Christmas Island - Clearance
Christmas Island Pre-Arrival Procedures
Christmas Island is an Indian Ocean Territory, administered by Australia and therefore all yachts wanting to enter or depart Australia from here must comply with Australian Procedures.
Pre-Arrival Boat:
Australian Border Force require an Advance Notice of Arrival at least 96 hours before arrival. Penalties may apply for failure to do so. See Australia/Formalities for full details.
In addition, the ABF form B333 – Small Craft Arrival Report – must be completed well in advance of your anticipated arrival into the Christmas Island. Go to https://www.abf.gov.au/form-listing/forms/b333.pdf and send through to:
- yachtreporting@homeaffairs.gov.au, and
- ChristmasIslandDistrictOffice@abf.gov.au, and
- IOT@agriculture.gov.au.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) also require a
which should be sent well in advance of arrival as well (see Biosecurity for details).
Pre-Arrival Crew:
All nationalities, with the sole exception of New Zealanders, must obtain a visa in advance or be registered as an eVisitor. See Immigration for details.
Christmas Island Arrival Procedures
Vessels that arrive during the night are requested to advise ABF of their arrival after 08:30 the following morning. However, night arrivals are discouraged for safety reasons.
Prior to arrival you also need to contact portmanager@harbour.cx to arrange mooring, fuel, supplies etc.
General Procedure:
On arrival at Christmas Island contact the Harbour Master ‘Christmas Island Port Control’ on VHF Channel 16 for mooring instructions. The use of mooring buoys is mandatory, unless otherwise authorised by the Port Manager/ Harbor Master. See the Fees section for mooring charges.
On arrival at Flying Fish Cove, contact the ABF Christmas Island District Office and DAFF (Biosecurity) for inwards clearance, before disembarking. Everyone must remain on the vessel until it has been inspected and cleared.
You will need to provide the following information:
- the name of your craft;
- the craft’s country and port of registration;
- the last four ports you visited and last port clearance;
- the details of people on board including name, date of birth, nationality and passport number;
- details of any illness or disease recently encountered;
- if you have any animals on board; and
- if you have any firearms on board.
Each person on board will need to provide the following documents.
- a valid passport; and
- a valid Australian visa and completed Incoming Passenger Card (this card will be provided by ABF officials on arrival).
Flying Fish Cove Port Manager / Harbour Master (PM/HM) should be given a courtesy call once clearance procedures are complete. See the Flying Fish Cove port page for details.
Christmas Island Departure Procedures
Prior to departure, vessels are to notify the ABF and request a Certificate of Clearance (form B958).
The ABF Office is located at 3 Tong Chee Road Settlement or contact their office on +61 8 9164 7228 or mobile +61 439 215 125. Open 08:00-16:00 Monday to Friday.
Note: Discuss your departure intentions with the ABF officer during your inwards clearance.
For further information visit the ABF website at www.abf.gov.au
Outward clearance is also required by the Harbour Master on leaving, when all bills must be settled. See the Flying Fish Cove port page for contact details.
Last updated: August 2024
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Here is some general info about Christmas Island after our visit in August 2022.
We arrived from Darwin (where we had to clear out) and contacted the C.I. Harbour Master, who told us which mooring we could use. Note that you are not allowed to arrive at night. Clearing in was friendly and easy.
Laundry: coin-operated machines opposite Golden Bosun pub.
Wifi: Free at Golden Bosun (limited), Bank and neighbouring water company (unlimited); paid at Tourist Office. Local SIM cards are not available.
Rent e-bike at Tourist Office or e-mountainbike at Recreation Centre (possibly via Tourist Office).
Car rental: Kiat Car Rentals (0439 215 388); Soong Car Hire (0439 215 889) – use public phone outside post office for free calls.
Mooring: AUD 10 per day (50 per week) to be paid in cash.
Cash: there are no ATMs. Cash inside the bank (with passport), or ask for cash-out at the supermarket when paying by card.
Provisioning: ask around for local fruit and vegetables. There is a farm on Murray Road where you might get some. The supermarket across from the Tourist Information sometimes has local food. Imported fruit & vegetables are available the evening or morning after the weekly flight arrives.
Smuggling operations in this area – it is the closest port for Asylum seekers entering from Indonesia / Malaysia