YACHT CLEARANCE + CRUSING PERMITS
ALLOW US TO HANDLE THE FORMALITIES SO YOU CAN FOCUS ON PLANNING YOUR GUESTS CRUISE.
Vessel Declaration + Customs - In order to be able to cruise in US waters, you will need to be cleared by the United States Coast Guard. Your arrival must be announced 24 hours in advance. As your agent, we will make sure that your arrival is communicated to the USCG and Customs office. As is typical for most places, entry into the United States occurs as soon as you have anchored or moored alongside and are in US waters. You cannot anchor anywhere other than a Port of Entry (in Honolulu, for Oahu) when first arriving, or you will be subject to considerable fines for violation.
A representative from Yacht Agent Co. will meet you promptly upon your arrival, along with a Customs Agent. Customs will inform the other departments - Immigration, Agriculture, and Health and they will arrive to board the yacht. Typically, the Customs officers handle immigration and health requirements at the same time. In Hawaii, yachts and large vessels will fill out the same paperwork, which is a bit different than the general mainland US.
Crew and passengers who are already US citizens will have very simple and quick immigration procedures. All other persons are considered as aliens and they must have valid passports, with visas where this is applicable.