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World Cruising Handbook Corrections and Updates 8: North, Central and South America
Created by
doina.
Last modified on 2007-01-08 11:43:56
P294 Costa Rica Visas are issued on arrival to nationals of most countries. There are no visa requirements for stays of up to 90 days for nationals of the European Union, Argentina, Canada, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Panama, Paraguay, Romania, South Korea, USA, and Uruguay. No visas are required for stays of up to 30 days for nationals of Antigua, Albania, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Chile, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Iceland, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, Monaco, Mexico, New Zealand, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, St Kitts, St Lucia, San Marino, St Vincent, Singapore, Suriname, Trinidad, UAE, and Venezuela. All others require visas. P296 El Salvador No visa required by nationals of European Union, USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, Andorra, Antigua Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Israel, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tomé e Príncipe, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan (China), Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uruguay, Vanuatu and Vatican City. A tourist card must be purchased on entry and allows stays of up to 90 days. Nationals of Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Angola, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Botswana, China (PR), Colombia, Congo, Congo (Rep), Cuba, East Timor, Ecuador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Korea (Dem Rep), Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Authority, Peru, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Vietnam and Yemen need authorisation from the immigration authorities in El Salvador and their visa processing time can therefore take up to three weeks. P320 USA Following the 9/11 attacks, US Customs is now part of the newly-formed Department of Homeland Security and is called Customs and Border Protection. Security has increased at entry points to the US for both US and foreign-flagged vessels. For more information see http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/home.xml Non-commercial pleasure vessels, under 300 gross tons, are exempted from having to submit an Advance Notice Of Arrival (ANOA) 96 hours before arrival. Increased security means that although yachts may continue to obtain Customs clearance on entry into the US by telephone, that clearance is not valid until Immigration clearance has been obtained in person at the nearest INS office. (the immigration offices of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection). The captain, and every other person on board, regardless of nationality, are required to report to the nearest INS Office after arriving in a port of entry. US nationals must take with them a valid passport. All non-US nationals must take passports with valid visas, and a Green Card if held. If you arrive after working hours, you must remain onboard, and clear in the next morning. You must clear in within 24 hours of your arrival. The nearest INS office might be some distance away from your chosen port of entry, requiring an expensive taxi or rental car journey to reach. As long as this regulation remains in force, it would be worthwhile selecting an entry port where an INS office is within a short distance. The US Coast Guard have the power to board any vessel within US territorial waters and they frequently do this, particularly off Florida. They can also board any US flag vessel anywhere in the world. All vessels entering the 12 mile territorial waters must fly the Q flag. Failure to follow the correct procedure on arrival can lead to a substantial fine and seizure of the offending vessel. Foreign yachts: The captain must report the arrival of the yacht to customs immediately and make formal entry within 24 hours. On arrival everyone must remain on board, except for the captain going ashore to report the arrival of the yacht. Documents needed include registration papers, a declaration of both ship's stores and crew's possessions, last port clearance, and a crew list. Clearance must be completed with customs, immigration, health and agriculture. Sometimes the customs officer performs some or all of these other duties. On departure from the USA, yachts must clear out with customs. US registered yachts: On arrival in the USA from a foreign port all US yachts must report their arrival to customs immediately, and also report any merchandise acquired abroad that is subject to duty. If an inspection is required, the customs officer will direct the yacht to an inspection area. New security regulations oblige US nationals to now complete immigration clearance on arrival. Immigration: All nationalities entering by private yacht require a visa obtained in advance, except Canadians and Mexicans. US entry information for yachts Every person entering the United States must be seen in person by an Immigration officer, except those participating in the Canadian Border Small Boat Program. US citizens should carry proof of citizenship such as a passport or birth certificate. (Voter registration cards are no longer valid for this purpose.) Canadian citizens should present proof of Canadian citizenship; Mexican citizens may present a border-crossing card. Canadian, Mexican, and U.S. citizens must carry a passport if they are arriving in the U.S. from outside the Western Hemisphere. All other foreign nationals must carry a passport. The United States Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires that by January 1, 2008, travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada must have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States. The implementation of this requirement will be made in several phases. The proposed timeline will be as follows: · December 31, 2006 - Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. · December 31, 2007 Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel. This is a change from prior travel requirements and will affect all United States citizens entering the United States from countries within the Western Hemisphere who do not currently possess valid passports. This new requirement will also affect certain foreign nationals who currently are not required to present a passport to travel to the United States. Most Canadian citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and to a lesser degree, Mexican citizens will be affected by the implementation of this requirement. P327 Argentina Clearance – add Boats sailing from Argentina to the Falklands (Malvinas) should make this clear when completing departure formalities as, technically, as far as the Argentine authorities are concerned, they will not leave Argentina and therefore do not need to clear out. Each boat must check in regularly with the Argentine Navy on an agreed SSB frequency while sailing anywhere in Argentine waters. Sailing to the Falklands is no longer penalised, but on re-entering Argentine territorial waters the naval authorities should be informed of this at the earliest opportunity. Immigration: Citizens of neighbouring South American countries need only identity cards not passports. No visas are required for nationals of Andorra, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, Great Britain and North Ireland, Finland, France, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Holly See, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, St. Lucia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia. Citizens of these countries are allowed to stay for 90 days. Those from Grenada, Hong Kong (with British passport), Jamaica and Malaysia, for 30 days. One's passport should be carried at all times if travelling inland. P332 Brazil Passports must be valid six months from arrival date except Argentinians and Uruguayans, who only require a national identity card. A three-month visa is issued initially, renewable on request for another three months from the Federal Police on payment of a fee. Visas are not required by nationals of EU countries,(except for nationals of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Slovak Republic who do require a visa), Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Iceland, Israel, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, The Philippines, San Marino, South Africa, Malta, Surinam, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay, and Venezuela. These regulations are meant for visitors arriving by air, and in some ports the authorities insist on everyone having a visa, even nationalities that are normally exempt. It is therefore advisable for everyone arriving by yacht to obtain a visa in advance, but you must enter Brazil within 90 days of the visa being issued. All other nationalities, including Australian, New Zealand, US and Canadian citizens, need to obtain a visa before arrival. Visas may only be valid for 90 days from the date of issue. US citizens may be able to obtain a five year multiple-entry visa in advance which is a good alternative if you plan to leave the yacht in Brazil and then return. P335 Chile Immigration – add Recent regulations state that foreign yachts must have a pilot on board, unless they are fully insured. P342 Ecuador Clearance - add It is advisable to enter at the ports where there are yacht clubs, such as Salinas or Guayaquil, as these ports are more used to foreign visitors and there are less problems with officials. Immigration: Tourist cards are granted on arrival for West European, Canadian and US citizens for 15 or 30 days. Extensions of 30 days (US$10 each) are available from immigration, up to 90 days within 1 calendar year. Nationals of the following countries must obtain a visa in advance: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Palestine Authority, People's Republic of China, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Syria, Tunisia and Vietnam, Yemen. Visa requirements are not strictly enforced for those arriving by boat and short stays are granted on arrival even to nationalities that normally need visas. P345 French Guiana Clearance –add Kourou :The customs office is on Rue de Charles de Gaulle. Your passport should be valid for another 6 months. The friendly officer will make a copy of your passport(s) and ships' papers. The proceedure is quick, simple and free of charge. NOTE! It is prohibited to anchor in the off-lying islands of Iles du Salut when a rocket is about to be launched into space. This is now an infrequent occurance. Immigration Same as for France. A valid visa for France is also valid for French Guiana although the visitor should make it clear that they intend to visit French Guiana when applying for a visa for France. P350 Suriname Clearance Paramaribo: MAS (Maritime Authority Suriname) maintains a safe and beaconed entrance to the Suriname river so that entrance by day or night is no problem. Contact MAS on VHF channel 12 on reaching the river mouth. The operator will guide you to where you could or should anchor. Formalities can be completed at the foreign police(vreemdelingen dienst) at the Jaggernath Lachmon street 167 Paramaribo. Visas needed can be obtained at the visa office, Henk Aaron street opposite the Suriname Bank. P353 Uruguay Visas are not required for nationals of the European Union, Australia, Canada, Japan, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Iceland, Israel, Jamaica, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malaysia (1 month only), Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Seychelles, South Africa, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, USA and Venezuela. All are issued with a tourist card on arrival, valid for three months, which can be extended at Migraciones office, Calle Misiones 1513, for a small fee. |
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