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Entering by boat: Samoa

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

Based on official sources, checked on 28 October 2026.

Before you arrive

The steps

  1. Send the arrival form to Samoa Ports Authority at least 48 h ahead.
  2. Send the Master's Declaration Form to Biosecurity at least 24 h ahead.
  3. Call Apia Harbour Master / Port Control on VHF 16 one to two hours before entering.
  4. Health, immigration, customs and biosecurity board; go ashore only after all four.
  5. Departure: be at Customs before 14:00 (cash office closes at 16:00).

Papers to have on board

  • Passports for the whole crew
  • Crew list
  • Boat papers (registration certificate)
  • Outward clearance from the previous country
  • Biosecurity declaration
  • Maritime declaration of health

Good to know

  • One port of entry and exit only: Apia (Upolu). Mulifanua and Salelologa only with special Ministry of Transport permission.
  • To anchor anywhere other than Apia you need a Cruising Permit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requested in advance.
  • Stepped-up drug searches (dogs): zero tolerance.
  • Do not enter the harbour or go alongside before Port Control (VHF 16) gives permission.
  • Samoa is west of the date line: arriving from the Cooks or French Polynesia you skip a day.

Ports of entry

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

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.