Sri Lanka - Clearance
PRE- ARRIVAL
An agent is required to clear into and out of Sri Lanka.
Preferably establish contact with an agent before arrival so they can arrange for your permission to enter the harbor.
Permission to enter port will be granted along with a (strictly kept) arrival time. It is advantageous to provide the following details prior to arrival:
Yacht Name, LOA, beam, draft, flag, port of registry and registration number. Name of Master, Masters Passport No., Last Port, Departure Date. No. of Crew and crew details, including nationality and passport numbers. If anyone is flying out of Sri Lanka list them as passengers and not crew.
See Sri Lanka/Clearance Agents for a list of agents. Whilst agents must charge as per a government price tariff, there are still price differences between the different agents, so ask for several quotes and shop around.
Be sure to have applied for a tourist visa, online, prior to departure for Sri Lanka, and have the e-mail confirmation of the visa approval at hand to show Immigration officers on arrival. See Immigration for more details.
ARRIVAL FORMALITIES
Advance Notification:
It is recommended that you call your chosen agent on VHF about half an hour out (before calling Port Control), and again as you get closer. They will contact the officials to meet you on arrival.
Arriving yachts must also call the Port Authority on VHF Channel 16 when approximately 1.5NM off, to notify them of arrival, but it is common that yachts will be contacted by the Port Authority prior. (Keep a listening watch on VHF Channel 16 at all times when operating in Sri Lankan territory.)
General Process:
Clearance must be carried out through the agent, both on arrival and departure. The agent is supposed to ensure that the captain complies with port and immigration regulations, that he has sufficient funds in foreign exchange for the fees and that all port dues and customs duties are settled before departure.
Be prepared to fill out a large number of forms, and have a boat stamp handy.
The agent will be the first to come out to your boat and will bring some or all of the following officers with him to complete the formalities:
Port Security: Be aware that these officials may ask for “gifts” after having searched the boat. Do not be intimidated into doing so, if you do not wish it.
Health Officer: The health officer will carry out the quarantine inspection and there will be medical forms to complete, plus a compulsory health check for all crew conducted by the port doctor. The health officer wlil then grant “pratique” (clean bill of health).
Customs Officer: The yacht will then be inspected by a Customs officer, who will require the last port clearance.
Port Authority: A Port Authority official will come out to the boat during office hours (06:00-12:00, 13:00-16:00 Monday to Friday) to fill in an arrival report (yacht details, crew list, etc.).
Immigration Officer: The Immigration Officer will come to the yacht to complete his formalities. Crew lists and details of any passengers or crew who are leaving the vessel have to be given to Immigration. You will also have to go to the Immigration officer to collect your visa (approved by the online system ahead of arrival – see Immigration for details).
The port authority will indicate the area in each port where yachts may anchor. The Port Authority tightly controls yacht movements and anchoring – particularly in Trincomalee – and schedules are kept to the minute. (A January 2016 report from a cruiser said that they arrived seven minutes early and were required to wait.) Yachts should not move from their original mooring without the Harbour Master’s permission. Permission is also needed before hauling out a yacht. Land the dinghy at the appointed places in each port.
Note: Be sure to arrive with your chosen Sri Lankan port of clearance on your exit zarpe from your previous port. If you have “Maldives” or other on your zarpe, this can cause a lot of problems.
It is advisable to be able to communicate with Sri Lankan authorities (or your agent) en route and provide them with regular updates.
Domestic Cruising:
There are some restrictions on cruising and anchorages along the coast but the coastal areas are gradually opening up. Check with your clearance agent for more information.
CLEARING OUT
Domestic Clearance:
If the yacht is sailing along the coast, a clearance certificate must be obtained for calling at other ports in Sri Lanka. Access is only permitted to official ports of entry.
International Departure:
On departure, a clearance certificate must be obtained from Customs.
Last updated: September 2023
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We have had last week a tour in Sri-Lanka, unfortunately we had a very bad guide from Galle Harbour, mr. Jozef. He presented himself as a well-educated and good guide, but on the way he informed us very poor about culture and possibilities, was each evening complete drunk and present himself in the daytime as a clown to other people.
We agreed to pay 50% of the trip in advance and after the trip the other 50% by banktransfer. Each day he forced us to pay him a part of the last 50% payment, only to pay the hotels, excursions and the rest to buy cigarettes and alcohol for his own pleasure.
