www.USSuperyacht.com » Capt.Scott Sanders offers tips on entering the U. S.

Capt.Scott Sanders offers tips on entering the U. S.

Captain Scott Sanders

A few things that have always worked for me.

Clearance in to the U.S.:

Call the 800 number first thing upon arrival.
Make sure all crew member Visas are in order and in date.
Do not use a C1/D1 visa for crew member as they will be limit the crew member to 29 days.
As Captain, I always accompany my crew to check them in, even though I have a boaters card (TWIX) and
am not required to present myself.
Always ask for extra time, we never know when the owner is going to change his mind or the
boat is going to need unexpected yard time.
In a casual way ask if you can give some extra time on this it would be appreciated,
60-90 days……..sometimes this works and you can get the time limit extended.
I always use the Officer’s name such as Officer Gomez, never use “Sir or Madam”.
This may sound silly but it helps.
Make sure your ship papers are in proper order.
Always ask about local rules such as the Virgin Islands are slightly different and are
always changing.
Getting Visa’s
Send a copy of the ship papers, cruising permit and the letter (attached) from the Captain.
I usually give the crew member a few copies in case they loose one.
Send the crew member to a tried and true consulate, not in the Dominican Republic.
I use Nassau and have used Barbados and Milan in the past, as well as sending the crew
member back home to Australia, or Great Britain to get a B1/B2 visa.
In Europe I use a Yacht Agent who can facilitate getting a scheduled time arranged.
In the Bahamas they will say they don’t have an opening for a month or two.
I have found if you show up with a the attached letter that the boat is departing on “such and
such date”, they normally will usually fit you in within a few days.

Crew joining or returning to the boat:

Provide the joining or returning crew copy of the ship papers, cruising permit of the country
and a letter from the Captain.
Provide extra copies of all the paper work.
Ask the crew to put these papers in a separate location just in case a bag is lost or stolen.
I have never had a problem with using this method. “I once witnessed a Captain have a problem
getting into a Caribbean Island at the airport because he didn’t have ship papers, he had to leave
his passport and return with ship papers to get his passport back”.