PUETTO RICO: Easter weekend marks the start of a busy boating season that lasts until the very end of the summer within the islands of the Caribbean. With an increase in navigating traffic throughout the various islands, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) remind pleasure boaters of the reporting requirements when arriving at ports of entry within Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Operators of small pleasure vessels, arriving in the United States from a foreign port or place, to include any vessel which has visited a hovering vessel or received merchandise outside the territorial sea, are required to report their arrival to CBP immediately.
The master of the vessel reports their arrival at the nearest Customs facility or such other place as the Secretary may prescribe by regulations. An application to lawfully enter the United States must be made in person to a CBP officer at a U.S. port-of-entry when the port is open for inspection.CBP has designated specific reporting locations within the Field Offices that are staffed during boating season for pleasure boats to report their arrival and be inspected by CBP. The master of the boat must report to CBP telephonically and be directed to the nearest Port of Entry to satisfy the face-to-face requirement, or report to the nearest designated reporting location along with the boat’s passengers for inspection.
Nonetheless, CBP has implemented alternatives such as the Local Boater Option (LBO) and the Small Vessel Reporting System (SVRS).
Participants in this program may report their arrival to CBP by calling a port of entry and may be exempt from reporting for an in-person inspection, unless directed by a CBP officer. Participation in the LBO program does not exempt boaters from decal requirement.
