Clearing Customs

[Pixie Dust]

Question for you experienced cruisers or avid readers. 
If you are traveling and only come into an anchorage of a different country to spend a night or 2, no shore going and will then be proceeding on, do you still have to clear in and out of customs?
Also- if you just go into a marina to fuel up and spend the night prior to moving on, same question. 

[Frank]

Best of my knowledge....if you are sailing in another countries waters...you are to register @ customs and immagration. Most marinas have customs right there in the Bahamas.People have been fined for not registering before spending the night. BUT...many chance it

[Norm]

My experience is as a yacht owner and/or delivery skipper in the Caribbean between Puerto Rico and Trinidad.  

All countries expect you to clear in and out, pay excise taxes, and observe all the rules no matter how long you are inside the territorial waters of the country and no matter what you are doing there.  That's the answer I have always gottten when I ask that very question of Customs and/or Immigration officers.  As a delivery skipper, your question matters to me.  So, I query officials.

Fact is... Caribbean enforcement is practically non-existent.  But... why risk losing your boat for the inconvenience of a couple hours with an offical.

Anecdote:  The Puerto Ricans routinely go over to the USVI and BVI bays during long weekends without clearing in.  Nothing happens at all.  The officals often have the weekend off, too!  There are hundred's of other stories swopped over drinks at waterfront bars worldwide.  Dodging port officials is a popular topic!

In practical terms, if you are anchoring overnight and leaving the territorial waters quickly, I'd never think of going ashore and doing the clearance dance.  I wouldn't make too many stops along the way, however.

Example:  Let us assume you are sailing from Antigua to Dominica, clearing out on a Monday morning.  It is a 150 nm sail that will take about 1 1/2 to 2 days in a 30 footer... if you don't stop and anchor.  The officals in Dominica know that and would expect you to sail Monday and Tuesday clearing in at Dominica early Wednesday morning.  Suppose you stop along the way and the trip stretches out to a Thursday or Friday arrival with a weekend morning check in?  Expect questions!  Their assumption is that you were doing something illegal in their country during the days you were in Guadeloupe anchored or chugging through the days of dead calm that is the lee of the island.  How do you prove a negative?

The Caribbean Islands are fairly slack about enforcement.  The USA is rigorous.  I was threated with imprisonment for stepping off the boat in Portland, ME to telephone Homeland Security and advise them of my arrival.  Seems... I should have had a cellular telephone to call from the harbor before landing.  Blah blah.

Oh... it is worth the hassle and you'll have some fun stories for cocktail parties during the years that follow your cruise.

Best, Norman

[Joe Pyrat]

Norm, I understood there were exemptions for transient vessels which were anchoring  for crew rest, storm avoidance, repairs etc. and where no crew members were coming ashore.  I take it this is not "technically" the case?

[Captain Smollett]

I thought that was the case, too.  Also, It's my understanding (and I've read this repeatedly from a NUMBER of sources) that US Policy allows for the Captain of a vessel to go ashore for the purpose of clearing in; it sounds like some bureaucrat was being a jerk by saying you HAD to call first on a cell phone.

One question, though.  Why Homeland Security instead of Customs?  As far as I can tell, US Customs is still a separate agency.  Should they not be the ones you contact at an official Port of Entry to "Clear In"?

[AdriftAtSea]

Norm-

I'm guessing that the threats were post 9/11. 

I believe that Customs, Immigration and the Border Patrol are all now under the DHS umbrella now. 

I also understand that customs check in some foreign countries can depend on whether the vessel is USCG documented vs. US state registered.  Some foreign countries, especially ones not near the USA, do not recognize state registration as legitimate documentation for a boat.  In that case, I've been told that state-registered boats must check in with customs and immigration at every port, and USCG documented boats can check in once, and then check out once, rather than having to do so at every port.

[Joe Pyrat]

DHS is a department, like the Department of Interior which includes the National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, etc.  Here's an org chart of DHS.  You can kind of skip the upper tiers and go directly to the bottom to see what DHS includes.

WARNING!!!  The following chart may not be suitable for all viewers.  If you are paranoid about the government, exercise caution and proceed at your own risk.   ;)

http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/DHS_OrgChart.pdf  (<- Edited to reflect the new chart location after the DHS site was revamped - CapnK)

[Norm]

Hello.  Just back from a training cruise.  Getting caught up with the talk at sailfar.  The start of a good day!

In Portland, Maine, there is a secure Custom and Immigration dock.  After landing there, one is supposed to celular-telephone the authorities who come down, open teh gate, and clear you in.  Amusingly, my VHF call to the USCG and two different marinas yielded none of this information.  It was the Customs officer who told me about it later.  When I telephoned Customs Central located at some inland place in Maine they told me to wait where I was and an offficer would arrive.  That happened. (I got the feeling that they are part of Homeland Security but couldn't swear to it.  They are guys in blue uniforms carrying 9mm sidearms and ticket books.  Yes, sir.  No, sir.  Jump through a hoop, sir.)

After the formalities, which were VERY FIRM, polite and professional... the two officers, one each of Customs and Immigration guys... allowed that they were jerked wround with a new set of regulations each day.  Maybe firm because a failure on their part to properly execute some obscure command would result in their disciplinary action, etc?  We sympathized and they asked about clearance proceedures in the Caribbean.  We cahtted and parted with handshakes all around.

The point is... try to find out what's required before you leave.  I find that asking on the VHF radio net if anyone has just returned from a place I am destined is helpful.  And... getting back into the USA is arduous so plan that very carefully.

Best, Norman
Boston

[AdriftAtSea]

Unfortunately, it seems that the regulations, at least in the US, are currently in a state of flux. I'd agree that you should find out what is expected before you make landfall, but it isn't always possible to do that.

Norm's point about the Custom's personnel being professionals, but subject to DHS's rules, which don't seem to be all that stable at the moment.