag, pays no Panamanian duty and can stay up to 24 months under Decreto Ejecutivo 4 of 2025. As a definitive import it pays duty, and possibly 7% ITBMS, through a customs broker, then usually takes Panamanian registration. The difference is explained in in transit vs imported.
Two things bought in Florida change the import bill:
- Where the boat was built. Under the US–Panama Trade Promotion Agreement, Panama's duty on pleasure boats was eliminated in 2012 for boats that originate in the United States. A US-built boat may be duty-free; a European- or Asian-built boat bought in Florida is not covered.
- The price on the bill of sale. Panamanian duty is charged on the CIF value, which starts from that price.
Get a Panamanian customs broker's view of the tariff code and rate while you are still negotiating. Details are in importing a boat into Panama.
Buying the boat in Florida
The Florida purchase works the same as for any buyer: check title or USCG documentation, run a lien search, survey and sea-trial the boat, and close through escrow. The site's Florida guides cover each step: how to buy a boat in Florida and, if you are not a US resident, buying a Florida boat as a foreign buyer.
Florida sales and use tax applies to boats sold in the state, with special rules for boats that leave Florida soon after purchase. Read Florida boat sales and use tax before closing, and do the paperwork with the dealer or broker at the time of sale. Missing it afterwards is expensive.
Ask the seller for originals you will need in Panama: the bill of sale, builder's certificate or proof of where the boat was built, engine serial numbers and the documentation or title history.
The US export side: EEI and documentation
Whether you file an export record depends on who owns the boat when it leaves.
- A US owner taking their own boat to Panama. US export rules exempt vessels moving without a transfer of ownership or title from Electronic Export Information (EEI) filing (15 CFR 30.37). A US-owned pleasure boat also does not need a CBP clearance to leave, as explained in sailing from Florida to Panama.
- A boat sold to a buyer abroad. If the boat is moving because it was sold from US ownership to ownership abroad, for example to a Panamanian company, EEI must be filed in the Automated Export System (15 CFR 30.26). The country of destination is the country of new ownership. A freight forwarder or the seller's broker usually files it.
If the boat will take the Panama flag, the US documentation has to be deleted first; Panama will not register a boat still on another registry. The Florida side is in selling a boat for export. Keep US documentation if the boat will cruise Panama as a visitor.
Getting it there: sail, deliver or ship
| Option | Suits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Sail it yourself | Capable offshore crews with time | Weather windows, insurance navigation limits |
| Hire a delivery captain | Owners who will fly in later | Insurer approval of the skipper, written contract |
| Yacht transport ship | Powerboats with limited range, tight timelines | No scheduled Panama port on the main lines we checked |
| Container or flat rack | Small boats, roughly 12 m and under | Unstepping masts, crane and launch at the far end |
The sea route is roughly 1,200 to 1,450 nm from Miami to Colón; routes and seasons are in sailing from Florida to Panama. Hiring a skipper is in boat delivery captains. Transport lines and ports are in shipping a boat to Panama.
Arriving and choosing the status
A boat that sails in clears in at a port of entry like any yacht: Migración, the AMP port captain and, where posted, Aduanas. See arriving in Panama by boat. It then holds visitor status. If you plan to import, you can do it straight away or later, but before the 24-month limit.
A boat that arrives as cargo comes off a ship at a commercial port, and Aduanas needs a declaration before it is released. Have your customs broker engaged before the ship arrives so they can file either the definitive import or the temporary admission. Rules for visitors while you decide are in foreign-flagged boats in Panama.
What to budget for
- Purchase price, survey and escrow in Florida.
- Florida sales tax, unless an exemption applies.
- Delivery: crew fees, fuel, provisions and return flights, or transport freight, cradle and marine cargo insurance.
- Panamanian clearance charges and the cruising permit.
- If importing: duty, any ITBMS, the broker's fee and AMP registration. Estimate them with the boat import tax estimator.
- A Panamanian marina berth or dry storage from the day the boat arrives.
Your practical starting checklist
- Decide whether the boat will stay in transit or be imported.
- Get a Panamanian broker's view of the duty before you agree a price.
- Buy in Florida with title, lien, survey and sales-tax paperwork done properly.
- File EEI if the boat is moving because of a sale to an owner abroad.
- Sail, deliver or ship the boat, with insurance covering every leg.
- Clear in at a Panamanian port of entry or through the cargo port.
- Import and register, or diary the 24-month transit limit.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to file EEI to take my own boat from Florida to Panama?
Not if ownership is not changing: 15 CFR 30.37 exempts vessels moving without a transfer of ownership or title. If the boat was sold to an owner abroad, EEI is required under 15 CFR 30.26.
Is a US-built boat cheaper to import into Panama?
It can be. The US–Panama Trade Promotion Agreement removed Panama's duty on US-originating pleasure boats in 2012, so ask your broker what proof of origin they need.
Can I keep US documentation on a boat in Panama?
Yes, while it is a visitor in transit, up to 24 months. If you import it and want Panamanian registration, the US documentation has to be deleted first.
Is there a yacht transport ship from Florida to Panama?
We found no scheduled Panama port on the main yacht transport lines we checked in November 2026. DYT lists Port Everglades to Golfito, Costa Rica, and smaller boats can travel in containers or on flat racks.
The next question to answer
The international buying and selling hub. Read Buying and selling across borders.
Duty, ITBMS, broker and paperwork. Read Importing a boat into Panama.
Yacht transport, containers and ports. Read Shipping a boat to Panama.
Same topic in Florida: coming from the US? Compare How to Buy a Boat in Florida.
Official resources
Use the relevant Panamanian authority for current requirements and fees. These resources are the next place to check; a practical recommendation is not an agency determination.
- 15 CFR 30.26: EEI for vessels sold to foreign ownership (Cornell LII) ↗
- 15 CFR 30.37: EEI exemptions (Cornell LII) ↗
- US International Trade Administration: US–Panama Trade Promotion Agreement ↗
- US–Panama TPA, Annex 3.3: Panama industrial tariff schedule (base rates, heading 89.03) ↗
- Gaceta Oficial: Decreto Ejecutivo 4 of 11 February 2025 (nautical tourism) ↗
- DYT Yacht Transport: sailing schedules (operator, checked Nov 2026) ↗