Documentation to Leave US Sailing

[Alexandre.S]

Three important points on my personal experience:
- It happened in 2012. Regulations might have changed since then.
- I am Brazilian and I had entered US a few weeks before my departure to Bahamas, on a Tourist visa,. My concern was related to having Immigration know that I was leaving the country.

What happened then:
- I went to the Customs and Boarder Protection in the Miami harbour a few days before my departure.
- They instructed me to mail the slip of the I-95 form I had stamped to my passport since my entry in US as soon as I got to the first place with a Post Office. They gave me an address (in Texas, if I'm not mistaken). I sailed from Miami to Gun Cay (in the Bahamas) two days later. From there I sailed to Chub Cay, where I officially entered Bahamas (it is the first port with Customs in the Bahamas, if you left US from Miami). A few days later I sailed to Nassau (a storm held me in Chub Cay. Only there I went to the Post Office and mailed the I-95 slip to US Immigration. It worked. I´ve been to US a few times since then and had no problems at the airport Immigration booth.

[Discovery 15797]

Short answer is...

As a non-US citizen you will need to visit Immigrations

Then, go to customs at a port of entry and ask for a clearance document (Zarpe).

Generally, there is no paperwork required for US citizens to leave the country; however, some countries do require a Zarpe from your last port. Check with the country you plan to visit first to see what their entry requirements are by boat. In any case, I would get a Zarpe, to avoid any hassles at the next port of call.

[Vanessallj]

Thank you for your update. I never know it get so complicated, you really save my days of sharing your experience. I was checking with US border control but they cannot give me any specific instructions on how to do it. Your information is really helpful and I’ll definitely need to check the form that you mentioned, thank you! 👍