Forums39
Topics38,810
Posts314,110
Members26,588
|
Most Online2,218 Jan 21st, 2020
|
|
19 registered members (marisol, Nibj, Tom, deliveryskipper, IWIWSE, steve74, Fletch, boucharda, BillR, CharlieAndElaine, sugarae, Wingman, 7 invisible),
1,330
guests, and 269
spiders. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Clearing in for Spanish Virgins
#81932
01/13/2016 09:08 AM
01/13/2016 09:08 AM
|
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 184 Philadelphia, PA
Bones
OP
Traveler
|
OP
Traveler
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 184
Philadelphia, PA
|
Is a US flagged vessel sailing from STT to Culebra required to check in with C and I upon arrival? Seems all I can find on the subject doesn't include US to US transit.
Founder and Chair: Association of Amateur and Recreational Pirates (AARrrrrrrrrrrrP)
|
|
|
Re: Clearing in for Spanish Virgins
[Re: Bones]
#81934
01/13/2016 09:30 AM
01/13/2016 09:30 AM
|
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 402 St Thomas, USVI
Kimber
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 402
St Thomas, USVI
|
You also need to have a US Customs Decal from DTOPS or you will be required to go to the airport and pay a fee. Assuming you have the decal and US passports all you need to do is call in to (787) 729-6600. Enjoy your trip.
Last edited by Kimber; 01/13/2016 09:35 AM.
|
|
|
Re: Clearing in for Spanish Virgins
[Re: Kimber]
#81935
01/13/2016 11:04 AM
01/13/2016 11:04 AM
|
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 109 Bozeman / Minneapolis
snowdog
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 109
Bozeman / Minneapolis
|
Last December I sailed my boat from the BVIs to Culebra with a stop in STT. When I checked in at Cruz Bay (coming from Tortola) the US Customs Office told me that I did not have to check-in at Culebra. He did suggest that it might be "nice" if I made a courtesy call to customs there and let them know that I arrived.
s/v Snow Dog - Leopard 46
|
|
|
Re: Clearing in for Spanish Virgins
[Re: snowdog]
#81937
01/13/2016 01:39 PM
01/13/2016 01:39 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,277 Saint Thomas, USVI
CaptainJay
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,277
Saint Thomas, USVI
|
snowdog said: Last December I sailed my boat from the BVIs to Culebra with a stop in STT. When I checked in at Cruz Bay (coming from Tortola) the US Customs Office told me that I did not have to check-in at Culebra. He did suggest that it might be "nice" if I made a courtesy call to customs there and let them know that I arrived. You got bad info and lucky. The rules have not changed we deal with this on an almost weekly basis with the charter boats. Coming from the USVI you must clear into Puerto Rico/SVI's. If the boat is us flagged, has the customs decal and US Citizens on board this can be done on the phone. If not you have to go in person at the airport in Culebra. The fine is a maximum of $10,000.
|
|
|
Re: Clearing in for Spanish Virgins
[Re: CaptainJay]
#81938
01/13/2016 02:55 PM
01/13/2016 02:55 PM
|
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 109 Bozeman / Minneapolis
snowdog
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 109
Bozeman / Minneapolis
|
CaptainJay said:
You got bad info and lucky. The rules have not changed we deal with this on an almost weekly basis with the charter boats. Coming from the USVI you must clear into Puerto Rico/SVI's. If the boat is us flagged, has the customs decal and US Citizens on board this can be done on the phone. If not you have to go in person at the airport in Culebra. The fine is a maximum of $10,000. Thanks for pointing this out to me. It is frustrating to have this conversation with customs officer and still get it wrong. For anyone who wants to read it from the source here is a link: PR and USVI procedures
s/v Snow Dog - Leopard 46
|
|
|
Re: Clearing in for Spanish Virgins
[Re: snowdog]
#81939
01/13/2016 05:00 PM
01/13/2016 05:00 PM
|
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,100 Maryland
Twanger
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,100
Maryland
|
Calling in often works. The number we call is 877-529-6840. Turns out this gets you someone in the customs office Puerto Rico, not Culebra.
