Entering the USA by Yacht Without a B1/B2 Visa
Information Clarified by US Customs and Border Protection
The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has confirmed that it is possible to enter the United States by private yacht without holding a B1/B2 visa, provided you first enter the U.S. by a commercial carrier under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
As per 8 C.F.R. § 217.3(b),CBP has clarified that if a traveller is initially admitted to the U.S. by air or other approved commercial carrier using the VWP, they may then travel to Canada, Mexico, or designated adjacent Caribbean islands, return to their yacht, and sail into the United States while remaining on that same VWP admission.
The term adjacent islands means Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Marie-Galante, Martinique, Miquelon, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Christopher, Saint Eustatius, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Maarten, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, and other British, French and Netherlands territory or possessions bordering on the Caribbean Sea.
Key points:
- The initial U.S. entry must be by a VWP-approved commercial carrier.
- Re-entry by private yacht is permitted when returning from Canada, Mexico, or listed “adjacent islands” in the Caribbean.
- If your yacht is in Panama, or Colombia, or any other countries not considered contiguous foreign territory nor adjacent islands to the US. , you will not be permitted to sail into the USA under this scheme and may face a substantial fine for not arriving with the correct visas.
- The traveller is not granted a new 90-day stay – admission is only for the remaining balance of the original VWP period.
- All standard VWP conditions still apply (passport eligibility, ESTA approval, admissibility, etc.).
- This interpretation applies uniformly across all U.S. jurisdictions, including the mainland U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This clarification provides an important legal pathway for eligible yacht owners and crew from Visa Waiver countries who wish to enter the U.S. by sea without obtaining a B1/B2 visa in advance.
Our thanks to Jeffrey Quinones – US Customs and Border Protection – for taking the time to explain this interpretation.
Useful Links:
Visa Waiver Program Details – 8 C.F.R. § 217.3(b)
ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization)
Cruisers Experience of Using this Method
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