Sailing Into Other Countries

[hummingway]

I'm not sure anyone needs a vista to enter any country however it is possible that a good world view can make entry into any country easier.

To everyone posting in this thread: please remember we take the "Be Nice" rule very seriously. You don't have to agree with other's opinions but you do have to respond in a respectful manner if you wish to meet the community standard for posting. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Thanks.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by John A

Come on guys, a newbie trolls for comment at 1 am on the east coast and sits back to watch the fur fly.

This forum is better than that - let it go.

What scares me: there are apparently people who spend their time like that.

[John A]

Entering a country different than your own is dependent on the agreement that a country has with your country. When you are allowed to stay a visa will, or has been, granted to you. The type and length of your stay for the visa given to you is dependent on many factors, not the least is the personality of the official issuing you the visa.

Always be aware that the country you're entering is their country and you are the alien! Until you've received a visa you're an illegal alien subject to all the courtesy that your country gives to those wishing to enter your country..

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by hummingway

I'm not sure anyone needs a vista to enter any country however it is possible that a good world view can make entry into any country easier.

To everyone posting in this thread: please remember we take the "Be Nice" rule very seriously. You don't have to agree with other's opinions but you do have to respond in a respectful manner if you wish to meet the community standard for posting. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Thanks.

A visa for americans is the stamp we get in our passports when we arrive in country..some countries require a visa in advance to arrivel,like china ,burma,north korea,iran but most that are on good terms with America require none in advance..DVC

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by tropicalescape

A visa for americans is the stamp we get in our passports when we arrive in country..some countries require a visa in advance to arrivel,like china ,burma,north korea,iran but most that are on good terms with America require none in advance..DVC

Yes but a vista (I was quoting Blue Crab) can be a wonderful view and while your country has many they aren't required of visitors.

[bobconnie]

This is a little off thread but, I started cruiseing in 1958, and did not know damn thing about cking in or out !! I got in all types of trouble!! but I Smiled and paid my way out of trouble almost all the time !! BACK THEN !!Not the same world anymore almost all countrys are on the net now !And know all they need to know about you cus your in the NET if you know it or not !!! So cross the Ts and Dot the eyes, and GRIN and bear it !! it's now the way the world works ! I liked it the old way, but it's not gonna get better just more expensive !!

[hblask]

OK, I'm totally new here, I don't even have a boat yet, but plan to and am the sort of person who wants to know everything before I know anything.... so perhaps this is a stupid question:

How does this work? Do they keep a list of all the boats that they expect to be in the area so you only have to check in once? Or if you leave the harbor, sail around the island and come back do you have to check in with someone again? Maybe I'll learn all this when I start lessons next year (maybe this summer?), but this is one of the things I don't understand about sailing around to other countries -- how do they track all this boat movement?

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by hblask

OK, I'm totally new here, I don't even have a boat yet, but plan to and am the sort of person who wants to know everything before I know anything.... so perhaps this is a stupid question:

How does this work? Do they keep a list of all the boats that they expect to be in the area so you only have to check in once? Or if you leave the harbor, sail around the island and come back do you have to check in with someone again? Maybe I'll learn all this when I start lessons next year (maybe this summer?), but this is one of the things I don't understand about sailing around to other countries -- how do they track all this boat movement?

Every country has similar but different formalities. It is up to the skipper to research in advance what those formalities are. The definitive site for clearing in and out of ports is probably noonsite - http://www.noonsite.com/ - but I would also attempt some rersearch on the specific countries' maritime websites as well. However, my experience is the official websites are often an afterthought and difficult to glean the information.

After this research CF is a good rersource if you can find someone who has cleared a specific country recently for the latest info.

As a general rule there are two components to clearing. The boat needs to be cleared, often as a matter of customs, as most countries are concerned about boats being brought in and sold without proper duties being paid. The crew is cleared separately and is similar to any normal immigration procedures. The immigration procedures are complex depending on country visited vs. country of citizenship and often proof on onward journey needs to be provided in the form of an airline ticket.

I am not aware of any "positive" tracking of boats but many countries require each port to be cleared within the same country. With immigration perhaps being an exception the vast majority of countries do not have boat clearing computerized in a "national" database and is most often a paper based system.

Once again noonsite is the pace to start.

