Clearing customs around the world

[WayneDana2]

A few tips

Noonsite! Everything you need to know about check in any country and it is kept up to date.


Capitol One card. The only card for a sailor to travel with. And have more than one card. That way if you have fraud, they will shut off the card that got hacked and you will still have a good card. We left with 3. Mine, hers, and a backup.


Cash. Depends on where you go. For instance, the Galapagos will cost way more than a grand and some islands still don't have ATM's. Our experience ended in 2017 and I would have gladly carried 3 grand by the end in $US. US cash is always the best everywhere. We brought a supply of euros and had a hellofva time getting rid of them. Even in Cuba.

Make sure you have a good supply of smaller bills. The nice Panamanian guy trying to sell you yummy lobsters from his cayuca isn't going to have change. LOL, at least he'll swear to you he don't!
We kept our cash in our ditch bag for the most part. Why? If we had ta bail out, I'd rather have that few thou in my pocket rather than it sinking with the boat. Might come in handy. I also left a 100 or so in the nav table to distract thieves from looking further.

 

[Magneto]

Thanks Wayne and Oscar, I like the way you think.
So far the general consensus is that carrying about 3K is enough (in small bills). Credit cards everywhere else and Noonsite is a good tool.

I do plan on using agents as much as possible. That has been recommended by many. I have checked in and out of Phuket, Thailand and have greased the wheels for extended stays. But that changes in time and I would now use agents to know where better to apply the grease next time.

Larry & WXX3, I understand your point but and I have been accused of over thinking things all my life. As an engineer, that’s what I do. I over-engineer for a living. “Measure twice, cut once”. Except I measure 3 times. I have time to plan ahead. We won’t be leaving for another 4 years and I have lots of time to “measure”.

I will give you an example of something that happened a few days ago to me. I had to fly to another state in the U.S. for a meeting and threw an overnight bag together in a backpack. Filled most of the small compartments with personal items and medications. Flew out to my destination with no problems. On my way back, TSA saw something on X-ray and reexamined my backpack. Pulled out a very large pocket knife. I had no idea it was in there. Not a problem because I simply said keep it and was on my way. It would not have been the same if it was my .45cal. Which people have done with the same rush of throwing things together at the last minute and not being thorough.

Now instead of a backpack, your entire boat has to make it through a security check point every Customs check. I think it was MV Freedom where Canadian authorities were very interested in their fresh fruit and vegetables. I look around my RV and wonder if my case of rum would pass muster. So I think it is good advice to read up on local customs rules before entering AND be aware of all the things being brought up here. That little case of red pills without a label I pour antihistamines into because of my allergies may pass TSA but it looks very bad for a Mexico Customs check.

 

[Les_Garten]

noonsite used to be the place to look.

fify

 

[garychurch]

Customs and immigration are the two biggest challenges for those traveling by private yacht.

1. Animals are a nightmare. Leave them at home with friends and family.

2. Leave firearms at home as well. Think of other methods of personal protection like hornet spray or .....

3. When visiting customs and immigration dress appropriately, be courteous and be patient. Do not argue, agree and apologize for ignorance or confusion if necessary.

4. Remember local customs and immigration officials make the rules. A small tithe can do wonders to get you the service you want if you must. Local agents can often be a godsend. Generally these fees are modest and save incredible hassle. Just be smart on who and when.

5. Importing boat parts or anything else from a different country is in most cases an expensive, time consuming and frustrating nightmare. Figure on doubling the cost of the item for shipping and custom fees. Example new $1100 clothes dryer from the US was $1200 shipping via air freight to Grenada not including a 2.5% custom fee on $2300 provided it was a boat in transit otherwise it was another $1000 custom fee for a not boat in transit total of $3300 for a $1100 clothes dryer. This hassle doesn’t even begin to cover the paperwork and the multiple offices between shipping, agents and customs.

6. Use Visa or Mastercard from a bank that covers international transaction fees (i.e. Chase Sapphire). Go with a bank that covers ATM withdrawal charges. Very few places in the Caribbean accept AMEX, but most take Visa or Mastercard.

7. Be smart and pay with local currency. You can generally get fair exchange rates from bank ATMs but be careful if you have a choice to let your bank do exchange rate conversions. There are many ways to get taken advantage of in dealing with currencies. There are many ATMs that charge usury rates for the privilege of using their machines.. and your bank will not reimburse for these fees.

Good luck...

 

[Tingum]

As for the shakedown in the Bahamas you obviously encountered the Defense Force. One of the most corrupt forces anywhere! You also learned that the Bahamas takes firearms very seriously. Leave them in the states.

 

[BandB]

As for the shakedown in the Bahamas you obviously encountered the Defense Force. One of the most corrupt forces anywhere! You also learned that the Bahamas takes firearms very seriously. Leave them in the states.

That was not a shakedown he referenced. It was enforcement of a very serious Bahamas law. You report ammunition and you're expected to be honest and precise. Plenty of warnings on many places. Now, you report again and get checked before leaving. The emphasis is that you will leave with all your brought in. Otherwise, you've either fired it or given or sold it away. The payment they made was minimal. The courts can make you wait and fine you far more. The LEO may not have the exact rule with him, but the courts sure do. US LEO's don't carry copies of all laws and statutes with themselves either. They'll charge you and let you deal with the court system.

 

[Tingum]

You missed my intent. If he paid the Defense Force directly without going before the court it was a shakedown and the government will not see a penny. As for the ammunition counts you are absolutely correct. My railing against the Defense Force stems from all the looting they did following Dorian.

