Suwarrow - Clearance

All sailors must clear in at an official Customs Port of Entry BEFORE applying to visit any other islands including Suwarrow Island. Choosing to sail directly to Suwarrow without prior approval from the Cook Islands Customs Service could impact future travel permissions.

For inquiries or clarification, please contact Cook Islands Customs email at:  customs.craft@cookislands.gov.ck.

See Cook Islands/Formalities for a list of ports of entry and entry protocols.

Requirements for Visiting Suwarrow

When there are Rangers on Suwarrow Island, their role is to protect the island, not to process marine vessel clearances. Vessels may only enter Suwarrow in emergency situations that are neither self-inflicted nor pre-planned.

Marine craft intending to arrive at or depart from Suwarrow Island MUST obtain authorization from the Cook Islands Controller of Customs in advance.

For vessels intending to visit Suwarrow, the following steps must be taken:

1. Advanced Notice: The Vessel master must complete Form 29 – Advanced Notice of Arrival (Small Craft) and submit it at least 48 hours prior to arrival.
2. Arrive at a designated Customs Port - Avatiu Port, Rarotonga, or Arutanga port, Aitutaki.
3. Complete Form 27 (CI Border Agencies application for marine craft to arrive at or depart from a place outside a designated Customs Port) and submit it to customs.craft@cookislands.gov.ck. Please note this procedure requires approval from border officials and takes five working days to process. If you are arriving at a designated port to obtain clearance to a non-designated island such as Palmerston, please submit the necessary information/documents well in advance along with the Form 27 submission.

See Cook Islands Formalities for complete clearance information.

Cook Islands Customs will consult with the Ministry of Agriculture, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transport, the Cook Islands Police and the National Environment Service before granting an authorization to arrive at Suwarrow Island and has the right to deny the application.

Failure to arrive at a nominated Customs Port of Entry without authorization is a criminal offense punishable by a term of imprisonment not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding $100. Customs officers may also elect to detain/seize your craft pending prosecution.

Biosecurity:

Suwarrow Island is free of rats. Yachts are requested to be very vigilant that they do not bring any rats or mice to Suwarrow. The island is a key biodiversity area and a very important bird breeding ground for the Pacific Islands. It is also requested that boats are sprayed for other invasives, such as fire ants, before travelling to the island.

Fees:

All vessels entering the island of Suwarrow are required to pay an entry fee of $50 USD for up to 2 people per vessel, staying no more than 10 days. Other Suwarrow fees include $10 USD per person per 7 days for any additional person on the vessel. Children 15 years of age and under are free of charge.

Park Rules:

Suwarrow is a national marine park and visitors are urged to preserve its environment. In order to keep the park as pristine as possible and to keep visitors safe, some rules have been put in place. These include:

1. Spear fishing is not permitted
2. Scuba diving is not permitted
3. The taking of coconut crabs is not permitted
4. Permission must be sought from the caretaker before visiting other islands in the atoll.
5. Using drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)

The caretakers maybe able to take visitors to other motus and snorkeling sites, however, this will depend on their availability. Charges maybe imposed by the Rangers and this may vary from cash payment to gas etc.

For the current rules on visiting Suwarrow National Park, download this document - Suwarrow Rules 2022 or contact the National Environment Service at: nes@cookislands.gov.ck

Last updated:  September 2025