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Entering by boat: Kiribati

What to do to enter Kiribati 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

  • Online procedure: Avis d'arrivée exigé (pas de système en ligne trouvé)

The steps

  1. Send an advance notice of arrival and check crew visas.
  2. Call Tarawa Radio or Marine Radio Christmas Island on VHF 16 when entering territorial waters.
  3. Do not go ashore: fetch the officials by dinghy (customs, immigration, health, biosecurity, police).
  4. Customs issues a cruising permit on entry.
  5. Departure: pay port dues at KPA, then customs clearance (only at Tarawa or Kiritimati).

Papers to have on board

  • Passports for the whole crew
  • Visas, if your nationality requires them
  • Crew list
  • Boat papers (registration certificate)
  • Outward clearance from the previous country

Good to know

  • Two ports of entry: Betio (Tarawa) for the Gilbert Islands, and London (Kiritimati) for the Line and Phoenix Islands.
  • Fanning (Tabuaeran) and Kanton are no longer ports of entry (noonsite, 2025).
  • Do not stop at any other island before clearance, nor after outbound clearance.
  • Outer islands: write to the Principal Immigration Officer at least 3 days ahead; permission of about 2 weeks at most, sometimes refused. Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA): special permit.
  • Visa: some nationalities get it on arrival, others must apply in advance.

Ports of entry

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

Kiritimati (îles de la Ligne)

Tarawa (îles Gilbert)

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.