Bintan – Clearing in at BBT

The CIQ Agent, Yoland (mentioned previously by other cruisers), has been replaced by a lady that does not seem to understand or speak English very well, which might have been the reason why communication was very hard by email and even when we arrived.

We were ill-prepared, despite having corresponded with her for one month (questions unanswered and no clear procedure). As a result, we were refused entry for different reasons, first because she did not inform the CIQP three days before our arrival, then because our registration on the Custom website had not been successful (https://vds.beacukai.go.id/YachtOnline/login.html) and finally because we had dogs onboard and as per the quarantine officer, dogs are not allowed on Bintan at all. We were told in no uncertain terms to go to Batam and register our dogs there!

From the different people we met at the dock, the nicest person with good English skills was Yudhi, the terminal manager (+62 082169972047). If planning to check in, I would recommend contacting Yudhi over a week in advance and follow all the required steps before arriving, to avoid the problems we had.

As far as the terminal marina, it is actually only two small floating docks offering just a dozen spaces in a poorly protected area during northern winds and swell. The cost, according to Yudhi, is quite high – but he did not tell me what it was.

Batam – Clearing in/out at Nongsa Point Marina

The new VHF channel that the marina monitors is CH88. The entrance is well marked with green and red pilings and these are indicated on charts. What could be confusing the first timer, is that the two channel entrances are next to each other: the left one leading into Nongsa Point Marina and the one to the right leading into the ferry port.

The marina is a sleepy (other than at weekends), first class resort and marina with corresponding prices. The personnel are pleasant and helpful. If you are clearing into or out of Indonesia, you will be required to use the marina agent for clearances. One boat did clear in by themselves mostly and ended up being billed anyway!

Clearance was painless and generally takes a couple of days with some officials coming on board. Here clearing in with dogs was possible, but at the cost of 750 SGD / per dog for a 3-month temporary permit! Agnes Nengsih, the Animal Agent, +62 85977881977 agnes.bintang@yahoo.com / eggy@swatantra-bintang.com, was very helpful and can help you out if you decide to come in with dogs.

With seven dogs onboard at the time, we decided to check out to return to Malaysia and come back to Indonesia in December, at the start of the northern monsoon, so we could sail past Batam to continue to Belitung. Never had such animal fees been asked before in Indonesia, we learned that only Batam and Bali do now have such fees! One of the reasons we came was to finalize our two year KITAS, and that turned out not to be possible in Batam either! So we will fly to Bali from Malaysia.

During our stay there, we met three different foreign boats who had been stuck for days or weeks trying to check out from Indonesia without success, because they did not have their domestic exit permit from the last Indonesian port. [See Noonsite report on this matter for details].

The official Customs website can be misleading because they write: “after clearing in no other visit is necessary until checking out” – but – THIS ONLY APPLIES TO CUSTOMS. Obviously you might need to see Immigration if your visa is expiring soon and you do need your last domestic port clearance in order to check out of Batam. One cruiser had to fly to Bali and go with his Consul to get his port clearance from the Bali harbor master; the others had their agents send them the document after a while.

Luc Callebaut,
s/v Sloepmouche

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Related Reports:

Indonesia: Cruiser Paradise or Paradise Lost?

Indonesia, Bali: Checking in without an Agent

Other Reports by Luc Callebaut:

Pacific Crossing 2022:  Panama and Galapagos Update

Pacific Crossing 2022:  French Polynesia Update

Malaysia, Pengerang, Johore:  Update on Sebana Cove Marina

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.

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