From our 2024 visit. The Noon site pages are accurate. Samoa is a good place to visit, so the comments before 2022 below can be ignored. Really folks, bitching about not paying your Harbour fees before departure! No wonder cruisers have a poor reputation through the whole pacific. Maybe a decade ago there was petty official corrution. (ie cash USD not Samoan Talla) Not now.
1. Yes there is a 48Hr ANOA form via email. Ask for a response in a separate email if you don’t get one automatically first time.
2. Yes, call the Harbour Master at Apia Port Control on VHF 1-2hours before arrival, it is professional to ASK permission before entering a commercial port in every country in the world. They don’t want you blocking a channel or sailing into a container ships’ turning basin. Samoa is seriously poor, and can not afford overtime so runs 9-5, on weekdays and episodically on weekends. Plan accordingly. Also Sunday still really is the Sabath here. Respect it and put some pants on, neither they or I want to see your tanned bum cheeks poking past your G-string. In fact outside of walled resorts, every day is shirt on and no G-string day in Samoa.
3. Clearance anchorage. The Harbour Master will direct you to an obvious yellow customs clearance anchorage buoy. You can ASK permission to clear in at the Marina if you already have a booking – but just anchor out it’s easier, the holding is good and it’s cooler on anchor. You pick up the obvious waving officials, at the marina dock. If you a have a small tender you might need 2 trips as Samoans can be well nourished. The smaller the tender and larger the Samoan the more laughter there will be.
4. On arrival it was explained to us that your harbour fees are $100 per month (or any part of a month) but will be waived if you instead stay in the Marina for a few days and have a receipt. On departure you will not get Customs Clearance until you pay your Harbour or Marina Fees.
5. Biosecurity is free on arrival, they didn’t take any of our food stuffs, there “may be” a disposal fee if they do.
6. Immigration is free on arrival, but requires a walk to their office in town as first pit stop on departure.
7. Customs is free on arrival and hassle free. But they will give you the 3rd degree and a whole boat search if your papers aren’t in order, ie: you arrive in Samoa from Polynesia but your Zarpe says next port Fiji. If your blown here off course, call them in advance. If you just rock up, then yes you are actually suspicious so just be polite and get inspected. Drugs are sadly a growing and quite real problem in these Islands, and so called “cruising” yachts are still a traditional contributor to the the import trade. Customs has a clearance fee on departure
8. The “cruising permit”, honestly I wouldn’t bother, anchorages are few and far between, and the nice tourist sites of Samoa are not near those anchorages. Hire a car, do a lap of Upolu and catch the ferry to Savai. If they added Western Savai as an Entry/Exit port then things would be different for cruising here, but they are poor so can not do that. Reinhard’s 2023 comment below is interesting, maybe that is a loophole that they have allowed to let a yacht leave from Savai after clearing out at Apia. Maybe its new……ask? A permit does cost extra I think.
So come to Samoa, both Samoa’s in fact, they are far less crowded than down south if you need a break from that crowd. Both Countries are scenic and both have there own interesting brand of Polynesian culture and history.