General Documents for Entry at Foreign Ports

[lituya1617]

Insurance is required to enter Mexico with a yacht. I have serious objections to this but have to comply so I worked out a way to get the required insurance certificate - from the required Mexican company, your American insurance will not be honored - at a minimum cost. I usually enter at Isla Mujeres. Here is what I do. I enter the harbor at first light or late in the evening when I know all the officials are out of their offices, tie up at the gas dock, bypass the entire gauntlet of ship agents, harbor master, immigration, agricultural inspection, etc. and walk to the nearest internet cafe. There I go online and purchase a one-day insurance policy and print out the required certificate of insurance. This costs about $20 by credit card. Then I go to the office of the harbor master when it opens and tell them I am there. They raise a fuss when I also bypass hiring a ship agent (one is not required by Mexican law) and save myself the $85 to $100 fee. I go to the agricultural inspection office, a short walk, and get a certificate of inspection which sometimes requires no actual inspection. I go to the Immigration Office - another short walk - and buy a $15 tourist visa for 30 days. Then I take the required documents to the Harbor Master and he will grumpily check me in. He is none too happy that I did not pay his brother the ship agent but who cares? To enter Mexico you need only a rental agreement on your yacht or a state registration, not US Documentation. I have never had US documentation demanded by any country. You just need an official piece of paper that shows you own the boat. You do need a passport. You can get along very well on your own in many foreign ports and the utility of a ship agent is minimal.

[svjobeth]

Originally Posted by lituya1617

Insurance is required to enter Mexico with a yacht. I have serious objections to this but have to comply so I worked out a way to get the required insurance certificate - from the required Mexican company, your American insurance will not be honored - at a minimum cost. I usually enter at Isla Mujeres. Here is what I do. I enter the harbor at first light or late in the evening when I know all the officials are out of their offices, tie up at the gas dock, bypass the entire gauntlet of ship agents, harbor master, immigration, agricultural inspection, etc. and walk to the nearest internet cafe. There I go online and purchase a one-day insurance policy and print out the required certificate of insurance. This costs about $20 by credit card. Then I go to the office of the harbor master when it opens and tell them I am there. They raise a fuss when I also bypass hiring a ship agent (one is not required by Mexican law) and save myself the $85 to $100 fee. I go to the agricultural inspection office, a short walk, and get a certificate of inspection which sometimes requires no actual inspection. I go to the Immigration Office - another short walk - and buy a $15 tourist visa for 30 days. Then I take the required documents to the Harbor Master and he will grumpily check me in. He is none too happy that I did not pay his brother the ship agent but who cares? To enter Mexico you need only a rental agreement on your yacht or a state registration, not US Documentation. I have never had US documentation demanded by any country. You just need an official piece of paper that shows you own the boat. You do need a passport. You can get along very well on your own in many foreign ports and the utility of a ship agent is minimal.

I've read that about Mexico. And while we have no plans (as of now) to cruise there, things may change. Good info; thank you for sharing.