Yacht Clearance Guide for Entry into Montserrat
The Montserrat Customs and Excise Division has developed this Yacht Guide to assist masters, agents, crew, and passengers of yachts and pleasure craft with the procedures for entering and clearing vessels in Montserrat.
This document outlines the required pre-arrival notifications, clearance processes, port requirements, and important regulations that must be followed when arriving by sea. It also includes answers to frequently asked questions regarding visas, cruising permissions, port dues, animals on board, fueling, water services, and after-hours fees.
All vessel operators are strongly encouraged to review this guide prior to arrival to ensure a smooth and efficient clearance process.
The Clearance Process
The clearance process for a yacht/pleasure craft in Montserrat will generally involve:
- Notifying Customs at least 24 hours prior to arrival. This is outlined in the Customs (Control and Management) Act Cap 17.04 section 24.
- Arrival notification must be completed using the clearance system, Sail Clear, the site address is sailclear.com. It is important to note that there is an annual fee to utilize the Sail Clear system. This payment is processed on the same website.
- The master, or agent, will be required to enter all information in relation to the vessel, that is, the crew & passengers on board, ship stores to include crew/passenger effects, spirits, wines and tobacco/cigar amount, and if any, whether there are weapons, ammunition and/or animals on board.
- Once all of this information is entered correctly, an arrival notification needs to be submitted, via sail clear, in order for the master, or agent, can present to a Customs Officer, an inbound notification number.
- When arriving into Montserrat waters, a yacht must seek berthing instructions from the Montserrat Port Authority, using the call sign “Montserrat Port” on VHF channel 16. This is to be done before proceeding to embark via the Little Bay jetty. Port Little Bay is the only port of entry permitted for embarking and/or disembarking via sea. The Montserrat Port Authority will also provide instructions where to dock your tender.
- The master, or an agent for the vessel, will enter at the customer service area located at the main building of the Montserrat Port Authority. Here, they must present to the Montserrat Customs Officer, the clearance certificate from the last port of call and all passports of all crew and passengers along with the notification number.
- The Customs Officer will verify that the submitted information is correct before requesting that the master, or agent, proceeds to the Port Authority cashier, or if after hours, Montserrat Port Authority Security officials, to request a port clearance and pay port dues.
- When the port dues and port clearance has been paid, return to the Customs Officer and give the Customs Officer the port clearance. You will both then proceed to sign your clearance certificates. There will be four copies to sign, the master’s copy, Customs copy, Immigration copies and the Montserrat Port Authority copy.
- The Customs Officer will issue the Master’s copy to the master, or agent, informing you that the clearance will be valid for 72 hours, and that the clearance has been issued for both inbound and outbound.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the procedure for a yacht who overstays, or, plans to stay longer than the stipulated 72 hours?
If a yacht arrives and the master, or agent, states that they plan to stay longer than the 72 hours, they will only be issued with an inbound clearance. Once the departure date has been provided, the master, or agent, will be informed to return to the Customs office, at the Montserrat Port Authority, for an outbound clearance. The outbound clearance can either be issued the day before departure, or on the day of departure. The master, or agent, will also be informed if any after hour fees will be payable. The master, or agent, must complete an outbound notification, using sail clear, and provide the notification number to the Customs Officer who will issue the outbound clearance. This outbound clearance will only be valid for 24 hours.
In another example, where that a yacht has already been issued with an inbound/outbound clearance. The master, or agent, will need to submit a new outbound notification, via sail clear, present the original clearance issued by Montserrat Customs, as well as, present the new outbound notification number to the Customs Officer who will assist in the issuance of the new outbound clearance.
- I have tried using sail clear on my vessel but have no luck, what can I do when I arrive in Montserrat?
A sail clear kiosk is available for your use and this is located at the Montserrat Port Authority main building. A master, or their agent, can use this kiosk to complete the inbound, or outbound notification for Montserrat, or any other island in the region who uses Sail Clear.
- I have a dog on board my yacht and I’d want to bring them ashore, what is the process for ensuring they can come on land once arrived in Montserrat?
For your animal to be granted permission to be brought ashore, you must get in touch with our local vet unit. You can contact them by telephone or email. Their telephone number is 1-664-491-2076 and email, vetunit@gov.ms. You will be guided as to the forms and fees payable before approval is issued. Do note, if you have not received approval from our vet unit, it means no land clearance for the animal.
- What are the port dues payable?
Payable fees in relation to the Montserrat Port Authority can be found on their website https://mpa.ms/safety-and-security.
- What will be the procedure for fueling my yacht, or my boat engine, with gasoline?
