Colonia, Yap Island - Clearance
Yap Clearance
This is a Port of Entry for the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) See the FSM Formalities page for full details on clearing into and out of the country.
See Fees for details of clearance and port charges here.
Hail the Port Authority on VHF Ch. 16 and wait for instructions before entering the cut.
Customs working hours are Monday to Friday: 08:00 -12:00, 13:00-17:00. Overtime is charged if you clear in or out outside of these hours (or on a weekend/public holiday).
If there is space yachts can come alongside a quay in the small boat harbor for clearance. The Port Authority may arrange for you to do this. This makes it easier as all the authorities can easily come on board to carry out clearance.
Domestic Clearance
Remember, if coming from another state you must also clear in here. You will need to show Port Clearance and Customs Clearance from the port of entry plus the approved vessel entry permit. Contact the authorities in Yap 72 hrs in advance and also 24 hrs before arrival at yilpermitpass@overlook.com, yapfsmips@gmail.com and pfsoyap@gmail.com.
Port clearance fees are paid at the Finance Department. Take the receipt to the Port Authority Office to finalize the official paperwork.
International Clearance
Fly the ‘Q’ flag on arrival.
Expect Port Authority, Quarantine, Bio-Security, Customs, Immigration and Yap Police to all come on board.
It is possible to arrange for a visitor’s permit from here.
Clearing out
Send an email to the above 3 addresses 72 hours in advance. You will then need to walk to each office 24 hours before departure to verify time to clear out and see if you need to move back to the Customs dock.
Visit Port Authority, then Immigration and finally, Customs for the final check out.
Last updated: April 2025
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Related to following destinations: Colonia - Yap Island, Federated States of Micronesia, Yap State
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Glen here a Kiwi who is an offshore sailor but living on the island of Yap for the last 5 years, Just a quick note to tell all that it is VERY IMPORTANT to have a valid cruising permit before entering FSM.
Here in Yap, I have seen several boats be fined $1000 USD each for not having one, even after showing proof of having applied but not received one. If a serious bit of revenue collecting is to be avoided I recommend you get it sorted in advance.
The problem lies with head office in Pohnpei, I was witness to and tried to help a Korean sailor who lost everything he owned on the outer reef here at night after falling asleep and landing on the reef.
The boat was a total loss and it still cost him $1000 for not having a cruising permit and a bucket load of other fees on top of that for hitting the reef and getting picked up by the local police.
He was lucky that a lot of his good gear was taken from the ship with the pickup but unlucky most of it disappeared and the rest was confiscated. Still a great place to visit just be sure to have all in order BEFORE arrival.
Posted on behalf of Richard of SY Mystic Rhythms:
We just arrived in Yap a few days ago and here is the latest info.
Port fees are 50.00 US and quarantine fees are 25.00 US.
There are no fees for anything else if you enter between the hours of 8 to noon or 1 to 5 PM according to the customs guy.
Clearing is a bit hectic with 5 officials asking for the same papers at the same time. All this was done at the immigration office and nobody came to the boat and nobody asked about holding tanks.
We did have our cruising permit in advance and this likely made life easier for us.
Make sure to fly your yellow quarantine flag on arrival. They were a bit upset that we forgot it.
They had no problems issuing a 2-month visa for my Canadian girlfriend nor did they seem to mind that we stopped at the outer island of Woleai before clearing in and we came from PNG.
Expect little to no boat parts to be found here and even the hardware stores are limited on stuff.
Propane is easy to get at the Do it Best hardware store and they give you a real fill.
Fuel is easy at the anchorage.