Hello! Quick question regarding USVI and BVI clearance:

When clearing in/out on the BVI side, if we dinghy to the West End office, do we need to also present our luggage? Same question at Cruz Bay coming back to US, I plan to grab a mooring in Caneel Bay and bring the group in - do we have to present luggage?

Many thanks!

One additional question, If clearing customs in Charlotte Amalie, is it acceptable to drop the hook on the east side of the bay near Yacht Haven Grande, and taxi to the customs office in the ferry terminal? We’ll be traveling with some older folks who would be be able to make the walk.

No luggage is required. You do have to present the boat for inspection if customs chooses to inspect the boat. That means basically you need to be in the same bay for the BVI. I would suggest in the BVI you clear out and back in at Great Harbor JVD. Easier than west end. Only the skipper needs to go ashore. Everyone else can stay on the boat. For the USVI I suggest the Roam app. You can all stay on the boat if you use it. There was an excellent write up on clearing in and out not long ago. I will see if I can find a link.

Jagmansr posted the following: Hope he does not mind my reposting. One change is you want to complete your BVI paperwork online using sail clear if possible. https://www.sailclear.com/index

I've posted this in two other treads in the last week. We just did this March 31.
You still have to have the captain walk into BVI customs to check out. You can either get on line or use the machine there to create the paperwork which customs prints out and you pass through, customs, the cashier and finally immigration. (just like always) Thier windows are all within 10 feet of each other at Great Harbor. Having the ROAM feature on the boat makes checking into USVI a breeze. All done over the phone using the ROAM apt. Can check in anywhere once in US waters. When returning to BVI, go back to sailclear, hit arrive instead of departure and the paperwork gets created (it will still have all your info saved) it emails gives you a reference number that you give customs, then go to cashier and finally immigration and you're back in. There were 4 of us and the BVI fees were a total of $15 each way. You need to register with ROAM and create an account where you enter the boat info and passports of your crew.

"On our last trip a couple weeks ago, we did just the opposite. We wanted to do some amazing hikes this trip and haven't sailed to St John since 2019. We started out in the BVI, sailed to Jost Van Dyke and checked out at Customes. They now use the apt Sailclear which make checking out very easy. Total fees for the 4 of us, $15. We spent the afternoon at White bay and headed for St. John at 7 AM the next mooring. Using ROAM, we checked into the USVI while moored in Leinster Bay. After being cleared which only took about 20 minutes we hiked over to the sugar mill ruins and then to the Murphy house. Next morning the girls hiked the trail to Coral Bay while my friend Bob and I sailed around St John to Coral Bay. We met up and had a great lunch at "Skinny Legs" before spending the night at Great Lamisher Bay. Since I have a "senior pass" to the national parks, mooring fees were only $13. Next morning we sailed over to Reef Bay and hiked to the sugar mill and on to the Petroglyphs. This is a must trail to hike. After that, we sailed over to Christmas Bay for pizza that evening from the pizza boat, Pizza PI. It's fun taking the dingy for carry out. Next morning we returned to Great Harbor and checked in again using the Sailclear apt. Spent that day at Norman, hiking and snorkeling the Indians before heading back to Fat Hog Bay the next day. We go down 5 or 6 times a year so it's fun to mix it up now and than. Heading back in 2 weeks for a 2 week sail with "the guys". Looking forward to spending a few days in Anegada this time."

As has already been mentioned in the thread, only the skipper needs to go perform clearance into and out of the BVI while the whole crew needs to be present when clearing into the USVI.

But please don't forget that anyone who doesn't hold a US passport or is an LPR will need a visa. A real, actual visa; the ESTA process doesn't apply when traveling into the USA on a private vessel (if going to the USVI by ferry, an ESTA would apply).

@Georgec1 @Zanshin thank you so much for the insight, I really appreciate the help!!

I’m going to work on getting a CBP sticker for the boat so we can use the roam app. We are using facilities at Yacht Haven Grande to assist with a few in our group who have some mobility issues. I’m still trying to figure out how to clear the old fashioned way at the Edward W. Blyden terminal, but I’ll give them a call. From my experience there, the only entrance is from the harbor side via ferry.

If you do need to clear in person I would use Cruz bay. It’s on the route to where you are going and yacht friendly. Avoid going before 11 am as there is a lot of water taxi traffic.

ROAM worked great clearing into US from BVI for us last few trips (2023). Theoretically Sail Clear works for reentry into BVI as long as the systems are up (they seem to go off line frequently in Great Harbor). Then it is manual paper process so time it so you don’t encounter ferries.

If you are going to Yacht Haven they have a private Customs office by appointment.