Immigration
Getting in and out easily.
Arrival Procedure for Visiting Yachts:
ALL VESSELS ARRIVING AT THE RCYC ARE TO IMMEDIATELY CALL IN AT THE RCYC MAIN OFFICE
Skippers are to sign in with Marina Secretary, Andrea Peral, and complete all relevant documents on arrival in RCYC Marina (supplied by office).
Once complete, skipper and all crew (must all carry passports) are to visit the IMMIGRATION OFFICE which is situated at:
IMMIGRATIONS OFFICE
BON 1 Building (opposite Table Bay Police Station)
next to the Mission to Seafarers
660 Duncan Road
tel +27 21 421 1007).
OFFICE HOURS 24hrs.
After which, proceed to CUSTOMS (next door to Immigrations in the Transnet Building).
CUSTOMS OFFICE HOURS 07h00 – 22h00 daily.
Departure Procedure for Cape Town:
Visitors are required to settle all outstanding balances with the RCYC, then complete a VOYAGE PLAN as well as PORTNET CLEARANCE FORM (supplied by RCYC Office).
Once completed, three Clearance certificates will be issued for PORTNET, CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION by the RCYC office.
South African registered vessels require the following:
i. Vessels registered in South Africa require the Boat Owner/Skipper to submit a SAMSA registration document (boat MUST be registered at SAMSA)
If you wish to sail in foreign waters, a SAS listing and COF are no longer sufficient. You will need to get your vessel registered through SAMSA and also obtain a local general Safety Certificate (LGSC) for your yacht.
Without these documents you will not be able to clear customs.
ii. Voyage Plan – to include anticipated route as well as Insurance Certificate.
Proceed to PORTNET Multipurpose Terminal, situated near the PORTNET TOWER.
On weekends PORTNET operates from the BON 1 Building, situated behind the Mission to Seafarers (opposite Table Bay Police Station) in Duncan Road.
Following PORTNET, proceed to next door to IMMIGRATION.
iii. The last port of call is CUSTOMS CLEARANCE & VAT Refund. To claim VAT, all original invoices are required. For items too large to bring to the office, appointments can be arranged 24hrs in advance wherein a officer will conduct an inspection on board.
When leaving for an international clearance the following procedure applies (all to be presented to the customs officer upon clearance):
- Immigration clearance
- Letter from the yacht club
- Registration document of the yacht
- A completed DA1 form for outward clearance of the yacht
- DA3 –in order to be cleared for sailing to an international destination
SARS – DA 1 Report Inwards Outwards for Ships
SARS – DA 3 Certificate of Clearance for Ships for a Destination Outside the Republic.
Arrival Procedure for arrival in Rio:
Customs/clearing agents are available at a cost of $450 (This includes clearance in and out of Rio Port).
MARITIMO INDEPENDENTE 2006 AGENCIAMENTO LTDA
Documents required:
- Crews Passports
- Certificate of Competence Yachtmaster Ocean
- Certificate of Registry
- If the owner isn’t part of the crew – contract passing responsibilities of the vessel to the skipper
- Last port departure paper plus immigration stamped crew list
- Declaration from the local yacht club (ICRJ) your arrival and estimated date of visit.
Some clearing-in advice from Liza Zagt (Leia B), 2017 entrant:
- The entire crew is required to report to the Federal Policia situated just outside the Placa XV in Centro. The entrance is obscure as the guard lets you in through the car gate and you have to go up ‘backyard stairs’ to the correct department which is called NEPOM. Each crew member must have a passport, the boat’s registration certificate as well as a letter from the Rio Yacht Club in Portugese explaining that the boat was part of the race, who the skipper was etc. This letter was given to us by Tiuana (can’t remember her name exactly).
Address: Centro Cultural do Ministério da Saúde (CCMS), Praça Mal. Âncora, 95 – Centro, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, 20021-200, Brazil (Policia Federal)
(It is about 400m behind the ferry station on the right facing the sea, it is walking distance to the next place – follow the sea along the promenade past Museo do Amanha)
- This process must then be repeated again at the Port Captains office, this is also located Olympic Boulevard – Next to the Brazilian Navy Museum. Each port visited requires clearing in and out with the Federal Police and Port Captain´s office (if not this can lead to a fine on the boat and skipper).
- The skipper must report to the cruiseliner customs office (Receita Federal) which is situated in warehouse 5 (Olympic boulevard). These officials require the same letter as well as the boat’s registration certificate. I believe there is a website which can also be used but not sure exactly what it is.
Address: Armazem 5: Av. Rodrigues Alves РGamb̫a, Rio de Janeiro РRJ, 20220-560, Brazil
This entire procedure shouldn’t take longer than 3 hours.
