Palmerston - Clearance
As Palmerston is is not a designated Customs port, it is imperative that all sailing vessels planning to visit Palmerston apply for approval to visit using Customs Form 27.
See Cook Islands Formalities for complete clearance information.
Arrival
On approach (maximum 15nm), all yachts must call Palmerston Island Administration on VHF Ch. 16 with approximate time of arrival.
Locals monitor VHF Ch. 16, 24h/day so they can assist with mooring/anchoring.
Someone will come out to hook you up to a mooring, or assist with anchoring, and will arrange for the officials to check you in, which takes place on the boat.
Clearance
Palmerston Island is not an official port of entry for the Cook Islands, however they do have some dispensation to clear yachts under certain conditions (for example; yachts unable to enter into Aitutaki or because of weather conditions they are unable to make landfall in Aitutaki/Rarotonga and have continued on to Palmerston; or have called in to seek shelter and rest).
However, as Palmerston is is not a designated Customs port, it is imperative that all sailing vessels planning to visit Palmerston apply for approval in advance to visit using Customs Form 27.
Immigration and customs clearance authorization is only made by the Executive Officer of the Palmerston Island Administration. All yachts visiting are also required to have a Health Clearance and an Agriculture/Quarantine Clearance. All fees collected are used for development/services purposes on the island.
Yachts visiting Palmerston who have already cleared from Rarotonga or Aitutaki into the Cook Islands, are welcome to stay for as long as their permit allows them, but still have to be checked by the Executive Officer and have to pay the local government landing fee.
Fees:
- Immigration per person: NZ$25 or US$20 or Euro20 or AUD$20.
- Customs & Bio-Security per vessel: NZ$25 or US$20 or Euro20 or AUD$20
- Palmerston Island Council Landing Fee per person: NZ$5 or US$5 or Euro5 or AUD$5
- Health Clearance: NZ$20 or US$20 or Euro20 or AUD$20.
Other currencies not accepted.
On occasions, the entry may be denied by official intervention from Rarotonga (without explanation). This has happened once in the past but thankfully is rare. Generally, the Administration is accommodating in clearing visiting yachts.
Crews must remain on board until check-in is complete. Note that officials do not work on Sundays, in which case you will have to wait until Monday to clear in.
Departure
On departure, all yachts are encouraged to obtain a departure clearance even if they have already received one from Aitutaki or Rarotonga. Palmerston Island Administration will only be too happy to provide a certificate to indicate that you have been cleared from Palmerston Island.
Last updated: April 2023
Palmerston Island Administration
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Related to following destinations: Cook Islands, Palmerston, Southern Cook Islands
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Received from Olivier at AVP in French Polynesia via email:
A friend’s catamaran (Oxygen) stopped at Palmerston on April 18th/19th, arriving at night.
They found the moorings field, and tied to a first mooring, which immediately broke its line. A second mooring also broke its line right away.
The owner then decided to anchor, but for the first time in over 6 years, the anchor dragged (thankfully on all three occasions, the boat drifted away from the reef).
The 4th attempt was successful and after a short night’s sleep, they were told (as half expected) that they were not allowed to disembark.
They proceeded to raise the hook, only to find it was wedged between two underwater “cliffs”, requiring a scuba dive to free the chain in over 20m of water and a distance of 50+ meters.
Not a good experience for them and a warning to future visitors as to the state of the mooring lines.
The boat has now arrived safely in Fiji.
I would like to respond to Olivier’s email of April 28, 2022, copied below.
1) S V ‘Oxygen’ was in breach of Cook Is Maritime Border regulations as the maritime border was closed to all vessels at the time (arrival 18 April).
2) S V ‘Oxygen’ made no attempt to inform Cook Islands authorities and / or the Palmerston Is authorities declaring an emergency need to stop over in Palmerston.
All other genuine vessels in distress requiring assistance, rest or repairs that have stopped over in Palmerston since the closure of our maritime borders in 2020/2021 had the courtesy to make contact beforehand and we have attempted to assist them as is possible under restrictions.
3) The Palmerston Is police officer contacted SV Oxygen’ the next morning (19 April) informing it of the border closure, as to the vessel’s intention and that they are not to disembark and they need to depart as per the regulations.
4) In this instance this vessel got off lightly without any prosecution being pursued.
5) In reference to the state of mooring lines, you tie up to them at your own risk. Note we have been closed for 2 years (2020, 2021) NO MOORING LINES HAVE BEEN CHECKED OR MAINTAINED SINCE because there has been no need to. This is what happens when you just show up thinking you have full entitlement to call into Palmerston Is when the Cook Islands maritime border is closed.
6) NOTE – Cook Is Maritime Border has been opened since May 1st 2022.
Palmerston Island is not a Port of Call. Regrettably no approval will be granted to any vessel seeking to visit Palmerston Island in 2022. At this stage Palmerston Island Government does not have the capacity to satisfy national health, biosecurity, customs, immigration and security agencies processes. This will be reviewed again in early 2023. Once national agencies are satisfied with our capacity to undertake these processes we will give notification.
Regards,
Arthur Neale
Executive Officer
Palmerston Island Administration
From Will Rowe via email:
My wife and I have the only AIS station on Palmerston to assist approach. We also provide internet and weather update facilities free of charge to all cruisers no matter whom they are hosted by on Palmerston.
We check the AIS traffic and our email every four to six hours.
Vessels intending on making Palmerston their next port of call can contact us at willrowenaut@gmail.com and expect a prompt reply with answers to any questions they may have.
Meitaki korereka,
Will Rowe
DO visit Palmerston! We did so this year and the welcome was just wonderful.
We contacted Bill Marsters in advance and brought much-needed supplies from Rarotonga. Our reward was to be adopted, fed, and brought into their daily life, with No Charge for the use of their (newly laid) mooring.
Bill’s wife Metua makes delightful necklaces and wristbands and various other beautiful mementos and gifts for very reasonable prices. I bought a shell necklace for my 96y/o mother and mailed it to her – she wears it every day! I and my 3 crew had a wonderful time, and we cannot praise Bill, Metua and their lovely family, enough.
I cannot say how the other families treat you, but I can wholeheartedly recommend getting in touch with Bill and stopping with him if you can.
Only one caveat……the mooring is on the reef, which will be a lee shore if the wind becomes N round to W. We only left because a trough was coming, which would have – and did, I am told – make the anchorage untenable.