[Capt Phil]

bobconnie... words to live and cruise by... cheers, Capt Phil

[matauwhi]

G'day, mates. Noonsite is pretty much up to date in regards to New Zealand and in particular, Port of Opua for clearance. At this point, there ARE STILL NO CHARGES to clear customs & MAF (provided you are not bringing in any animals) along with your initial 90 day visa. You may have to wait on the quarantine berth after hours or overnight until you are cleared. Most of the coastline patrol craft do have electronic databases to monitor inbound yachts and those that have successfully cleared customs. There is NO REQUIRMENT to clear into other customs ports as you cruise the country. All the best. Cheers.

[hblask]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

Every country has similar but different formalities. It is up to the skipper to research in advance what those formalities are. The definitive site for clearing in and out of ports is probably noonsite - Noonsite: The global site for cruising sailors - but I would also attempt some rersearch on the specific countries' maritime websites as well. However, my experience is the official websites are often an afterthought and difficult to glean the information.

I was more curious to the logistics. How can they possibly keep track of all these little boats going in and out and moving around? It seems you'd need either 1. Good automated tracking, or 2. check every boat every time it enters the harbor, or 3. rely on the sailors to know the rules and follow them. Expecting a few harbor officials to see and track each boat that comes into their harbor seems a bit overwhelming. I leave the harbor to sail for an hour and come back... do they know I've already checked in?

[John A]

Originally Posted by hblask

I was more curious to the logistics. How can they possibly keep track of all these little boats going in and out and moving around? It seems you'd need either 1. Good automated tracking, or 2. check every boat every time it enters the harbor, or 3. rely on the sailors to know the rules and follow them. Expecting a few harbor officials to see and track each boat that comes into their harbor seems a bit overwhelming. I leave the harbor to sail for an hour and come back... do they know I've already checked in?

To answer your direct question: No, they do not keep track of you. Number 3 is the correct answer.

[Hud3]

When you clear in, they know you're there. When you clear out, they know you've left. While you're there, you may or may not be required to have a cruising permit/license for each anchorage you visit in the country. You are subject to being inspected by the port police at any time.

If you leave without clearing out, the next country may or may not throw a hissy fit because you don't have your outbound clearance papers and threaten you with fines, boat confiscation and jail. The original country may have a word with you when you return months or years later. A number of the countries in the West Indies share a computerized clearance system called eSeaClear. It tells them where and when you cleared in and out.

So, yes, to some extent you're being tracked. On the other hand, the islands of the French Antilles don't much care one way or another.

[chuckr]

hblask -- as mentioned above there is really no way they know - but do not get caught as you can lose you boat and end up in a place you do not want to be and your usa passport will do you no good and could make it worse -
we have been check and the folks want to see your papers - in panama we got stopped at a road block and they wanted to see our passports and not a copy the real thing as they were checking to make sure people were in their country legally -
in some marinas when you go in for fuel or what ever some will want to know your last port of call and if out of their country then they may call customs and if you do not have a zarpe from the last country it can be big trouble -
and if you want to put your boat in a marina or storage and try to fly home for say christmas how do you explain to immigration at the airport how you got into their country -
it just does not make sense on not doing the right and correct thing

just our opinion
chuck patty and svsoulmates
on the hook culebra spanish virgin islands

[hblask]

Originally Posted by chuckr

hblask -- as mentioned above there is really no way they know - but do not get caught as you can lose you boat and end up in a place you do not want to be and your usa passport will do you no good and could make it worse -
we have been check and the folks want to see your papers - in panama we got stopped at a road block and they wanted to see our passports and not a copy the real thing as they were checking to make sure people were in their country legally -
in some marinas when you go in for fuel or what ever some will want to know your last port of call and if out of their country then they may call customs and if you do not have a zarpe from the last country it can be big trouble -
and if you want to put your boat in a marina or storage and try to fly home for say christmas how do you explain to immigration at the airport how you got into their country -
it just does not make sense on not doing the right and correct thing

just our opinion
chuck patty and svsoulmates
on the hook culebra spanish virgin islands

OK, this makes sense, it's a sort-of honor system with the downside so bad that you really want to just be honest and the cost of obeying very low. That actually seems like a reasonable way to handle it, except for someone who makes an honest mistake and the punishment far exceeds the "crime".