Honduras - Clearance
PRE-ARRIVAL
All recreational vessels arriving in Honduras from outside the country must complete an International Port Arrival Notification 48 hours prior to arrival.
www.jotform.com/app/cevamhn-dgmm/dgmm-hn/page/14
Select the International Recreational Arrival Notice. Complete the form and submit online. Print the completed form should it be needed to give to the Port Captain and Immigration at your Port of Entry.
The Q flag and Honduran courtesy flag should be flown.
ARRIVAL FORMALITIES
General Process:
The captain and crew must report first to Immigration and then the Port Captain.
- Immigration will want to see passports, crew list and your exit zarpe from your previous port (and will probably want a copy to keep). They may also want to see your Arrival Notice.
- The Port Captain may want to see all of the above, plus your ship’s papers.
Note, that in some ports Immigration and Port Captain may want to keep a copy of various documents, so it’s worth going with at least one copy of each to be on the safe side. Cruisers clearing in at Coxen Hole report that only a copy of the exit zarpe was asked for there.
No visits to other authorities are required.
In some ports of entry authorities visit the boat, in others you will need to go to their offices. See the individual port clearance sections for details.
See documents for a full list of paperwork required for entry into Honduras.
Official check-in fees appear to vary from port to port and it is worth checking the Fees section before selecting your port of entry, in particular in the Bay Islands. Be sure to get receipts for any check-in fees so you don’t have to pay these fees again on departure.
If you prefer to use a Yacht Agent for clearance into Honduras, costs vary from $250-$500 USD. Ask the marinas for agent recommendations.
Domestic Cruising:
A cruising permit is required to stay in Honduras, normally issued by the Port Captain. See documents for more details.
CLEARING OUT
Domestic Clearance:
It is now necessary to obtain national port clearance as you cruise around the country. This can be done online. Go to:
www.jotform.com/app/cevamhn-dgmm/dgmm-hn
Select the place you are checking out for requesting a zarpe and complete the form. Once completed, print and take to the Port Captain and Immigration along with your boat documentation and passports.
International Clearance:
On departure from Honduras, Customs will issue a Zarpe, to be completed by the Port Captain. In most ports, this can only be issued the day of departure and often, as they are issued centrally, there may be a delay of several hours for collection. Immigration must also be visited for an exit stamp.
To speed things up you can apply for an international zarpe online. Go to:
https://www.jotform.com/app/cevamhn-dgmm/dgmm-hn/220175584276864
A visit to the Port Captain will also be required once online application has been made.
On the Atlantic side of Honduras, cruisers recommend Puerto Cortez as a good place to check-in, professional and easy and good for provisioning.
There is no charge for clearing out (see Fees below).
Last updated: April 2024
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Checking in at Coxen Hole was very different from what is described above. Immigration wanted to see original and keep one copy of my zarpre no other photocopies requested. Port Captain did not ask for the online form nor any copies of it or copies of my passport or my registration. It was very easy to check in and I went back to the boat with a stack of unused expensive photocopies as per the description above said I would need
Thanks so much for the feedback. It seems copy requirements vary from port of entry to port of entry. I will be sure to note this for Coxen Hole. Please let us know what fees you paid at Coxen Hole for entry. Thankyou.