Our local petroleum services are provided at two petrol stations, A&F Gas Station in Sweeney’s and Osborne Service Centre in St. Peter’s. They can supply your small fuel needs. Our main supplier, Delta Petroleum, can be contacted for your larger fuel needs. You can get in touch with them via their website https://www.deltacaribbean.com/montserrat/ or telephone, 1-664-491-9981. If you have a local agent on island, they can arrange your fuel needs ahead of time.
- How can a yacht/pleasure craft refill with water?
The master, or agent for the vessel, can request their water refilling needs with the Montserrat Port Authority operations department. If this request is received out of hours, the master, or agent, will request through the Montserrat Port Authority Security personnel. Their standard fee is $75 per thousand gallons.
- I have stayed at Port Little Bay however; the sea conditions got a little rough during my stay. I found that going further South has calmer seas but during my stay there, the Marine Unit enquired about my cruising permit, or as they stated, permission to proceed coastwise, what should I have done? As I had no documentation to show that I received cruising permission from Customs.
To receive permission to proceed coastwise, you must indicate this to the Customs Officer when you are entering and clearing. This request will ensure that approval to proceed coastwise can be added unto your documentation and that officials know your location. You can find a map where you can moor your yacht, or pleasure craft, within the sail clear kiosk and also on the Montserrat Port Authority website https://mpa.ms/safety-and-security/. Please note, permission to proceed coastwise does not authorize you, crew or any passengers of your yacht/pleasure craft, to come ashore.
The Customs approved port of entry, via sea, is Port Little Bay and as stipulated in the Immigration Act Cap 13.01 as at 1 January 2019, Section 16 (1),
“No person shall enter or leave Montserrat by sea or air except at a port of entry”
Plus, section 43,
“Any person guilty of an offence against this Act for which no express penalty is provided shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of $1000 or to imprisonment for a term of six months; and in any case in which the offender has contravened or failed to comply with section 16 (1), (2) or (3), proceedings may, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any other law, be brought at any time.”
- I plan to tour the island; how do I arrange a tour and what are the charges?
There are numerous taxi and tour operators in Montserrat who can provide you with a guided tour. To get in touch with one, please check out www.visitmontserrat.com, select the “Getting Here” followed by “Getting Around”. This option will also take you to the various operators. You can also find the charges for bus fares, taxi & tours and vehicle rentals.
- Will I need a VISA to enter Montserrat?
To verify if you need a VISA to enter Montserrat, please visit https://www.immigration.ms. With this portal, you can pre-check if one is required, simply enter your nationality and country of residence. If in the case you do need to apply for a VISA, the application must be completed online, at least 24 hours ahead of approval; fees apply. Once your approval is successful, please present your MOVA number to the Customs Officer who will be processing the clearance.
- I have a passenger on board and they plan to sleep at a hotel and leave on a flight, what will I ensure they do prior to arrival?
In a situation that a passenger plans to sleep on the island of Montserrat, and not on board your yacht or pleasure craft, the master, or agent, must inform the Immigration department, at least 72 hours, of the date and time the vessel will be arriving in the waters of Montserrat. This will ensure that an Immigration Officer will be present to process the passenger at the Montserrat Port Authority compound. The information can be sent via email to immigration@gov.ms. The passenger must complete an online Immigration/Customs Declaration form, this can be accessed through https://www.travelmontserrat.gov.ms/.
Additionally, if a passenger, who is already on the island wishes to depart on your yacht/pleasure craft, please inform the Montserrat Port Authority by email info@mpa.ms, the Immigration department and Customs. Our email address is customs@gov.ms and we must be informed at least 24 hours prior to departure. Please note, that as per the Embarkation Tax Act Cap 17.09 as at 1 January 2013, and SR&O 41 of 2019, $25EC per passenger will have to be paid to the Customs Officer once the passenger(s) has stayed on the island for more than 24 hours.
- How much are the after-hour fees in relation to a yacht or pleasure craft arriving in Montserrat?
As per SR&O 34 of 2013 if a yacht, pleasure craft or vessel arrives out of working hours, the fees are as follows:
- Weekdays, attending to yachts or pleasure crafts with a total of 8 passengers and crew, $50.00. $60.00 applies if more than 8 passengers are on board.
- Weekdays, attending on vessels, receiving cargo, passengers and baggage, receiving and shipping passengers or cargo, examining cargo at the port or any other place, $60.
- Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays, attending to yachts or pleasure crafts with a total of 8 passengers and crew, $60. $75 applies if more than 8 passengers are on board.
- Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays, attending on vessels, receiving cargo, passengers and baggage, receiving and shipping passengers or cargo, examining cargo at the port or any other place, $75.
All fees mentioned has a minimum charge for 2 hours in respect of the service provided by each officer attended. To know the public holidays for Montserrat, you can type into your search engine, Montserrat Public Holidays, followed by the year, and you should be provided with a list of all the planned holidays in Montserrat.
