Failed to clear in

[gmakhs]

There is a question that have been going on my.mind and j can't find the right answer .
Let's say that you visit a country , you hoist the Q flag , you visit the authorities but the prices and the formalities they have are too much for you .
What happens then since the boat failed to check in ? You just walk away or you have to check in ?
Until.now I have skip overcharges by just saying that I am gonna leave the country immediately but is that really possible ?

And about the boat papers there are some authorities who want to keep the papers until you meave for now I have Been denieing this , with success . But do they have the power to hold the papers ?

[Paul L]

There is no direct answer to this as not only every country but every port authority sets up their own 'rules' and interprtations. I've seen cases where the port guys liked you and basically waved a bunch of fees. I've seen cases where even after tbe 'offender' decided to pay the fees tbey were denied and told to leave immediately. It is far better to do your research in advance at say Noonsite and just not go if you aren't willing to pay. No point in gaming the system and leaving a dirty wake.

As to boat papers. We make quality two sided color copies along with many one sided B&W copies. We give them multiple B&W to keep. If they ask for the original we, with great care, hand them one of the color copies fully expecting it back.

[belizesailor]

Yes, you can just leave or be denied entry. They are in effect the same thing, but of course you do actually have to leave the country or likely face bigger consequences.

Petty officials can do most anything they want to and you have little to no recourse.

Where are you clearing into that you see as not feasible for you?

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Paul L

There is no direct answer to this as not only every country but every port authority sets up their own 'rules' and interprtations. I've seen cases where the port guys liked you and basically waved a bunch of fees. I've seen cases where even after tbe 'offender' decided to pay the fees tbey were denied and told to leave immediately. It is far better to do your research in advance at say Noonsite and just not go if you aren't willing to pay. No point in gaming the system and leaving a dirty wake.

As to boat papers. We make quality two sided color copies along with many one sided B&W copies. We give them multiple B&W to keep. If they ask for the original we, with great care, hand them one of the color copies fully expecting it back.

That’s a very good idea. Thanks

[gmakhs]

The copies didn't work where I am at the moment , I left the paper on the port police since I didn't have the enouph to pay (there are no banks here so I run out of.money hehe )
I did manage to get a transfer , so now I am going back to complete the procedures , but this situation made me thinking .

I will follow your advice and make high quality copies covered on plastic for protection .

I couldn't find any information on noonsite or other sources for the country I am visiting , at least the officials are kind and patient.

Finally the whole situation is a hard lesson learnt about keeping some more cash onboard and not expecting to find a bank .

[Paul L]

Why tbe secret on what country it is?

[gmakhs]

I don't want to create miss understanding , for the country formalities and make it look as a bad country to visit because of my mistakes , I have a post about West African coast that I am gonna update once I gather aall the valid data for the formalities , probably will be completed in the next 2 months when my cruise in Africa comes to an end .

[Palarran]

I've been using a copy instead of original for my boat papers for years. Normally the PP like it better. Maybe 1 out of 10 ask to see the original.

[scallowayuk]

Hi no offence but why are you cruising if you dont want to clear in .i have been cruising on and off since the 80s on a small budget but if i cant afford yo clear in ant the only time was anguilla i dont go there.the most expensive have been barbados and bermuda but still only about 40 dollars.as part of a cruising budget not a lot .i am in the canaries at the moment .i have cruising guides for my trips that tell me how much it costs to clear into wherether i want to go.for the last 3 years i have been cruising on a uk state pension .i spend on average less than £100 a week.you dont say what your budget is but if you cant afford to clear in why are you cruising and what boat do you have again no direspect intended.if the choice is paying to clear in or having a few restaurant meals i eat on my boat and pay my way with the authorities

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Paul L

There is no direct answer to this as not only every country but every port authority sets up their own 'rules' and interprtations. I've seen cases where the port guys liked you and basically waved a bunch of fees. I've seen cases where even after tbe 'offender' decided to pay the fees tbey were denied and told to leave immediately. It is far better to do your research in advance at say Noonsite and just not go if you aren't willing to pay. No point in gaming the system and leaving a dirty wake.

As to boat papers. We make quality two sided color copies along with many one sided B&W copies. We give them multiple B&W to keep. If they ask for the original we, with great care, hand them one of the color copies fully expecting it back.

