Do private yachts have to go through customs before landing on our shores?

In these days of high security, we are hyper-paranoid about someone smuggling something evil into the U.S. on an airplane. Wouldn’t it be much easier to just load something on a private yacht out in international waters and just pulling in to a private dock? What is the normal procedure for checking boats like deep-sea fishing boats, sailboats, and the like that would serve to prevent something like that from happening. It seems rather difficult to prevent to me.

Private yachts to not have to go through customs, at least in my experience. Every summer we used to go on a 63 footer to Bahamas and back, up to 9/11/01. All you had to do then, and still now as I understand it, is buy a decal from customs before your trip. When you are coming home, all you have to do is call customs and let them know you will be coming in. Now, there is a new rule where every person aboard has to physically report to the nearest immigration office, even if everyone on board is from the U.S. From what I’ve heard, this is not enforced all the time.

In the ten or so summers we went over, only once has the Coast Guard stopped us, and even then just briefly looked over papers. On the other hand, another boat we know which is the same size but a lot older and shoddier looking, has been boarded and searched a few times. The scary thing is that one year customs wasn’t called at all and nothing ever came of it.

Down near Miami you can bet that they have every boat on radar and they have a lot more resources towards security than they once did because of 9/11. But you are right in that the security situation is still worrisome. I know this post is more experience than actual laws, but I can’t find an actual government page with the procedure on it. Here is a page that says something similar.

Yes, you need to check in with Customs. Good info available at their web page, www.customs.gov . For your specific question, here’s a section from their FAQ: Pleasure Boats - What procedures must a Small Boat follow when entering the United States?

You are correct that driving up to the US shore is a relatively easy way to smuggle goods, people or weapons into the country. It’s been done that way since the very beginning of the Republic.

At my current assignment, I inspect foreign flagged ships for the Coast Guard, and those Customs guys wanted us to check in with them when we came back from an offshore inspection! We all had a good laugh over that one for awhile. :smiley:

Long ago, I used to work at a port, so my info may be out of date. I’ve no idea about the US, but in the UK you do. Either the customs officer/harbourmaster comes out to meet you or you report to him. At the very least you report to the local police station. Or nasty things can happen to you. Also, absent a pet passport and chipping, any (mammal) pet you have must stay on board or be quarantined.

I asked this a couple of years back. I’m not dissing you for asking again, just hoping you might find useful some of the informative answers I was given by the Dopers.

Ahhhhhh, there you are aeropl

You will be at home tonight…yes? We’ll be over tonight for a brief visit, nothing to worry about…yes? We were wondering what became of your annual voyage, it’s good to know all is…usual…with you and yours…yes? Take care.

Matchka :cool:
US Customs Agent,
SoCal SIU

When private boats cross the Niagara River between Queenston, Ontario and Youngstown, NY, downriver from where I reside, their owners are supposed to contact US Customs. There’s a direct-line phone to Customs near the Youngstown docks for that very purpose. I’ve never read of anyone being busted for not contacting Customs, but–let’s face it, if your boat has Canadian registration and it’s sitting at a US dock, it’s hard to get away with it.

Just another data point, but I’ve had to fill out customs forms when returning to the U.S. (after visiting foreign ports) on a U.S. submarine! I’ve also filled them out when returning to the U.S. aboard U.S. Air Force planes (on space-available flights).

Both were pretty much on the honor system. The duties of the customs agent were performed by a crew member.

On the USAF flight, I noticed there was quite a bit of presumably undeclared booze in the luggage of my fellow passengers…

Dave Barry wrote about ther experience of coming through customs on his way back from Bimini several years ago. It’s in one of his books. Unless they’ve changed the system since then – and, post-9/11, I sincerely hope they have – it sounded incredibly lax, sloppy, and dependent upon the honor and goodwill of the boaters involved. You had to land someone at the dock with a phone, where they made a phone call declaring their arrival, and any imports. On weekends the system, which seemed incredibly understaffed, had to deal with a lot of weekend boaters coming in, especially late on Sunday, and a line would build up just for getting on the dock. It sounds pitufully easy to circumvent.
Or read John McPhee’s book Waiting for a Ship, where he describes how easy it is for people to board vessels in the US and elsewhere. Again, it’s old material, and I hope they’ve tightened up. But it seems to me that the costs of truly making things secure would be astronomical.