mexico to usa

[Silver_Surfer]

hello,
i was wondering if its mandatory to stop in san diego to clear customs or can you do it at your first stop? i have the customs app CBP Roam and from what i understand the check in is done remotely with a face time call. so i would think you could do this at any port on west coast.
has anyone done this recently?
thanks

[donradcliffe]

It's about as clear as mud. The further you get from San Diego the less likely they will believe you didn't stop without clearing in. I did the Roam App in late December 2021 as I approached San Diego at 0100, and ended up at the Police Dock. The Roam didn't work for me because my phone automatically blocked their calls from 10 pm to 6 am. Even so, they were waiting at the dock at 0300, and I was out of their by 0400. Maybe next time.

[Silver_Surfer]

ok, thanks for the response

[wholybee]

It does have to be an official port of entry. I don't remember for sure but I think the ROAM app tracks your actual location, so they can catch you if you lie about it. The particular officer may or may not care if you actually are though, they always seemed very casual about it. They do reserve the right to inspect your vessel in person, which would require you be at a port of entry.

I would (did) stop in San Diego. I completed the ROAM app at the Customs dock, they called 5 minutes later and said I was good to go.