DETROIT – Boating season is here and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Field Operations reminds travelers of pleasure boat reporting requirements in the Great Lakes region.
Operators of small pleasure vessels arriving from a foreign port or place, to include any vessel which has visited a hovering vessel or received merchandise outside territorial waters, are required to report their arrival to CBP immediately upon landing in the U.S.
Boaters looking for an innovative, faster way to report their arrival and/or apply for a registered boater program may use the CBP ROAM™ application, available for free from the Apple App and Google Play stores. The app allows pleasure boaters to conveniently report their U.S. entry to CBP via their personal smart device or a tablet and qualifies as an Alternative Inspection System that satisfies the boat operator's legal requirement to report for face-to-face inspection in accordance with 8 CFR 235.1, with some exceptions:
- Travelers who require an I-94.
- Travelers who must pay duties on imported goods; and
- Other circumstances as applicable.
Boaters may also continue to report their arrival to the CBP office nearest to your point of entry via telephone. Additional information about pleasure boat reporting requirements can be found here.
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