Clearing in , Isla Mujeres Mexico?

[KCee]

I live in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, I don't own a boat (yet) but plan eventually to sail one from Florida to Isla or Puerto Aventuras. For a cold beer and a sail in your boat I would be willing to meet you on Isla and be your translator... I will have to go through this myself one day, would be interested to see it first hand... I know Marina Paraiso, too, not too sure I know Chepo though. Even if you make it through, I can be a 'local' and spot you the great local places to go along the coast...

[Misiu]

We were able to check in and out at Isla Mujeres in one day last May... No agent. Everybody was pleasant and we had no problems.
We had to stop for a minor repair en route from Panama to Florida and anchored there for about 24 hrs. We had no insurance and carried Colombian zarpe from Providencia.

[asumpton]

Originally Posted by Misiu

We were able to check in and out at Isla Mujeres in one day last May... No agent. Everybody was pleasant and we had no problems.
We had to stop for a minor repair en route from Panama to Florida and anchored there for about 24 hrs. We had no insurance and carried Colombian zarpe from Providencia.

Thanks Misiu- yeah I'd think that if you are nice and polite the officials aren't going to give you guff! Thanks for the confirmation

I recruited a fluent Spanish speaker to join the crew, so I think we'll try and clear through ourselves.

Could I ask what the clearing in fees for came out to for you?

Thanks again

[Misiu]

Originally Posted by asumpton

Thanks Misiu- yeah I'd think that if you are nice and polite the officials aren't going to give you guff! Thanks for the confirmation

I recruited a fluent Spanish speaker to join the crew, so I think we'll try and clear through ourselves.

Could I ask what the clearing in fees for came out to for you?

Thanks again

I think you'll do fine, especially with somebody who speaks Spanish.
My Spanish is VERY limited but I always start with Spanish.
I checked in and out in Mexico many times and never had any problems. Smooth and fairly quick process. I checked in with my boat in Ensenada (from San Francisco), then got domestic zarpes in Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa and Acapulco, and finally international zarpe from Huatulco to El Salvador... Never had to pay any bribes or detected any need for it.
I don't remember how much money we paid for clearing in and out of Isla Mujeres. I wasn't paying so it escaped my memory
Health Department visit on Isla Mujeres was new to me comparing with procedures on Pacific side.
Good luck with your cruise and have fun over there!

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by asumpton

Thanks everybody for your advice. Gotta get my documentation together first I think.

For a "clearing out of the US" Zarpe do you all use this (found it on another thread)

You go to the Key West airport customs office and ask for a 'courtesy clearance'. They know the drill.

When I checked in a couple of years ago, it was $25 each for immigration, about $50 for the port captain, and $50 for the importada, with no agent. It took about 4 hours total to make the rounds, including ferrrying the agricultural inspector lady out to the boat in the dinghy. No requests for insurance or fishing licenses, contrary to my experiences on the West Coast.

[Misiu]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

You go to the Key West airport customs office and ask for a 'courtesy clearance'. They know the drill.

When I checked in a couple of years ago, it was $25 each for immigration, about $50 for the port captain, and $50 for the importada, with no agent. It took about 4 hours total to make the rounds, including ferrrying the agricultural inspector lady out to the boat in the dinghy. No requests for insurance or fishing licenses, contrary to my experiences on the West Coast.

The agricultural inspector lady skipped us when she learned we are anchored but don't have dinghy on the water. It was late afternoon and we told her we want to catch a ride to our boat and depart asap.

[svadagio]

Hi
Marina Pariso does not do papers for anchor outs any more. Isla is less freindly to anchor outs than on earlier visits. I do not know about Malagro.
Just cleared in 4 days ago for the 5th time at Isla. Here is what it took.
5 copies each of zarpe, doc, crew list.
3 copies each pasport.
Visit health at the clinic in back. They stamp everything and keep one copy. Go to imagration. Fill out forms. Go to bank and pay. Back to imagration and they stamp your passport and papers and keep one of each. Go to port capain. He stamps your papers and keeps one form. Pay him Direct. He gives your last paper back stamped and signed. Go to agriculture. They stamp your forms and that is it unless they want to inspect. They did not us because it was raining and we were anchored out. Cost is about US $85.00 to check in. Took about 1 1/2 hour. All were frendly but disorganised.
Bob

[sailorboy1]

Why is it that I read of check hassles at Isla Mujeres on the east coast, but don't read about check in hassles on the west coast?

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Why is it that I read of check hassles at Isla Mujeres on the east coast, but don't read about check in hassles on the west coast?

My theory is volume and proximity.

West coast check-ins happen for the most part in Ensenada, more or less a suburb of San Diego. The volume of boats there makes the banana republic beauracrcy grind a little more efficiently. Take the east coast though. Same length of coastline (roughly) us and Canada included, and most of the boats will go to the eastern Caribbean. So in Isla the officials have the time to enforce every last little chunk of the convoluted law as they understand it (or understood it last week before their government changed it and issued a memo).

[svadagio]

Hi
The officals here are OK. They do want you to have everthing you are supposed to. One boat here a little while back checked in with a Zarpe with one of the crew names missing. I beleive they gave him a chance to correct it but he could not so they confiscated his boat and held his pasport so he could not leave. Just be sure your papers are in order and above all smile and be patient. If comming from the US be sure to have something like a Zarpe.
I will say in the 9 years we have been in the NW Carib Isla is less boat freindly as far as anchor outs go.
Bob
sv ADAGIO anchored in Isla Mujeres

[AnchorageGuy]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Why is it that I read of check hassles at Isla Mujeres on the east coast, but don't read about check in hassles on the west coast?

Several years back when the check in procedures were made simple, the West Coast ports embraced them and immediately implemented the new law. In Isla, the agents and Port Captain had a "special relationship" and did what they could to make the process hard for the cruisers. We were very much involved in the process in Isla and actually were able to get a government investigation into the process there. The Port Captain backed off for a while then started playing games again. I'm not sure if he is still there but if not, that would be one reason the process is less of a hassle now. An agent should not be required but you can use one if you prefer. The check in should be straight forward and easy without an agent. At one time, the Port Captain was requiring boaters to take the ferry over to Cancun to pay the fees at a bank if an agent wasn't used, very much against Mexican law. But it is Mexico after all and we enjoyed our stay there very much. Chuck

[svadagio]

Hi
Something I forgot to mention. The man at Marina Pariso will no longer do the papers for an anchored out boat. He does it for the boats in his marina only and I think he now does it for free. I do not know about the other marinas.
Bob

[asumpton]

Thank you for the information svadagio. My intention is to anchor out, but on arrival the crew might want a dock and a shower?!

We're SV Morningstar- an old Beneteau Idylle 37. Should arrive Isla Mujeres shortly after Christmas. Perhaps we will see you there?

Regards,
Andrew S

[wahoo40]

I don't understand all the angst! We found both getting the Zarpe in Key West and clearing in to Mexico easy, breezy. We used the Internet form for the Zarpe and a notary public in KW then the agent at El Milagros. Whole thing was $180 for 4 of us, the cat and the agent's $30. As we were staying and cruising longer than 10 days we did go to Cancun for a cruising permit. Here's the nitty gritty.

S/V WAHOO: Quintana Roo

We think of clearing in and out as "interactive theater". Have fun, keep it happy- you are doing what half the world dreams of.

[Mexdon]

GET THE ZARPE!!!!

Do not have any firearms with you. NONE.

If you have fishing equipment, even just a hook obtain a Mexican Fishing licence for each person on board. This has not been enforced on the east coast of Mexico but it is the law and could be instigated at any time.

Isla Mujeres and the whole area is beautiful worth the visit.