 

[BandB]

You missed my intent. If he paid the Defense Force directly without going before the court it was a shakedown and the government will not see a penny. As for the ammunition counts you are absolutely correct. My railing against the Defense Force stems from all the looting they did following Dorian.

All this though deflects from the key customs issue which is to know the rules and to follow them in every country. Your secondary point as to guns and ammunition is a reminder that many countries as well as some US states and cities take guns very seriously making carrying them very problematic.

 

[Mike Lowthian]

Customs & Immigration

I have been in almost all of the Caribbean island and Central America countries. There is always something about the officials that makes them disagreeable but I find that if they come onto your boat to do their thing they are always polite and considerate.

The biggest problem I have encountered was in Cuba. I am Canadian so no problem going there quite a few times now. To clear in or out they have usually 6 officials:

-customs
-immigration
-police
-medical
-agricultural
-vet (whether you have an animal or not)

Unlike all other counties you must check in at every port and out when you leave that port. Same thing at your next port even if it is only 50 miles down the coast. This becomes very tiresome if you are gunk holing along the entire coast as I have done.

Often they are not well trained in their jobs, have no forms, and sometimes no pens even. I have had to give them pen & paper. If you anchor, as is often the case, they often have no means to come out to the boat and stand on shore waiting for you to come in and pick them up.

They were always polite and reasonable but took longer than usual to preform their duties IMO. You could not give them anything like a bribe but they always wanted something, like a can of Coke (which they did not drink but put it in their pocket to take home).

All in all it can be a frustrating experience but that's the way they are and you have to go with the flow. I like Cuba and intend to go back. I have seen many American boaters there and I hope that situation continues to improve. I recommend going over.

 

[oscar]

You could not give them anything like a bribe but they always wanted something, like a can of Coke (which they did not drink but put it in their pocket to take home).

In the late 80's I worked air charters by then Continental (It was an old Eastern gig) from MIA to HAV immediately back to MIA in the dark of night. I was the engineer at the time and part of my duties was a "walk around" the airplane while on the ground in HAV. I quickly learned that if I stuck a few Coke cans out of the galley in my pocket and left them sitting on the main gear under the wing our handling was much more expedited.

 

[Simi 60]

fify

You havent fixed anything for me.
So who/what is the best site in noonsite is not it?

 

[Magneto]

This is a great story of Harley the dog on Infinity N62. It was a comedy of errors. It was also very educational on pets going into Honolulu. It made Carol and I think very hard where we will decide to take our dog Snoopy. It's only paradise if you can share it with loved ones.

Thank you Julie & Andy Nemier of MV Infinity.

Harley Vision | n62Infinity

 

[Les_Garten]

You havent fixed anything for me.
So who/what is the best site in noonsite is not it?

Noonsite was an awesome site. They seemed to have lost all the information that was added on by people who posted personal experiences and current feedback. It's just gone seemingly, gone with the wind. They took a website that was about a 1995 level of sophistication, but chocked full of great info and turned it into a level of sophistication of about year 1998 with 1/10 the info. Awesome work there boys...

I don't know of a fix for all the lost info.

 

[BandB]

Noonsite was an awesome site. They seemed to have lost all the information that was added on by people who posted personal experiences and current feedback. It's just gone seemingly, gone with the wind. They took a website that was about a 1995 level of sophistication, but chocked full of great info and turned it into a level of sophistication of about year 1998 with 1/10 the info. Awesome work there boys...

I don't know of a fix for all the lost info.

I just checked a couple of countries and found tons of user comments and reports. I can't say whether it's all that were there in the past, but I'd suggest looking around a bit more as it may be you haven't found the way yet.

I have found a lot of inconsistency in how well their new site works and access.

 

[Les_Garten]

I just checked a couple of countries and found tons of user comments and reports. I can't say whether it's all that were there in the past, but I'd suggest looking around a bit more as it may be you haven't found the way yet.

I have found a lot of inconsistency in how well their new site works and access.

I read over every inch of their previous site. The info is gone. They have made the site less usable and the really awesome info is long gone vapor. They have a few bits of user info, but nowhere near 1% of what it was. Looks like some junk they threw on there to stem the complaints.

 

[BandB]

I read over every inch of their previous site. The info is gone. They have made the site less usable and the really awesome info is long gone vapor. They have a few bits of user info, but nowhere near 1% of what it was. Looks like some junk they threw on there to stem the complaints.

They have extensive reports going back decades and still readily available on the site. I don't have a before and after to compare, but sure seems no less to me, just accessed differently. Could you indicate one specific location you see the information gone on and I'll look at it.

 

[Les_Garten]

They have extensive reports going back decades and still readily available on the site. I don't have a before and after to compare, but sure seems no less to me, just accessed differently. Could you indicate one specific location you see the information gone on and I'll look at it.

So I looked back over it. Looks like they have added the stuff they were missing when the switch occurred. So this info was not lost, just slow in migration, thank God. Because that info is Golden for sure. I stand corrected, thanx!

 

[BandB]

So I looked back over it. Looks like they have added the stuff they were missing when the switch occurred. So this info was not lost, just slow in migration, thank God. Because that info is Golden for sure. I stand corrected, thanx!

Well, sounds like another switch with partial information and then recovery and adding it back in. Actually a pretty good site once you adjust to the new format. Still slow coming up sometimes.