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 Caribbean travel may be easier
By MARK ERCOLIN
Waterfront News Columnist
As summer approaches, many of us are anticipating calmer seas offshore (barring hurricanes, of course) and planning boat trips to weekend destinations like the Bahamas.
Experienced boaters know there are some barriers to this popular trek. The increased price of fuel for one, which may affect all boaters’ plans for some time to come.
Historically, a more common and lasting impediment has been the reporting requirements of returning vessels and travelers to U.S. Customs and Immigration.
In the past when a boat returned from a foreign Caribbean port, there was generally no avoiding a face-to-face meeting between immigration officials and crew and passengers. However, since last year, under certain circumstances, this inconvenience for boaters has been alleviated.
The federal agency now known as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has established a shortcut entry system that can be used by many South Florida boaters. It is called the Local Boater Option, which is designed to allow many U.S. citizens and legal permanent U.S. residents reentry into South Florida, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands without the inconvenience of meeting with agents on every return boat trip from a foreign port.
It works like this: If you are a U.S. citizen or a permanent legal resident of the United States 14 years old or older, you can make an appointment with the CBP to apply for your Local Boat Option (LBO) credentials.
Locally, this can be done by calling 954-761-2000 in Broward County; 305-536-4758 in Miami, or 561-848-6922 in Palm Beach County. The applicant will then go to their local CBP offices with proper identification to show citizenship or resident status. (Make sure you confirm with CBP the proper required credentials to bring when you make an appointment).
If you are the captain or owner of a boat, you should also bring information on the vessel that can be used for your foreign travels, including a copy of the registration and the user fee decal number, if applicable.
The application process is free and generally estimated to take 20 minutes. Once it is completed the applicant will receive a card with a boater registration number. Children under 14 may be included under their parents’ issued number.
Assuming all persons are signed up for the program, the idea is that upon reentry into South Florida waters, the vessel’s master simply has to telephonically report the event to customs, provide the vessel’s pertinent information, make the proper declaration of goods, and give the BR numbers of everyone on the vessel.
In most instances, this should negate the requirement to report personally to an immigration office and fill out further forms. It must be noted that CBP does reserve the right to require face-to-face inspections despite full and proper participation in the program’s guidelines. However, this now appears to be the exception rather then the rule.
There are some cautions to be remembered when planning, particularly if you are the owner or master of a potential participating vessel:
First, participation in the Local Boater Option is designed around individual registration in the program, with a boater number given to an individual applicant. It can not be done by a master or another agent for that person. Individual participants in the program must be either U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents of the United States.
Also, the Local Boater Option program is only available to those properly registered on board private, noncommercial vessels, who are not paying for the voyage.
And, finally, it must be remembered that the vessel’s master and/or owner remains responsible for following either the program’s guidelines, or deal with any nonconformities in a manner acceptable to CBP.
This means if the vessel’s master intends to take full advantage of the Local Boater Option upon reentry, it should be confirmed before the voyage begins that everyone on board is a properly registered participant.
In the event only some of the voyagers are properly registered, they will probably be allowed to leave the vessel without further inconvenience upon reentry. However, travelers without a boater registration number will be required to report for the old fashioned face to face meeting with immigration officials — and it remains the boat’s master/owner’s responsibility to make sure that these guidelines are met.
Finally, remember that failure of a master to meet U.S. Custom and Immigration guidelines can result in heavy fines and even confiscation of the vessel.
Despite these limitations, the Local Boater Option can make boating in South Florida and the Caribbean a little more convenient and accessible.
Hopefully, some boaters can still afford the fuel to take advantage of it!
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Mark Ercolin is an admiralty attorney based in Fort Lauderdale.
The information offered in this column is summary in nature and should not be applied to specific cases or situations.
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