Explore: Marshall Islands - Formalities
Clearance
ARRIVAL FORMALITIES:
Advance Notification:
Contact Immigration 72 hours before planned arrival with the crew list.
General Process:
The only port of entry is Majuro Atoll.
Clearance can be quick and easy. Call ‘Majuro Port Control’ on VHF 16 upon arrival and ask for instructions for clearance. If no answer, call the Mieco Beach Yacht Club (MBYC) on VHF Ch 71 and ask for advice.
Port Control may schedule Customs and Immigration officials to meet the skipper at the Shoreline dinghy dock (near Uliga Wharf and RRE hotel) to complete clearance. If not, go to the Capital Building (about 10 minutes away) where, on the ground floor, you will find Customs who will then give you instructions to go to Immigration in the Mako Building, which is a five to 10 minute walk.
To avoid overtime fees, try to arrive during business hours (Monday to Friday). See fees section for details
Remember for men to wear a collared shirt and trousers and for women a dress or skirt that reaches below the knee.
Domestic Cruising:
Entry/Cruising Permits are required for every atoll to be visited. See Outer Islands page for more details.
CLEARING OUT
International Clearance:
The order of clearance is:
- The Port Captain at the Port Authority Office ( to pay a departure fee).
- Customs.
- Immigration ( who may ask to see the receipt from the Port Captain).
Last updated: March 2019
Immigration
Immigration Procedures:
All passports must be valid and if applying for a visa, must be valid for 6 months.
The standard Tourist visa is issued for 30 days.
Visas are not required for citizens of the United States, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau for any length of stay.
No visas are required by any crew of private yachts for stays of up to 7 days.
Other Visa Information:
For longer stays, yacht crews from Australia and New Zealand, Canada, European Union (includes United Kingdom), South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Pacific Islands Forum countries are granted a free visa for 90 days. After which time you must leave and cannot return without having clearance papers from another country. They can apply for a one year visa but the application must be made within 14 days of arrival.
The 1 year visa is invalidated by flying out of the country and on return you will only be given the standard 30 day Tourist visa.
When being issued with a tourist visa, it may be necessary to provide certain documents (letter stating purpose of visit, police record dated within last three months and health record dated within last three months showing traveller is free of HIV and TB).
Last updated: March 2019
Latest update: July 2016
Customs
Arriving by Yacht:
Firearms must be declared on arrival.
Only 2 cartons of cigarettes and 2 litres of alcohol can be imported duty-free.
Other Items:
Coral and turtle shell are prohibited exports.
Yacht in Transit:
Health
There is now no health risk to visiting cruisers from the 1950s nuclear testing. Avoid eating coconuts, pandanus fruit and coconuts crabs on Bikini and Rongelap atolls. It’s okay to eat lobster and fish even from Bikini lagoon where 67 bombs were tested.
Majuro has one private clinic and one public hospital. Ebeye has one public hospital. Most outer islands have very basic medical dispensaries.
There may be some risk of cholera. A health certificate is required if arriving from infected areas. An HIV test may be required for visits over 30 days. Diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy exist on the Islands.
Dengue Fever endemic in the islands and precautions should be taken to avoid mosquito bites.
ZIKA VIRUS ALERT: (September 2016) There have been recent safety alerts from the US State Department, UK Foreign Office, and Center for Disease Control (CDC) regarding travel to parts of Central and South America, Africa, southern Asia, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific islands. The Marshall Islands is an area of interest. There is growing concern about the rapid spread of the ZIKA Virus and the impact of the virus on pregnant women and babies. ZIKA is transmitted by mosquitos in tropical and sub-tropical climates, and there is currently no cure or vaccine. This situation is evolving rapidly, so please refer to the CDC’s dedicated website if you are intending to cruise in one of the affected areas.
Cases of locally transmitted Zika virus have been confirmed in the last 9 months.
Latest update: September 2016
Documents
Cruising Permits are required for every outer island. See Outer Islands page for more details.
Fees
Immigration Fees:
Tourist visas for stays of 30 days are free for citizens of the EU, Canada, Japan, South Korea, The Philippines and Taiwan.
A single entry one-year visa costs $200.
Overtime fees:
Immigration: $100
Customs: $75
Quarantine: $100
Departure:
There is $10 fee for yacht checkout at Marshall Islands Ports Authority.
For details of the fees charged by each atoll, see the ‘Atoll’ tab on the www.infomarshallislands.com website.
Last updated: March 2019
Restrictions
The test site on Kwajalein Atoll occasionally conducts live-fire exercises within a 200-mile radius. Contact Kwajalein Atoll Control by radio beforehand if sailing in this area.
Restricted islands are those used by the US army: Kwajalein Island (but not the entire Kwajalein atoll) is a closed military base, and the missile range includes Kwajalein and the islands up to Roi-Namur Island. Monitor SSB 2.716 and VHF Ch 71 for test notices.
Local Customs
The outer islands are very conservative. Covered shoulders and long skirts for women, and shirts and trousers/pants or long board shorts for men. Display as little skin as possible.
When islanders visit your yacht, cover-up!
The drinking of alcohol is banned on all of the outer islands except for Kwajalein and Likiep and should never be given as a gift.
Pets
Animals must be declared to Customs on arrival but are permitted to stay on board (most pet-friendly nation in the Pacific).
