Cruising Customs Paperwork

[seacowgirl]

Hi everyone. New cruisers here. We are preparing to leave Florida, head to the Bahamas then continue island hopping the Caribbean. We want to make sure we have all our paperwork prepared, this is our current list below, anything else we should have for entering and exiting countries?

⁃ Canadian passports
⁃ Boat Insurance
⁃ Boat bill of sale
⁃ Boat ownership/title
⁃ Boat Registration
and of course exit papers from previous country


Thanks so much for any tips!

[wholybee]

It varies by country, but you should also have:
A crew list. A list you prepare yourself with a list of everyone on board, with passport number etc.
The license for your Radio.
COVID Vaccination certificate for everyone on board.
A list of the last x number of ports of call and departure dates. Usually 5 ports.
An inventory of certain expensive items on the boat. Stuff like the dinghy with serial number, make and serial number of the engine (dinghy and the mothership), Radio and Laptop S/N, etc. I have a list of everything I can think of, and then just copy it to another list (by hand) when I know what is required.
If you leave the Caribbean, you might eventually need a boat stamp.

[Island Time O25]

Also if you have aboard anyone who may be considered "crew" you may want to have proof of financial ability to buy them a return ticket home.

[Tin Tin]

You need to look up each country's requirements, they are all different. The Bahamas are most accommodating it then gets more complicated from there.

[Zanshin]

While it is always good to have as much paperwork as possible, the reality of clearing in and out in the Caribbean islands that I've been to many times (USVI, BVI, St. Martin, St. Barths, St. Eustatius, Antigua, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Bermuda, USA, St. Lucia, Martinique, SVG, Grenada) is that you will need:

1. Boat ownership/Registration
2. Passports for all aboard
3. Outbound clearance from last port (except for the French countries, they don't look at that)

Apart from that, bring a bit of patience and cash. That's all. No insurance requirements for clearing in and out, although marinas will want proof of insurance. No countries in the Caribbean currently require COVID vaccinations anymore. Some countries will want to know how many GPS devices you have aboard, or how much hard liquor. No boat stamp is necessary. Although I carry my SRC and LRC and boat licenses, that is not asked during clearance. No serial numbers have ever been requested for boat, engine, outboard, dinghy, etc.
I travel up and down the island chain a lot, here's my list of collected paperwork from the past couple of years, the older stuff is elsewhere:

[bgallinger]

Seacowgirl, Bring those items you listed, but also bring cash for entry. When you go for your customs clearance, be respectful and dress appropriately. Thankfully, we are past having to show covid vaccination papers.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Tin Tin

You need to look up each country's requirements, they are all different. The Bahamas are most accommodating it then gets more complicated from there.

Originally Posted by wholybee

It varies by country, but you should also have:
... COVID Vaccination certificate for everyone on board...

Carry copies of all your immunization records while you travel, and leave the originals at home.
Immunizations may be a requirement of international law, or proof of immunization may be considered a visa requirement, for certain countries.
Here is a list of possible vaccines, that you may need to get. for the first time, or boosters, before you travel.
Per: < https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/travel-vaccines >
And: < https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowb...le-of-contents >
COVID-19
Chickenpox
Cholera
Flu (Influenza)
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Japanese encephalitis
MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)
Meningococcal
Pneumococcal
Polio
Rabies
Shingles
Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis)
Typhoid
Yellow fever

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by seacowgirl

Hi everyone. New cruisers here. We are preparing to leave Florida, head to the Bahamas then continue island hopping the Caribbean. We want to make sure we have all our paperwork prepared, this is our current list below, anything else we should have for entering and exiting countries?

⁃ Canadian passports
⁃ Boat Insurance
⁃ Boat bill of sale
⁃ Boat ownership/title
⁃ Boat Registration
and of course exit papers from previous country


Thanks so much for any tips!

As a fellow Canadian, the list looks good except for "Boat ownership/title", where did you get one of those? We don't have the concept of "title" for boats in Canada...

[GordMay]

In Canada, boat Registration* is different from Vessel Licensing, in that it provides proof of ownership (legal title), a unique name, and official number, for your boat, and the right to use your boat as security for a marine mortgage. There are costs involved, but, if you plan on travelling in international waters, it is recommended.
You must carry registration documents on board the vessel at all times, together with any other ownership documents

The Pleasure Craft Licence is not proof of ownership.
The Registration is a proof of ownership (legal title).

