Clearing in at ports

[Sailorcal]

I am planning a version of the Coconut Milk Run and have a couple questions,

Can i clear in with my Valid Passport and USCG documentation only?

Also ,
Do i need to have Insurance?

Any advice would be awesome !

[RaymondR]

An inventory of vessel contents might come in handy but whether or not you would want to volunteer it is food for thought in the varying situations you might come across.

You might want to lay in a stock of copies where it is convenient and possibly a few of each certified true copies with official looking stamps.

[Paul L]

Plus crew list and clearance from last port does it in most ports. Depending on you and crews nationality sometimes a visa.

Some countries require prearrival contact, such as NZ and Australia..

Check https://www.noonsite.com/Countries for country specific formalities.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Sailorcal.

[belizesailor]

For most ports of entry the only documents you need are passports, ships registration, crew list, and clearance papers from last port of call. But, procedures vary by country so best look into your planned ports of entry.

Ive never been asked for insurance by a port official, but that might not be the case everywhere.

Some ports of entry want advance notification of your arrival and get a bit huffy if you dont.

Bottom line: always research new ports of entry/countries before you arrive...no need to get your visit off to a bad start by getting sideways with officials.

[Benz]

Every country, and in some cases different ports in the same country, require different things. No one has ever required insurance except for one private marina.
Best practice, unless a very current guidebook tells you otherwise, is to radio or otherwise contact the harbormaster ASAP, and he'll tell you what to do. Every check-in everywhere has always begun with the harbormaster, unless there is an agent required, in which case they're usually hovering like vultures waiting to get your business before a rival agent does. The harbormaster will tell you how many copies of what paper you need; what hoops you need to initially jump though--everything. If there's contradictions in requirements (ran into this in one port in Mexico), I go with what the harbormaster says.
Usually I begin with nothing but my vessel doc. and passport. If I have clearance papers from a last port, I bring those as well. (There's no clearance papers issued from some places) If they want crew lists, declarations, all that, they'll tell you what to put on 'em--I do it on the spot.
It's one of the most frustrating and useless wastes of time, not to mention expensive, but it's one of the prices we pay for visiting foreign countries by boat. Try to remember that when you're on your sixth taxi ride between Immigration at the airport, the bank to stand in line for hours to pay some dumb fee, and the harbormaster's office where you'll be sent out on some other impossible quest. I have had to devote two days to checking in and out in some places; it has taken less than an hour in other ports.

[Dan Best]

Both times we were there (2006 and 2011) Polynesia required proof of health insurance. They accepted DAN (Divers Alert Network) insurance which was by far the cheapest route. They also required a bond equal to the cost of airline tickets home for each of the crew.

The easiest way to do the Polynesia paperwork is to sign up for Latitude 38's Pacific Puddle Jump which is free and you can leave from anywhere and pretty much whenever suits you. When we did this in 2011. This got us out of having to post the bond. We also used the agent they recommended (about $50 as I recall). When we got to Pape'ette, we met with her at the marina, gave her our passports, crew list and clearance papers from Mexico and she did all the rest. We then met with her a few days later and got our passports back with the visas in them. This service was well worth the fifty bucks.

The time we went in 2006, our previous port of call was Ecuador and we had to travel to Quito twice (once to drop off our passports at the Polynesia embassy and once to pick them up) to get the visas.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Dan Best

Both times we were there (2006 and 2011) Polynesia required ...

Just to clarify for readers who are not familiar with the region, substitute "French Polynesia" for "Polynesia" in the post above.

Polynesia is a region comprising a number of countries and "overseas territories", all with different rules and requirements.

French Polynesia is a territory (technically an "overseas collectivity of France") made up of a number of island groups with one government.

[Dan Best]

Sorry if I wasn't specific enough for you. If anyone doubted that I was referring to French Polynesia, you have my sincerest apologies.

French Polynesia is, of course, the first stop that the vast majority of cruisers make when visiting the South Pacific.

[onavegador]

About insurance: when I cleared out of Pto Williams in Southern Chile I was asked for my 1st time from the goverment if my boat was insured for 3rd Party and I had to show the policy, usually I had to declare 3rd Party when I booked a berth in a Marina.


In the time from 1999 to 2014 when I sailed the world I prepared the route by using the internet site of noonsite.com where I found informations about customs, imigration, waether in general and somehow of ports. Additional information on google, more detailed in the Sailing directions and harbour guides.


Fair winds
James

[slug]

Originally Posted by Sailorcal

I am planning a version of the Coconut Milk Run and have a couple questions,

Can i clear in with my Valid Passport and USCG documentation only?

Also ,
Do i need to have Insurance?

Any advice would be awesome !

Get insurance , liability

[chouliha]

Originally Posted by Sailorcal

I am planning a version of the Coconut Milk Run and have a couple questions,

Can i clear in with my Valid Passport and USCG documentation only?

Also ,
Do i need to have Insurance?

Any advice would be awesome !

Are you requesting information on vessel insurance or health insurance?

Chuck
Jacaranda
lying Mo'orea

[Scotty Kiwi]

As well as the basics mentioned above:

In French Polynesia (Noumea), in the absence of full health insurance, the Skipper certifies that he will pay the health costs of crew. The owner certifies that he'll pay the health costs of the skipper. Obviously this is an open loop, if the owner is the skipper ... not sure how that would work.

In Kiribati they don't have any prepared printed forms. They get you to hand-write and sign a note certifying that you carry no firearms, drugs (outside of medical kit), sometimes fresh foods.

Not sure what happens with firearms (have never had them) and medical kits (I have an inventory, but have never had to certify it).

[Scotty Kiwi]

Originally Posted by Dan Best

Both times we were there (2006 and 2011) Polynesia required proof of health insurance. They accepted DAN (Divers Alert Network) insurance which was by far the cheapest route. They also required a bond equal to the cost of airline tickets home for each of the crew.

The easiest way to do the Polynesia paperwork is to sign up for Latitude 38's Pacific Puddle Jump which is free and you can leave from anywhere and pretty much whenever suits you. When we did this in 2011. This got us out of having to post the bond. We also used the agent they recommended (about $50 as I recall). When we got to Pape'ette, we met with her at the marina, gave her our passports, crew list and clearance papers from Mexico and she did all the rest. We then met with her a few days later and got our passports back with the visas in them. This service was well worth the fifty bucks.

The time we went in 2006, our previous port of call was Ecuador and we had to travel to Quito twice (once to drop off our passports at the Polynesia embassy and once to pick them up) to get the visas.

In light of recent experience in a handful of Pacific countries, I'd look very hard at finding a customs agency. Doing it ourselves was up to and sometimes more than a full day clearing in, and another full day clearing out. Not to mention time spent waiting for bunkering.

[Dsanduril]

We generally clear in with boat registration/documentation, passports, clearance from last port. Other items that are dependent on location, in descending order of occurrence:

Crew list
Stores list (frequently just booze and tobacco, sometimes more detailed)
Health certificates (the yellow vaccination cards)
Liability insurance
Proof of funds (this seems to be becoming more popular as a request)
Health insurance
Equipment list (serial numbers of engine(s), outboards, radios, computers, cameras, any other similar "high value" items that Customs might be interested in).