I do similar w boat papers, lots of copies. With today's scan/print quality its very hard to tell the difference between copy and original.

I always avoid if possible turning over original anything.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by scallowayuk

Hi no offence but why are you cruising if you dont want to clear in .i have been cruising on and off since the 80s on a small budget but if i cant afford yo clear in ant the only time was anguilla i dont go there.the most expensive have been barbados and bermuda but still only about 40 dollars.as part of a cruising budget not a lot .i am in the canaries at the moment .i have cruising guides for my trips that tell me how much it costs to clear into wherether i want to go.for the last 3 years i have been cruising on a uk state pension .i spend on average less than £100 a week.you dont say what your budget is but if you cant afford to clear in why are you cruising and what boat do you have again no direspect intended.if the choice is paying to clear in or having a few restaurant meals i eat on my boat and pay my way with the authorities

Scallowayuk,

What appears to have happened is that OP planned to acquire local currency at a local bank after arrival, only to find there was no bank available to him. He has not complained about his treatment, but wrote that the officials had treated him with kindness and understanding. Having been cash poor, on arrival he felt embarrassed, then has posed a hypothetical question.

Ann

[gmakhs]

Ann , you are correct the only think I wanna add is that there is no bank at all , I found currency from a kind British lady who accepted to exchange some pounds I had for local currency so everything end up well .
As I said all.was my bad to expect to be ambank here .
I am still trying to answer the theoretical question .

[Dolphin460]

I have been cruising in the Med for 12 years. I have visited France, Italy, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Turkey. In 2015 I entered Montenegro to find out that they had increased the insurance requirement well above my coverage. They were very nice and said they would let be stay for a few days while I got my insurance increased, or I could sail out right then. I have had little problem checking in or out except for Croatia. The rules there are really strict and if you fail to follow them you will get fined. I have had to pay. Croatia's rule is that you must go to the first port of entry after entering the 12 mile limit. Also, when arriving and when leaving you must go straight out to the 12 mile limit. In 2015, I went to check out to go to Italy. It was about 19:00 and after checking out and the weather turned ugly. So not wishing to do a night sail in really bad wether, we elected to anchored nearby for the night. The next morning around 06:00 we sailed away. Then when I returned in 2017 they informed me that I did not leave right away in 2015 and I got about a 200 euro fine. This has happened to others. A friend of mine check out in Dubrovnik and motored south down the coast within the 12 mile limit past Cavtat (a port of entry) only to be stopped at the water-border between Croatia and Montenegro. They made him return to Cavtat, fined him and let him go. So lean each counties rules. Hope this helps.

P.S. - All of my boat papers are copied so if they want them they get copies.

[JPA Cate]

gmakhs,

One can sometimes get permission to stop without proceeding straight to the formalities. We have been allowed to anchor with the Q flag up overnight, then proceed to Customs and Immigration.

Do not arrive anywhere without finding out what charges, if any, apply to entry; do this before you leave port

....And the other side of it is you always want to have clearance papers from your last port of call. Many countries require a number of days' warning before you arrive. For them, you send them notification (with boat details) of your anticipated time of arrival, and update that as needed. It makes life easier if you can do it from your boat, via radio>e-mail. [In our case, it's SSB + Pactor, as Jim's a ham. But some people use Sat Phone.]

If this doesn't answer your question, please ask again, and I'll try to do better.

Ann

[hellosailor]

Generally, under international law and treaty and convention, if you are sailing through the waters, you still are not "in" a country. But once you drop an anchor, and touch the land of that country, or tie up to a mooring or a dock, you HAVE ENTERED and entry fees and clearance are due and proper. The only general exception is for vessels in actual distress, i.e. gear failures, medical emergencies, seeking shelter from a storm, etc., where they may be allowed to drop anchor while seeking succor.

But as mentioned, that's all going to vary with the policy of each nation, and the discretion (if they are allowed any) of port officials. If you've come of your own free will and intent, and especially if you've come ashore, that is not a tie to haggle over rug prices in the bazaar. That is called "Here's your bill, pay now please."

If nothing else, you should be able to ask about your next intended landfall, or make a radio call before entering a port, to find out their clearance and payment terms. Once you are there...your payment is due.