* Canadian Register of Vessels ➥ https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-trans...ls#registering

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by GordMay

In Canada, boat Registration* is different from Vessel Licensing, in that it provides proof of ownership (legal title), a unique name, and official number, for your boat, and the right to use your boat as security for a marine mortgage. There are costs involved, but, if you plan on travelling in international waters, it is recommended.
You must carry registration documents on board the vessel at all times, together with any other ownership documents

The Pleasure Craft Licence is not proof of ownership.
The Registration is a proof of ownership (legal title).

* Canadian Register of Vessels ➥ https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-trans...ls#registering

Funny thing is the Canadian Registration certificate says right on it "A Canadian Certificate or registry is not a document of title" which for some stupid reasons contradicts everything that is important about it! but I still agree we treat it as a document proving ownership!

[AiniA]

Originally Posted by seacowgirl

Hi everyone. New cruisers here. We are preparing to leave Florida, head to the Bahamas then continue island hopping the Caribbean. We want to make sure we have all our paperwork prepared, this is our current list below, anything else we should have for entering and exiting countries?

⁃ Canadian passports
⁃ Boat Insurance
⁃ Boat bill of sale
⁃ Boat ownership/title
⁃ Boat Registration
and of course exit papers from previous country


Thanks so much for any tips!

It varies a lot from country to country and the Caribbean nations are generally not bad compared to some other parts of the world. We have entered more than 40 countries/territories. Easiest was at Deshaies in Guadeloupe where you sit down at a computer in a gift shop and enter (can do exit at same time) yourself. Your form goes somewhere electronically and you print out a copy that the gift shop guy signs. You pay him 5 euros for his trouble. Most complex was Indonesia where we got visas in Australia, the Sail Indonesia people arranged the cruising permit and still when we got to Timor we were processed by 23 (!) very happy, smiling, young officials. Only place we ever used our boat stamp. If you did not have a stamp they sent you to the main street to buy one and then come back to enter. Seemed to us that the wealthier the country, the less onerous the bureaucracy. Poorer countries are graduating a lot of kids from colleges and government bureaucracy provides jobs.

All you really need are:[LIST][*]passports. (in the Caribbean I can't think of any countries with visas for Canadians).[*]boat registration (have copies if they ask,most don't)[*]crew lists (again have copies)[*]exit document from last country

• money - US dollars generally do the trick; have a variety of denominations so change is not needed; once you get established in the region, EC. dollars. and euros can be helpful.

Use Noonsite or cruising guides so you know entry points. Dress half-decently and bring a smile and patience. The secret is to make the process as easy and pleasant as possible for the official.This will make it the same for you. Insurance is only needed for marinas. Fly your Q-flag only until you are cleared in and then fly the courtesy flag.

[Kettlewell]

Your list is good. I have never been asked for insurance, dinghy papers, any immunization records, radio station license, radio operators license, but all could be useful to have onboard just in case something comes up. In general, the things they always ask for are passports and boat documentation (we are USCG documented). I also bring a crew list and clearance from the last port. I carry everything in a professional leather-look portfolio, and I do have a boat stamp that used to be needed a lot in the past. I dress neatly and do not wear a t-shirt or other logo gear. Try to dress like a local as much as you can. One of the best things you can do is to have all your papers be totally normal and boring: numbers, name, and homeport matches what is on boat, ownership on boat registration/documentation matches your passport(s), addresses match on all your documents, photos on passports look like you, etc. Make sure your passports have at least 6 months to a year left on them before they expire. Renew passports early!

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by pcmm

Funny thing is the Canadian Registration certificate says right on it "A Canadian Certificate or registry is not a document of title" which for some stupid reasons contradicts everything that is important about it! but I still agree we treat it as a document proving ownership!

A US certificate of documentation says much the same thing. In the US a person can order an "abstract of title" from the USCG that can prove ownership. But 99% of the time the USCG document is sufficient.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by pcmm

Funny thing is the Canadian Registration certificate says right on it "A Canadian Certificate or registry is not a document of title" which for some stupid reasons contradicts everything that is important about it! but I still agree we treat it as a document proving ownership!

Similarly, as to the US Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation.

It is not proof of title. It states:

"The certificate on the face of this document is not conclusive evidence of title in any proceeding where ownership is at issue."

[Ded reckoner]

Many Caribee countries require you to complete SailClear (sailclear.com) before you show up at Customs to either clear in or out. When you've finished each respective form, a number is provided by SailClear. Record this number because Customs will ask for that number to begin their process. if you don't know that number, you will have to get that number by going online and finding it. Then, Customs will talk to you.

Immigration doesn't care about SailClear. They may have their own online form that needs completion.

Noonsite has all this information plus a lot more.