Bermuda - Customs
Arriving by Yacht:
The captain should have a copy of the pre-arrival form ready and the completed declaration of health form.
The Customs boarding officer, who normally carries out clearance for all three departments, brings all documents required for clearance on board. The officer will also collect a passenger tax.
Length of Stay: Yachts can stay up to six months, after which time Customs will impose a duty of 33.5 percent on the yacht’s value. However, under special circumstances, the Collector of Customs may grant limited extensions if, for example, the yacht required or was undergoing repairs, if there were weather delays, injured or sick crew members or, indeed, for any other reason that the Collector of Customs considered valid.
Other Items:
Firearms: All firearms and ammunition must be declared on arrival to the Customs officer, who will either impound them until departure or seal them on board. Firearms include spear guns, Verey pistols and flare guns.
Medicines: All medically prescribed drugs and medications must be declared on arrival.
Fruit and vegetables: Those which arrive from other countries are prohibited imports so must stay on the boat. See this document (page 13) for a list.
Last updated: October 2020
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We arrived May 1, 2019. I was surprised that at 1:00 AM Bermuda Harbor Radio would arrange for someone from immigration to be there to check us in. It was a calm night, so sorting out the Ordnance Island dockage was not too confusing. We then anchored in Powder Hole and we were able to secure a spot on the quay the next morning through Bermuda Yacht Services. ($1 foot). Gotta love Bermuda.
November 2018
St George’s
Head tax is 35USD
We docked at the cruise terminal — same rate as the town dock. Use a batter board! Seems like this is kosher as long as there is no cruise ship in port. Cruise ships are relatively rare in St George. (Meanwhile the ferry terminal is quite busy).
There is a duty-free fuel option which is supposedly available if you get a group of boats together to achieve the minimum amount required. You can also try to flag down the duty-free fuel truck if you see them.
We were told that Dowling’s sold water at 0.25USD/gal…which is only valid if you buy fuel, too. If you buy water (and NO fuel), the rate is increased to 0.35USD/gal.
It is easy to get around the island on the bus. You can buy a book of bus tickets at the post office. You can also buy bus tokens at the tourism office (? unsure).
As of November 2017, we were not asked to provide a consumable stores list or crew list. All food is ok so long as it stays on the boat. Do bring the completed Declaration of Health form with you (or complete it in the office). All crew need to come into the office and complete a customs form and present their passport.
Normally most countries require an outgoing clearance document from last port of call. If you leave the Bahamas bound for Bermuda Customs and immigration in i.e. Nassau charged us 75 USD for an outgoing clearance. When we arrived in St Georges harbour on Bermuda for clearance the officers said the Cruising Permit from the Bahamas had been good enough as an outgoing document from the Bahamas. So lesson learned is to skip a special outgoing document from Customs and immigration in Nassau and save 75 USD.
The cost for clearing into Bermuda is $35 per person. It’s possible Martyn was incorrectly charged last year as he had 4 people on board then, however, the cost this year is correct.
The cost of clearing into Bermuda is now $140 for a sailing yacht with 4 people on board.
(Last year it was $35!)
The Yacht Centre on Ordnance Island now offers free wifi to all yachtsmen in or outside their office.
You can get a 5% discount at the supermarket by stating that you are on a boat.