BTW, if you're wanting to stay at Culebrita, don't wait to call from Tortuga Bay, because the high hills surrounding it cut off cell service. We call when we're about two miles east.
Last August we had some highly suspicious foreigners aboard (Canadians!) and US Customs made us come into Dewey and prepare to be boarded (at 4:15 pm, LOL). So we called their bluff and dropped a hook in Dewey. When we called them they said it wouldn't be necessary, after all, for them to come and check us out. (Probably too close to quitting time.) So we beat feet back to Culebrita, but this detour costed us 2 hours of afternoon beach time.
So it turned out that our Canadians had driven across the border to the US and then flew to the USVI. Canadian border patrol failed to mark their passports, so there was no record of them crossing the border into the US. This caused a little bit of grief...
|
|
|
Re: Clearing in for Spanish Virgins
[Re: Twanger]
#81940
01/22/2016 09:24 AM
01/22/2016 09:24 AM
|
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,956 St. John, USVI
RickG
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,956
St. John, USVI
|
We sailed from STT to SVIs in October. You do need your DTOPS # to check in. We filed a float plan via SVRS, but still has to call in. They called back in two hours with a confirmation #.
Cheers, RickG
S/V Echoes, 2003 Beneteau 423 Grenada
|
|
|
Re: Clearing in for Spanish Virgins
[Re: Twanger]
#81943
02/03/2016 01:05 AM
02/03/2016 01:05 AM
|
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 414 Memphis, TN
beerMe
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 414
Memphis, TN
|
Twanger said: Calling in often works. The number we call is 877-529-6840. Turns out this gets you someone in the customs office Puerto Rico, not Culebra.
BTW, if you're wanting to stay at Culebrita, don't wait to call from Tortuga Bay, because the high hills surrounding it cut off cell service. We call when we're about two miles east. Twanger, Not trying to cause any trouble but I'm wondering if it's ok to call from Culebrita as it is not a designated inspection site? On the cbp website mentioned above it states: The Master of the vessel must report arrival via telephone immediately upon arrival to a designated inspection site within the jurisdiction of Puerto Rico (including Vieques and Culebra) and the US Virgin Islands.
Life involves risks, take some prudent ones (NOT with the BVI ferries)!
|
|
|
Re: Clearing in for Spanish Virgins
[Re: Twanger]
#81946
02/05/2016 12:34 PM
02/05/2016 12:34 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 83 ON, Canada
Eclipse
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 83
ON, Canada
|
For any Canadians reading this and wondering, Canadians don't check in with Canadian Customs when leaving Canada to enter the US but rather we checkin with US Customs and Immigration officials as we cross the border, regardless of whether we are crossing by air, land or sea. In the case outlined below, it would have been the US immigration officials that decided not stamp the traveller's passport upon entry to the US. Not uncommon though, esp on land crossings, for them to not stamp the passport. Twanger said: Calling in often works. The number we call is 877-529-6840. Turns out this gets you someone in the customs office Puerto Rico, not Culebra.
BTW, if you're wanting to stay at Culebrita, don't wait to call from Tortuga Bay, because the high hills surrounding it cut off cell service. We call when we're about two miles east.
Last August we had some highly suspicious foreigners aboard (Canadians!) and US Customs made us come into Dewey and prepare to be boarded (at 4:15 pm, LOL). So we called their bluff and dropped a hook in Dewey. When we called them they said it wouldn't be necessary, after all, for them to come and check us out. (Probably too close to quitting time.) So we beat feet back to Culebrita, but this detour costed us 2 hours of afternoon beach time.
So it turned out that our Canadians had driven across the border to the US and then flew to the USVI. Canadian border patrol failed to mark their passports, so there was no record of them crossing the border into the US. This caused a little bit of grief...
|
|
|
|