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Entering by boat: Colombia

What to do to enter Colombia by sea: the procedures, the papers to present and the ports where you can clear in.

Check with the authorities before you leave (last checked on 28 October 2026).

Before you arrive

  • Notify the authorities 48 hours before arrival.

The steps

  1. Choose an agent and send documents 48 h ahead.
  2. Arrive at the port named on your zarpe, Q and courtesy flags up.
  3. Health, ICA (agriculture), port captain (Acta de Visita) and Migración through the agent.
  4. Over a week: DIAN temporary import and port captain stay certificate.

Papers to have on board

  • Passports for the whole crew
  • Crew list
  • Boat papers (registration certificate)
  • Outward clearance from the previous country
  • Going through an agent

Good to know

  • Licensed agent mandatory: the port captain (DIMAR) does not deal directly with crews; give the agent 48 h notice.
  • Your port of entry must match the one on the previous country's zarpe.
  • Migración Colombia's pre-arrival form (Check-MIG) applied only to air arrivals in 2024.
  • Agent fees vary widely: compare several (≈ USD 230-350 reported).

Ports of entry

The ports where you can clear in, and the services available there.

Providencia

San Andrés

Prepare your arrival with Hullteam

In the app, free: the map of every port of entry and its offices with their contacts, the crew list and the entry forms filled in for you, ready to print or send to an agent.

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Sources

This information is gathered from public sources and sailors’ experience. It does not replace the country’s authorities, whose word is final: check before you leave.