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Entering by boat: American Samoa

What to do to enter American Samoa 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).

The steps

  1. Each crew member makes the immigration pre-entry application before arrival.
  2. Call the Harbor Master on VHF 16 before entering territorial waters.
  3. Anchor where the port says and go ashore by dinghy.
  4. Customs, health and port office at the container terminal, then immigration about 1 km away.
  5. Clearing out: same circuit, in Pago Pago.

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
  • Maritime declaration of health

Good to know

  • Only one port of entry: Pago Pago (Tutuila). Entry and exit must be at Pago Pago.
  • To visit other islands (Manu'a), get permission from the Department of Port Administration, then return to Pago Pago to depart.
  • American Samoa has its own immigration rules (not the US ones): each crew member must apply before arrival.
  • Arriving in the evening or at weekends: anchor under the Q flag and wait for the next working day.
  • Unreceipted "facilitation fees" have been reported: never pay without a receipt.

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.