That’s why we hardly advice you, don’t make further appointments with him!!
We can recommend an very honest other guide, Mr. Asela who is also a cheap Tuktuk driver for the marina-people. This is a well educated man, knows a lot of facts over the Sri-Lanka culture and is a good guide to join with and organise your trip in Sri-Lanka! You can reach him on Telephone/WhatsApp 077 920 8933.
He will not disappoint you!!
Apr 22, 2019 12:43 PM
We used GAC in Galle and Nuwan in Galle did a good job with the paperwork but the GAC system is painful – all instructions have to go via GAC Colombo – and stuff gets lost in the communication. They also charged $400 for clearing in a 10kg parcel at Colombo and shipping to Galle Harbour. They are more geared to big ships, so, while I don’t have experience of the others, I wonder if there is a better alternative
Mar 31, 2019 09:20 AM
We had a great 25-day stay in Sri Lanka. Our boat was in Trincomalee the whole time, which we loved. The anchorage is flat calm and the town is quiet. We cleared in using Sandeep from GAC, who was extremely helpful to us.
We hired a driver, Raj, to get us around the Cultural Triangle for three days. He can be reached at +94 77 766 7256. He dropped us off at Kandy where we took the train down to Ella and back over three days, and then we had Raj organize a driver to get us to Wilpattu for a three-day safari then back to the boat.
Sri Lanka is a beautiful country. It’s unfortunate we can’t gunkhole, but I enjoyed our stay.
Provisioning is available. Food City is a small grocery store, but has meats (chicken, some pork and some beef), cheese, and basic pantry goods. Near the dock in Trinco, there are a few small shops with staples. Dried beans, raisins and dates are easy to find.
We used Dialogue for our SIM, and got 30 GB (with time restrictions) for $8USD.
clif everett says:
Feb 23, 2019 04:35 AM
Tango shipping agency got us through customs formalities on a national holiday at 8pm. I was amazed. The price was $325. We were able to go to dinner that same evening.
When we arrived in Sri Lanka we called for Tango Shipping Agency on the Ch 16 – Mr Chatura and Nilusha were great and went beyond the formalities to enter the country. Mr Chatura is a man of the sea, very experienced in many areas and helped us a lot in electrical problems for free! They were clear, helpful and kind and we became friends.
We also made friends with the helpful and smiley Ekka, the tuk-tuk driver that knows everything and everyone – http://www.ekkatours.com +94723371116. We loved Sri Lanka, thank you all!
Steve – the best group to get involved with is the Red Sea Passage Facebook Group. See http://www.noonsite.com/General/Piracy/red-sea-passage-facebook-group.
There is also a facebook group for Crossing the Indian Ocean (on passage)
I am planning to sail from Sri Lanka to the Red Sea early in 2019 and would like to communicate with other sailors (owners and/or crew) interested in doing the same.
To everyone planning to go to Trincomalee Sri Lanka…
TWO important points…
NIGHT TIME ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE
Be advised that entrance or exit in or out of Trincomalee Port is NOT allowed at night. There will be no circumstance that will permit entrance at night. There are no lighted buoys, and the harbormaster is not willing to be responsible for your nighttime entrance/departure. You must heave to or drift until morning if you arrive at night. Plan your arrivals accordingly.
CUSTOMS CLEARANCE TO PORT
Be advised that it is a big problem if you arrive in Trincomalee with clearance to a port of “Maldives” or anything besides “Trincomalee, Sri Lanka” or “High Seas”. GAC agent Sandeep worked hard for many hours today to get the problem cleared up with customs, and it is now resolved, but be aware that common practice elsewhere is not common practice here.
We cannot speak highly enough of our agent, Sandeep Kavinda Wickramarathne, from GAC Shipping Ltd. (Ph +94764675451). We paid US$310 to GAC Shipping for their services for a one month stay in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. We found them to be very professional and efficient. Clearing in was no problem and very friendly. Nobody asked for any extra fees.
The harbour is an excellent place to anchor and leave your boat for a few days exploring inland. Trincomalee is a nice sized town to use as a base for further travel inland. We had an excellent and well-priced guide – Yosef Ph.+94778802557. His price included all his expenses and then we paid for our meals and hotel on top of that. We were not approached by any fishermen upon entering the harbour.
We chose Trincomalee because we had heard that the concrete plant in Gal leaves concrete dust all over your boat.
Overall a great anchorage with good holding, easy access and great people.