Checking in without departure paperwork

[Skipper_Dan]

If you leave your own country do you still need paperwork to check in to a foreign port? What happens if you don't have it?

[jordanbigel]

Depends on where you are arriving. Some places don't care, other places will cause big trouble. Maybe have to divulge your route to get useful information.

[Skipper_Dan]

Going from Guam to the Philippines or Indonesia

[boatman61]

Get your passport stamped the day you leave..
That's all I've ever had going from the USA to the Azores.

[ItDepends]

As above, It Depends.

In the worst case, you will be denied entry. I know of people this has happened to. In the best case they don't care. In between they make you jump through hoops. How many hoops depends on what they think of you. And if they have a bad feeling about WHY you are there, they will just deny you entry.

Just check out. It will make your life easier. If for some reason you can NOT check out, then be sure the place you are arriving into doesn't care. But why, exactly, can you NOT check out?

[ItDepends]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Get your passport stamped the day you leave..
That's all I've ever had going from the USA to the Azores.

That's not how to check out of the USA...

You have been lucky. Other countries will not let you in without a formal Zarpa. I am not saying it is a useful exercise, but giving advice like this is just wrong.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by ItDepends

That's not how to check out of the USA...

You have been lucky. Other countries will not let you in without a formal Zarpa. I am not saying it is a useful exercise, but giving advice like this is just wrong.

Seeing as the USA does not issue ZARPA's its kinda hard to do anything else..
All most countries are interested in is your departure date.. unusually long crossings raise red flags.

[Skipper_Dan]

Originally Posted by ItDepends

That's not how to check out of the USA...

You have been lucky. Other countries will not let you in without a formal Zarpa. I am not saying it is a useful exercise, but giving advice like this is just wrong.

So your saying even leaving from your home port you get a Zarpa?

[Zanshin]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Seeing as the USA does not issue ZARPA's its kinda hard to do anything else..
All most countries are interested in is your departure date.. unusually long crossings raise red flags.

That is not correct. The USA does not require an exit zarpe, but if you go to C&I and ask for one they will issue it. I have done this several times when leaving mainland USA (Norfolk, VA) for the Caribbean and also when departing the USVI for destinations like Antigua, St. Kitts and St. Lucia - as those countries want to see the exit papers, even from the USA. When going from the USVI to the BVI they don't require the exit zarpe, but only because so many boats make that short trip.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Zanshin

That is not correct. The USA does not require an exit zarpe, but if you go to C&I and ask for one they will issue it. I have done this several times when leaving mainland USA (Norfolk, VA) for the Caribbean and also when departing the USVI for destinations like Antigua, St. Kitts and St. Lucia - as those countries want to see the exit papers, even from the USA. When going from the USVI to the BVI they don't require the exit zarpe, but only because so many boats make that short trip.

Well to date I have taken boats out of the US around 7 times including one of my own and have yet to be issued with a Zarpe.. and with my Hunter it involved several visits to C&I in Moorehead City as I had passed my 90days in '05 and at no time have I been issued a Zarpe, not in NC nor Miami or Ft LauderDale, or the other couple of ports I sail from.
I just go with the flow and it seems most accept the US does not issue ZARPe' s like SMX and Colon plus the Azores.
A stamped passport is all my crew and I arrive with.

[nuku34]

I cruised for 17 years around the S. Pacific. On first arrival in any country's Port Of Entry I was ALWAYS asked for my yacht's registration papers AND the clearance papers from the last port before they would allow the yacht into the country. This was in addition to my visa requirements.
When I left the USA in 1988 bound for French Polynesia, I called the San Pedro Calif. port authority and asked for exit papers (I guess you call that a Zarpa in Spanish?). On arrival, I was asked to present my exit papers.



I don't know about the places you are talking about, but EVERY country I ever sailed into had a formal check in and check out out routine for the yacht and for Customs clearance.


If you want to play cowboy, give it a try and be prepared to get hassled/asked for a bribe, or just told to leave. Arriving with no clearance from your prior country is definitely a cause for the authorities to think "why did this guy sneak out of his last port?" Owed $, smuggling drugs, etc?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Well to date I have taken boats out of the US around 7 times including one of my own and have yet to be issued with a Zarpe.. and with my Hunter it involved several visits to C&I in Moorehead City as I had passed my 90days in '05 and at no time have I been issued a Zarpe, not in NC nor Miami or Ft LauderDale, or the other couple of ports I sail from.
I just go with the flow and it seems most accept the US does not issue ZARPe' s like SMX and Colon plus the Azores.
A stamped passport is all my crew and I arrive with.

Did you ask US C&I specifically for one ?

[ItDepends]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Seeing as the USA does not issue ZARPA's its kinda hard to do anything else..
All most countries are interested in is your departure date.. unusually long crossings raise red flags.

Your information is incorrect on BOTH sides. The USA most certainly DOES issue exit clearances. It’s an urban myth that they do not.

What is true is that the USA does not require one for USA flagged pleasure boats. Some countries that are popular destinations do not care (like the Bahamas) so the story continues that you can not get one, and even if you could, you never need it.

Getting cleared out of the USA is easy. You get Form 1300 from CBP, fill it out, and get it stamped at any customs office. Presto, it’s a Zarpa!

I will not argue with you if “most” countries don’t care about proper exit clearance. I do KNOW that MANY do.

Try entering Sint Maartin without it… They MIGHT let you in, if they are having a good day. Or they might send you packing back to get one. There is no excuse for showing up without it, they are very clear on their webpage listing required entry documents that it is needed and that entry will be refused it in is not available.

You can skip it for the Bahamas, and the French Islands. Many of the others… will insist I am afraid. Antigua, and Sint Maartin for example, insist. Grenada asked to see it, but I have no idea how they would react if it was missing.

I know someone who just a couple weeks ago was turned away from Guatemala because they did not have proper exit clearance from their last country.

And by the way, the Bahamas recently changed their rules. They now REQUIRE all boats to check out. In the past they did not care.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Did you ask US C&I specifically for one ?

I have never had to ask any other country for one, clearance papers are part of the natural proceedure and one should not need to request them.
As far as I am concerned a departure stamp in my passport is adequate proof of my departure date and my last marina bill is confirmation for the boats departure date.
I have yet to be hassled by customs in countries from as far East as Turkey to as far West as Australia..
But hey, maybe I'm just a good horse rider..

[ItDepends]

Originally Posted by Skipper_Dan

So your saying even leaving from your home port you get a Zarpa?

If you are leaving your home country to head to another in MANY cases the destination country will REQUIRE a zarpa. In many cases, the country you are leaving from will REQUIRE you to “clear out.” My advice is that whatever country you are leaving FROM no matter if it is your home flag or not, get an outbound clearance.

There are exceptions to both cases. The USA does not really care about seeing clearance from your last port, and do not require outbound clearance out for USA flagged vessels.

The Bahamas do not care about seeing a zarpa from a vessel arriving from the USA, but they now DO require you to check out when you leave. Their neighbors know this, and if you arrive without a Bahamian zarpa, they will want to know why.

Some people take these exceptions to the general rules, and make the blanket statement that zarpas are not required. If you go enough places, you will run afoul of that advice. Possibly seriously so.