Entering and leaving a foreign port - formalities.

[StevenJMorgan]

I have been sailing for quite a long while and have cruised to 'foreign' contries from the uk (well ireland and france) but have never really understood how to properly enter and leave a foreign port.

Could some one please help me with the correct way to do this? I understand that in order to gain entry to some countries you need to have exit papers from the last country you visited - are these for the boat and the crew and how does this work - how do you check out of a country from a port?

I also understand that countries have designated ports of entry - how do you find out which ports these are and do you get your visa's at the same place. When you arrive at the port how do you contact the correct officials - I'm aware there is something to do with a Q flag but how does this work?? Do you then have to check out of the same port?

Also what papers do you need for the boat and crew?

I assume that this is actually very simple but it is something that is bothering me and with a potential extending cruise in the medium term - it is something I'd like to understand. Especially as I and my boat are in the middle east!

Any help gratefully received

 

[jeremyshaw]

Regulations vary from country to country, and you need to check with a pilot book or local almanac. Noonsite.com is a good online source of info.

Re flagging correct procedure is to fly the courtesy flag for the country being visited, and a yellow Q flag below to show you require "free pratique" i.e. want to visit, as soon as you enter territorial waters. Once you have cleared immigration and customs you take down the Q flag.

Flying the correct courtesy flag is just a courtesy but it can be important. In Malta I pointed out to a French boat that had come in that she was flying an Italian courtesy flag (Maltese don't like people who think they are part of Italy). The owner said " I don't have time to get a Maltese one" and left it up. She then wondered why the usually very courteous and efficient Maltese made checking in a long and arduous process!

In some countries (France) an EU boat with EU crew is free to come and go. In others you need to go to a port of entry and check in with immigration and customs. Sometimes they will want to see your clearance papers from the previous country. This applies pretty much all over the Caribbean though not much in the Med. If you've come from a country which doesn't give you clearout papers then you can normally get away with it by explaining that, or better still flash a marina bill if you happen to have one.

Some couontries require you to clear in and out of various ports as you move along - for example Trinidad, Tunisia and Venezuela - even Greece (at least if you are a non-EU boat). Some even want you to tell them which harbours you will be visiting in advance (just tell them every possible one you might want to, unless it involves extra fees!).

If you arrive in a country and need/want to stop at a harbour in a non-entry port then it gets a bit iffy. Usually you are OK flying a Q flag provided you do not go ashore, but some countries will give you a hard time.

For example just last week a friend of mine left Tortuga in Venezuela for the Roques (also in Venezuela). She had cleared in in Venezuela twice already, and needed to clear in to the Roques again. They spent the first day tucked up behind a reef resting after an overnighter. They were visited by the Coastguard and explained they would go to the main island to check in the next day. They did so at 830am and were torn off a strip for not being there at 0800!

In Trinidad I was summonsed to a hearing at the main Customs office in Port of Spain because I and another boat left Tobago (part of Trinidad) for Trini itself without proper clearance. This was despite our having gone to the airport (the only place open at the time) and getting verbal permission from the officers on duty that it was OK to go because we needed to get out of the way of hurricane Ivan. The officer promised to fax a note through to Trinidad but did not do so, and the officer in Trinidad said "A hurricane is no excuse for not following procedures". Amusingly the hearing was postpoined because of the hurricane so none of the officers turned up, and this probably helped in their decision "we will not fine you on this occasion."

A friend in Malta told me a story about how he went to Greece to collect a boat for an owner and could not find the entry papers on the boat. The owner said he had thrown them away. The friend went and explaiined the situation to the local officials who promptly send a diver down to chain up the prop. They then had to go to a judicial hearing the other side of Greece. The case got thrown out but only after a lot of hassle and delay.

You will find a lot of people being fairly casual about checking in and out, and often getting away with it. But the bottom line is that boats can and do get fined. And even if we think their rules are stupid and resent the costs, it's their country....

 

[Amphitrite]

In the EU normally clearing in and out is not necessary, although some countries require entering in a port-of-entry (Germany for example).
For Croatia one is required to enter at the closest port-of-entry to your route with a Q-flag flying. Than the skipper has to visit the police, harbourmaster and customs with crews passports, crew list, flag certificate and local cruising permit. Once cleared in, you can move around freely. When leaving, the same procedure has to be done again and you will get a second stamp on your cerwlist confirming that you have cleared out properly.

In Morocco, upon entering a port after having obtained permission to do so via VHF, you will be directed to a berth and welcomed by the harbourmaster. Flying the yellow flag and the courtesy flag is essential! The harbourmaster will either arrange for the police, customs and immigration to visit you or he will tell the skipper to go there. The immigration will keep your passports and issue a shore-pass. When leaving the port, you will be handed back your passport with proper stamps for entering and leaving the country. In the next port of Morocco the same procedure will apply again....

Generally, www.noonsite.com is a good indicator for the procedures, but generally when entering a foreign port with the yellow flag flying the boat will normally visited by the officials shortly after arrival if the arrival has been announced to the port authority over VHF. If nothing happens, go the the harbourmasters office and he will tell you the correct procedure.

Best regards,
Holger