Customs Immigration Agents for Capt n Crew

[Scotty Kiwi]

Does anyone know of and can recommend a firm that offers this service throughout NZ, Aust, Pacific?

I'm tired of, for each country, going through the process of:
- researching and ensuring the correct visa's etc for various countries and for crew of various nationalities
- ensuring the correct notice pre-arrival notice period is given.
- waiting on board or running/taking around the 2, three four or five various agencies on arrival
- then locating provisioning and bunkering
- then going through the whole process in reverse on departure.

Sometimes this takes the best part of two days each side of a provisioning stop, when all we really want is a bag of apples, or so!

I know that Agents exist that handle all this stuff for Capt and crew on the paperwork. They keep copies of passports and all forms, and sign matters off on the Captn's behalf (perhaps "as Agent", or on a "Limited Power of Attorney"?), and send it all off to the relevant port agencies at the appropriate time, once advised by satphone. These agents have preexisting trusted relationships with the authorities in each Port.

And what are the prices for this service? How are prices worked out?

This becomes more important in these days of Covid and the health etc regulations that can potentially change overnight, that may well make a Captn wish they'd never heard of a place.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Scotty Kiwi

...This becomes more important in these days of Covid and the health etc regulations that can potentially change overnight, that may well make a Captn wish they'd never heard of a place.

And in these days of Covid the oficials of some countries may well wish they'd never heard of dilitant foreign sailing vessels who wish to enter and leave thier countries without so much as a fare thee well.

[slug]

Originally Posted by Scotty Kiwi

Does anyone know of and can recommend a firm that offers this service throughout NZ, Aust, Pacific?

I'm tired of, for each country, going through the process of:
- researching and ensuring the correct visa's etc for various countries and for crew of various nationalities
- ensuring the correct notice pre-arrival notice period is given.
- waiting on board or running/taking around the 2, three four or five various agencies on arrival
- then locating provisioning and bunkering
- then going through the whole process in reverse on departure.

Sometimes this takes the best part of two days each side of a provisioning stop, when all we really want is a bag of apples, or so!

I know that Agents exist that handle all this stuff for Capt and crew on the paperwork. They keep copies of passports and all forms, and sign matters off on the Captn's behalf (perhaps "as Agent", or on a "Limited Power of Attorney"?), and send it all off to the relevant port agencies at the appropriate time, once advised by satphone. These agents have preexisting trusted relationships with the authorities in each Port.

And what are the prices for this service? How are prices worked out?

This becomes more important in these days of Covid and the health etc regulations that can potentially change overnight, that may well make a Captn wish they'd never heard of a place.

In general you contract an agent in NZ , on your behalf they contract an agent in the country you wish to travel to

Your NZ agent Communicates with you via email while enroute and advises you of your new agent contact at your next port
Some countries ..russia for instance .. are not possible to enter without a local agent



Agents can be very handy when checking in at commercial ports

[Scotty Kiwi]

Originally Posted by slug

In general you contract an agent in NZ , on your behalf they contract an agent in the country you wish to travel to

Your NZ agent Communicates with you via email while enroute and advises you of your new agent contact at your next port
Some countries ..russia for instance .. are not possible to enter without a local agent



Agents can be very handy when checking in at commercial ports

Thanks, that confirms my thought. Except the "Primary Agent" could be in NZ, but could just as easily be anywhere, also with offices across time zones so as to rotate service through the time zones.

The problem is the one I used in the distant past seems Long-Kaput, and I have not been successful in getting others who are listed as such to answer the phone, or the few that have answered the phone don't offer this small time level of service.

Maybe it is now categorised as a superyacht service, rather then for cruisers?

[slug]

Originally Posted by Scotty Kiwi

Thanks, that confirms my thought. Except the "Primary Agent" could be in NZ, but could just as easily be anywhere, also with offices across time zones so as to rotate service through the time zones.

The problem is the one I used in the distant past seems Long-Kaput, and I have not been successful in getting others who are listed as such to answer the phone, or the few that have answered the phone don't offer this small time level of service.

Maybe it is now categorised as a superyacht service, rather then for cruisers?

Perhaps

Agents are in business to make money .

They charge a commission for every service that you will need
Fuel , dockage , spare parts , provisions ....

On a small sailboat you need few services

Ask around

New Zealand boat builders ,yacht brokers , mast builders , sailmakers , yacht racers .. they all use agents for international work and might have a suggestion