Holy Cow can they make it any more complicated?
I was reading a 'how to sail to the Bahamas book' by Skipper Bob. He mentions that you want to acquire your Customs Decal prior to departing the US. In the book, Bob says, "you can write the Decal Program Administrator in Pittsburgh" to request the form. Or, you can call. Lastly, he suggests you can obtain it online. (duhhh! when was this book published?)(2003) I went online and filled out a form - paid by credit card - and have a decal on order.
After reading online and in Bob's book, i see that the decal is required to 'check back into the US after being abroad.' If you dont have a decal, you have to go, in person, to the closest Customs and Border Patrol office, to check in. *The Master only. (the Captain is called the Master.) Everybody else has to say on-board the vessel. (the Captain - Master takes everybody's passport and the ships papers to the Customs and Border Patrol office) Pays his $27 and gets a decal. BUT further reading shows another option. SVRS.
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What procedures must a small boat follow when entering the United States?
The master of a pleasure boat must report to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) immediately upon arriving into the United States from a foreign port or place and must provide a formal vessel entry on CBP Form 1300 within 48 hours. He will also need to report any foreign merchandise on his boat that is subject to duty.
CBP has implemented the Small Vessel Reporting System (SVRS) to improve the security of our nation's borders while enhancing legitimate travel specifically for small boaters. For information on how to enroll, please click on the SVRS Enrollment Form and/or call 1-800-432-1216 for additional question about SVRS registration.
If your boat has anchored or tied up, you are considered to have entered the United States. No one shall board or leave the boat without first completing customs processing, unless permission to do so is granted by the CBP Officer in charge. The only exception to this requirement is to report arrival. If it is necessary for someone to leave the boat to report arrival to CBP, he or she must return to the boat after reporting and remain on board unless instructed otherwise. No one who arrived on that boatmay leave until the CBP Officer grants permission to go ashore. A report of arrival into the United States should be made to the CBP office nearest to your point of entry.
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Short version: SVRS allows you to arrive back in the USA and CALL the Customs folks and check in over the phone - instead - of going to their office. Well, that sounds like something i may need? So i went to the link for the SVRS and filled it out. I am now an official Small Vessel Reporting System sailor. *But hold on. First you have to go in person to the closest CBP office and have a face to face interview.... Bring your Passport and your Coast Guard paperwork. I set that up online too and made an appt for Tue at 1:30pm. The biggest difference is I have a car now. I didnt just sail over from the Bahamas and need an expensive Taxi. I dont have crew stranded on the boat waiting. I can do this at my own convenience. The closest reporting station is Ft Pierce municipal airport, about 40 miles north.
When i showed up there was another couple in front of me. They were not US citizens so they didnt have SVRS. Their paperwork was more 'scattered.' Then another couple soon came in behind me. (Canadians) They had to leave the country and not take their boat with them and wondered what paperwork nightmare they were jumping into? (the front desk guy - speaking through thick glass - walked them through the 'how to' procedure while i waited for an agent to come help me.) My Customs and Border Patrol Officer, agent Bowden, arrived and asked me, "is your appointment for today or yesterday?" (it seems they were shut down for the Govt closing) Then all he wanted was my Passport. Since i did everything online, he just went back to his desk while i stood in the lobby and confirmed my info. He came back in about 3 minutes, handed me my Passport and said you are finished. He wrote my Boater Registration Number onto my Passport and waved goodbye.
With my SVRS, I will go to the CBP website to do a "My Float Plan" prior to departure, and a NOA when i return. A Notice Of Arrival. I got a real sinking feeling I'll screw something up the first time. But I'm trying real hard.
-Peg Leg Pirate Skip
SVRS
