Proper Visas Needed for the USA

Pre-arrival:

As Dutchmen arriving by private vessel, we (and many other nationalities) could not sail to the mainland of the United States without a proper visa. An activated and still valid ESTA would most likely not be accepted and in any case would not have given us sufficient time to cruise the entire East Coast. We therefore applied for a B1/B2 visa online.

After filling out a very detailed questionnaire and paying the fees, we could select a date for an interview at the US embassy we had selected (Nassau, Bahamas). Note that each embassy has different waiting times and not each embassy interviews non-residents and non-nationals.

We couldn’t select a suitable date for our interview, so over the course of two months we regularly had to check if new dates had been made available until we finally could pick one when we could actually be in the Bahamas. Of course that date then dictated our sailing plans. The interview was short – plans in the US, profession, prior arrests – and a week later we could pick up our passports with 10-year multiple entry visa.

We also downloaded the CBP ROAM app and entered all of our details before departure. We purchased an eSIM for the USA (through the “Airalo” app).

Arrival:

Based on the weather forecast we picked Port Canaveral, Florida as our port of entry. All ports of entry can be found on the CBP website, with phone numbers. We did not have to do anything like call the coast guard or announce our arrival. We simply dropped the anchor and went to shore the next morning. With the data of the eSIM we logged into the CBP ROAM app to notify the CBP of our arrival. We received a message saying we had to go to the nearest CBP office immediately. (Note that friends who arrived at a different port a month later did not have to go the office but handled everything by phone).

Our CBP office was closed, so we returned after the weekend, which was fine. We were asked if we had brought food into the country, had our passports inspected, and were given a cruising license for one year (no charge). The license also appeared in the CBP ROAM app. Our visa were activated for six months, which we could verify on the I-94 website.

We were asked to use the CBP ROAM app to report our arrival at each new port. We did that, but the app always asked from which foreign country we had arrived, treating us as new arrivals instead of domestic travelers. The app would sometimes still be processing our arrival after two weeks, during which time we couldn’t use it.

We called the CBP office and they acknowledged that the app is not working properly for domestic movements. From then one we reported our movements via phone, which was very easy. Just be sure you have the number of the cruising license, e.g. make a screenshot from the relevant tab in the app, so you never have to log in to the app anymore.

Departure:

We were asked to call the CBP office for New England to announce our departure, so we did. The officer said that they didn’t actually register our departure and didn’t need any information from us (despite their website claiming we needed their clearance). We asked him to at least write down our cruising license number.

In summary: once you have the correct visa, all you need to do is contact the CBP when you arrive and again each time you have moved to another port.

Floris van Hees & Ivar Smits
Sailors for Sustainability
Two sailors in search of Sustainable Solutions

Noonsite USA Formalities pages

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About the Authors:

Dutch sailors Ivar Smits and Floris van Hees gave up busy jobs to circumnavigate the globe with Sustainability being their main goal. They are keen to learn from others worldwide and research and visit as many projects in the countries en route, to take home positive ideas for today’s and tomorrow’s generations.

They regularly post blogs and vlogs of both their sailing adventures and the sustainable solutions they discover with the aim to inspire people to change their habits. They call themselves “Sailors for Sustainability”.

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Related Articles and Links:

• Sailors for Sustainability
• Portrait of a Cruiser – Ivar Smits & Floris van Hees
• USA, Baltimore:  Bridge Collapse Closes Port for Commercial and Recreational Vessels
• Top Ten Tips to Cruise More Sustainably

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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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