- Port Authority Advance Notice of Arrival: It is necessary to give 48 hours prior notice of arrival. This can be done by filling in the Samoa Ports Authority Arrival and Departure Form and emailing info@spasamoa.ws or portmaster@spasamoa.ws
Note: Emails may not be acknowledged but sending this form may save you an extra step on arrival into Apia. - Master’s Declaration Form Biosecurity Samoa: If possible, this form should be printed out, completed – delcaring all biosecurity risk items on board – and then scanned and emailed to Biosecurity Samoa at least 24 hours prior to arrival. If this is not possible, however, it is acceptable to complete the form at check-in. Download the form here. E-mail to info@maf.gov.ws.
Ports of Entry
Apia is the only official port of entry on Samoa.
Samoa Arrival Procedures for Yachts
Advance Notification:
Call “Samoa Port Authority” on VHF Channel 16 and they will give permission to enter the harbor and advise you where to anchor. You must not enter the channel until you have been given verbal permission. There will be no answer prior to 09:00 and you may need to try several times. VHF reception is an issue here. The Port Authority will inform Health, Immigration, Customs and Biosecurity officials of your arrival.
General Procedure:
Officials are reported to be welcoming and helpful. A simple “Talofa Lava” (polite Samoan greeting) will go a long way.
All officials will come to your boat to clear you in. Health officials will attend first before Immigration, Customs and Biosecurity. Once all agencies have granted clearance, you are welcome to go ashore.
Officials are reported to be very friendly and amenable to drinks and snacks. Arriving yachts should also be aware that officials may search your boat while the paperwork is being carried out. It is advisable to accompany officials while they are searching your boat.
Do not go alongside the main wharf, or drop anchor, until permission and directions are given by Port Control. If arriving at the weekend, clearance will take place between 15:00 and 17:00 in the afternoon. It is not possible to clear in the evenings.
All arriving boats may come into Apia Marina for official clearance, even if they are anchoring, without paying any additional fees for clearance. However there is a fee for dinghy access to the marina.
Clearance Authorities consist of:
- Health Department
- Customs
- Quarantine/Biosecurity
- Immigration
For more information – see the Samoan Government website which can be found here: http://www.samoagovt.ws/.
Customs searches: Cruisers report that drug searches are being stepped up in Apia and around the South Pacific. If you arrive in Apia with clearance from a Central or Southern American port, officials will search your boat. Also, if Apia is not the named destination on your clearance they will search you. The searches can last all day and involve more than 10 persons and two drug dogs. There is zero tolerance for drugs on board and offenders will be prosecuted.
Immigration: You may have to go into town to visit the Immigration Office (taxi ride $5 tala – located on the first floor in the large government office building in town). Take your passports and all relevant documents. This office is very crowded. Do not take a number, instead ask at the desk “where do ship captains get clearance?”. You will be shown into a back room to complete the paperwork.
Quarantine/Biosecurity: International yachts entering Samoa waters are considered to be of a high biosecurity risk and are closely monitored by Quarantine. It is important to be aware of the clearance procedures for yachts. If possible, the skipper must complete a Master’s Declaration Form declaring all biosecurity risk items on board that are either restricted or prohibited. This form must be submitted at least 24 hours before arrival, however, if that’s not possible it can be completed at check-in. See the biosecurity section for more details.
Domestic Cruising in Samoa
Samoa is not just a convenient stopover, it is also a cruising destination in its own right. However, in order to visit other anchorages and islands, you must apply for a cruising permit which can only be applied for once you have arrived in Samoa and completed clearance formalities. Once approved it gives you up to 10 days of sailing in Samoa. See Documents for more details.
See Restrictions for controls on anchoring.
Leaving your boat in Samoa:
If you want to leave the boat at the marina while you fly home, give yourself enough time, as you need to apply in writing for permission and wait until it has been granted.
Samoa Departure Procedures for Yachts
International Clearance:
All yachts must clear out of Samoa in Apia.
The Captain/Skipper must visit Immigration with all passports and fill out the required departure forms. Once Immigration clearance is received, go to Customs to final outward clearance.
A clearance fee is payable at the Customs Office, so it’s important to arrive no later than two in the afternoon as the cash office closes at four.