Clearing in was free of charge. Immigration wanted to know why am l asking for 90 days visa, it was explained and granted. Port captain issued a cruising permit for the duration the visa stated. Everyone was kind and friendly and the whole process was easy and quick
Check into Guanaja was easy, anchored to the west of Bonacca in 10′ in grass. Dinghy dock with the pangas south side of warehouse “big sales”. You will likely run into a “guide” that will show you around expecting a tip & speaks good english. Immigration first then the port captain, not fast but no problem. SIM cards, groceries & fresh veggies along with reasonable restaurants easily found. We then moved to the Bight for 20′ of sand and great wind protection just off of Hans’ (good pizza), just south of Manati’s (good food, sat only presently) dinghied to Mi Casa II for excellent lionfish. Dove with “End of the World Divers” on the north side for a very good 2 tank dive. Onto Roatan
Sailed to Swan islands from Grand Cayman. Four days of settled weather allowed us to anchor at the west end of the island in 10′ of sand. This is a Honduran military outpost that you will need to ask permission to stay. 12 enlisted & 1 officer rotate through every 45 days, English was not spoken & our Spanish speaker did great. They wrote down our boat info & passport numbers. We delivered fish for them and they asked for cookies, soda & cigarettes. We looked at the anchorage on the NW side that is mentioned elsewhere and do not recommend it. A Boreal 44′ was on the reef after anchoring there. Not great fishing, south side was best. Onto Guanaja
Recent experience checking into Puerto Amapala on the Pacific side. No COVID tests required for entry. We did fill out the forms at the jotform link listed on the Formalities page here. Check-in and check-out using these forms might’ve been the easiest of any country I’ve ever been to. Port Captain and Immigration right there on the pier where you land. 30 minutes in/out. Cost: free.
The ATM (under the umbrellas on the main drag) wasn’t working when we got there. You can exchange USD for Lempiras at the soda distributor (‘casa verde’ on the corner) across the street.
Anchorage. Scope generously. 2/3 boats there had a drag. Diurnal winds in the afternoon/evening kick up a wicked chop and the current switches, leaving some room for fouling. My chain wrapped on a rock to the West side of the pier in 19feet depth, but ultimately wasn’t too problematic.
Getting covid tests for entry into Nicaragua required a water-taxi to Coyolito and bus to San Lorenzo. Easy enough to find a taxi home. The locals were super helpful in making it all happen. Immigration officials were able to recommend a good clinic. I wouldn’t expect same-day turnaround on the test results but you can pull it off if you show up early.
Mar 07, 2019 04:52 PM
Arrived from Roatan yesterday to see Utila and then clear out for Belize. Port Captain informed that immigration officials will not be back until next Tuesday (5 days later). We will take the ferry back to Roatan to clear out. Just a note to say that you cannot guarantee to clear in or out of Utila in a timely way.
I cleared in at Utila in June of 2017. I’ve been there before and there have been a few changes. The Port Captain and immigration are in the same building at the public dock.
The Port Captain went to the boat with me and took photos. HThese were exterior shots and he didn’t enter the boat.
He filled out forms and photographed them with his phone. Then he sent everything to the main office. I had to come back the next morning for the cruising permit.
Immigration requested a $3.00 entry fee.
The exit procedure was the same, except that the turn around time to get approval from the main office was 2 hours. Immigration requested another $3.00.
There was no charge for the cruising permit or the zarpe.
November 21st: We want to report a dinghy theft 2 weeks ago – ours was stolen during the night in the anchorage of West End Roatan. Gone! Lock your dinghy.
On a much lighter note than the previous comment, I would like to commend Aussie Pete, the dockmaster at Fantasy Island, Roatan, Honduras, for the great job he is doing in providing a fun venue for cruisers in French Harbour.
He has a number of weekly activities offered (produce truck, bus trip to the supermarket, BBQ night, Pizza Night, etc) and has created a friendly, welcoming atmosphere at the palapa bar. It’s a great place for cruisers to hang out and visit. Thanks, Pete!
Extortion from immigration officer Coxen Hole. We arrived from Rio Dulce and attempted to clear in at Coxen Hole. The immigration officer would only give us 12 days unless we paid a $200 bribe. We arrived in Guatemala on November 20 and had never extended immigration there.
According to Raul the agent in Livingston, we should have not had any issues here in Roatan. I recommend using an agent or a contact like Pete, the dockmaster at Fantasy Island. Based on our experience, I would not go it alone. Regretfully, we paid. The first bribe in any of the 27 countries we’ve cleared into in 4 years.
According to local cruisers, this extortion is common but not exercised by all immigration officials. We complained to the Port Captain but he said that he could/would not do anything about this.