Baja Ha-Ha XXVIII

IMPORTANT CHANGE IN CABO SAN LUCAS
CHECK-IN PAPERWORK

There has been a change in the documents required for an international clearance into Mexico at Cabo San Lucas.

At this time each of the ports in Mexico is requiring whatever papers the Port Captain in that particular port wants for clearing in either internationally or domestically. There is no consistency to it. For example, the Port Captain in Ensenada has not made any changes from what was required previously and requires less than if you clear into Mexico at Cabo San Lucas.

We know this will be confusing, but try to stick with us, as it's very important.

The big change in Cabo is that the Port Captain has decided that the captain of each arriving vessel must have either a USCG issued Charter Captain’s License, a Boater’s Card, or a Sailing Certificate from a sailing school. He has also requested that as many crew as possible be accredited as well.

His requirement is under protest by the Mexican Marina Association, and there is a possibility it will not be in effect when we arrive. But right now he is requiring it.

Don’t have any of the above-mentioned credentials? The cheap solution is to get a Boater’s Card from Boat/US. It is free, although they do try to sneak in a $10 donation. The Assistant Poobah had no problem passing the test, but you do have to weed through pages and pages of lessons and tests which the website prevents you from doing quickly. Three hours is probably the minimum. There are similar certifications available from California, Oregon and Washington, all of which take about the same time.

Checking in Without a Ship's Agent (Barreda Agency)

If you will be checking into Cabo yourself, the Ha-Ha will provide you with a map and detailed instructions at the October 30 Skipper's Meeting. However, some paperwork required, and inspections, will be similar to those required if you are using the Barreda Agency.

Before we get to the documents needed, these are the steps you will be required to take in order to clear in at Cabo San Lucas.

1. Go to Immigration with Passports. Immigration is the critical step because once you've cleared you and your crew through Immigration, you have your FMM tourist visa and/or your passports are stamped and everyone is free to move about or leave the country.
2. Go to the Port Captain with Stamped Papers from Immigration. The Port Captain's office has limited hours and is usually closed on weekends. So if you don't check in with them on Friday, you likely won't be able to do it until Monday.
   While the Ha-Ha does not recommend it, in the past some captains have cleared their crew in through Immigration at Cabo San Lucas, and because the Cabo Port Captain was closed on the weekend, didn't check in with a Port Captain until they got to La Paz. However, just because this was done in the past doesn't mean it can be done in the future.
3. Go to the API office and pay the small daily fee for anchoring out. If you get into the marina, the marina pays the API fee.

If checking in Mexico at Cabo yourself, you need to be flexible. Office hours vary, there may be lines, and office hours particularly at the Port Captain can be short. If you have crew leaving on Saturday or Sunday, the important thing is to get to Immigration by Friday. They generally have the longest hours.

Documents Needed if Checking in With Our Friends at the Barreda Agency

It is very important that you SCAN all emailed documents in color and high resolution, not just take a photo of them. Mexican officials will not accept photos.

1. Vessel Registration or Documentation
2. Proof of Liability Insurance. (This widely available insurance is not included in all US hull and liability policies, but it is on some. Check your policy.)
3. Last Port Clearance Document (If a US-registered vessel coming in from the USA, this is not needed.)
4. Copy of Temporary Import Permit, including dinghy and helicopter, if applicable. (Countless vessels have cleared into Mexico without the dinghy or most current dinghy being on the main vessel's TIP. In over 30 years of the Poobah taking his boat to Mexico, nobody has ever checked that the current dinghy was on the TIP.)
5. List of all Crew with Name, Age, and Nationality
6. Copies of Passports for all Crew, Full two pages required. If sent electronically, they need to be scanned, not photos.
7. Captain’s License, Boater’s Card, or Sailing Certification for at Least the Captain, but also as many of the crew as possible. (The Ha-Ha recommends that at least three of the people on the boat have such certification.)
8. A list of the Last Five International Ports the Vessel Entered (Example: San Diego, Long Beach, San Diego, Long Beach, San Diego.)
9. Port of Departure. (Example: San Diego) Estimated Arrival Date. (Scheduled for November 10.)

If There is a USCG Licensed Captain in Charge Include the Following

1. The Captain’s License. Picture and Endorsement Page Showing Tons Authorized.

2. CoC for Crew According to Minimum Safe Manning.
3. Notarized Captain’s Appointment Letter or Maritime Letter of Permission. (In other words, if the owner is not aboard, the captain needs a notarized letter from the owner giving him permission to operate and move the vessel.)

Take note: You are under no obligation to use the services of Barreda Agency. The Ha-Ha has negotiated a discounted $135 for the Agency's fee. They usually charge $250! Their fee does not include the charges of Immigration, the Port Captain, or API.

Upon Arrival in Mexico
The Barreda Agency will be set up in the Marina Cabo San Lucas facility, probably at the fuel dock. When you arrive they will want a detailed list of any organic food, meat and eggs on board for the Agriculture Department. They will also have papers, such as a declaration stating there is no cargo or guns on board, for you to sign upon arrival. Later, usually the next day, you will return and pick up your clearance documents.

Inspections in Cabo

1. Mexican Customs agents may come to your vessel to inspect your TIP. As such, it may be necessary to leave one crew member on board at all times until this inspection has been completed. (This is the wording from Barreda. But in the 33 times that Poobah had cleared into Cabo, he can't recall anybody ever coming by to inspect his boat's TIP. Although there is always a first time.)
2. The Agriculture Department will inspect your vessel and take any organic food, restricted meat and eggs, and organic garbage to incinerate. They will charge a nominal fee for the disposal. (Again, this is the wording from Barreda, and it may or may not happen. Usually Agriculture does not have a boat to go out and check boats in the anchorage, so only boats in the marina would get inspected. There is plenty of meat, fruits and veggies at COSTCO and other stores in Cabo, so there is no need to arrive in Cabo with more than you can afford to dispose of.)
   

1. The Port Captain in Ensenada does not require the captain or any of the crew to have any license or certification.
2. There is no Agricultural inspection.
3. There is no API fee.
4. The Port Captain does not require a list of the last five international ports.

The main downside of clearing into Mexico at Ensenada and starting from there — something a handful of Ha-Ha boats do each year — is that the day rate at the two marinas is very expensive. Marina Coral will have a number of slips for boats under 40 feet. CruisePort Marina has slips for boats of all sizes and has offered a three nights for the price of two Ha-Ha Special. If you're going to leave from Ensenada, it's economically best if you stay there an entire month for a lower rate.

It's not difficult for Ha-Ha folks who start in Ensenada to attend the Skipper's Meeting and Last Cheeseburger in Paradise and Costume Kick-Off Party in San Diego via the ABC bus and the Red Trolley from the border to San Diego. If you do the party and spend that night in a hotel in San Diego, you can catch an early trolley to the border, then catch an hourly ABC bus to Ensenada, and be back on your boat by noon. Even if you don't start until 4 pm, you'll still be slightly ahead of the Ha-Ha fleet that started in San Diego.

Why the discrepancy between requirements in Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas? Because the Port Captain in Cabo is applying the requirements for commercial vessels and doesn't recognize the difference between commercial and recreational vessels. This is despite the fact that Cabo has very little commercial traffic and Ensenada has lots of it. We know the new requirements don't particularly make sense, but it's best to just roll with it.

To put things in perspective, clearing in and out of Mexico is much less time-consuming and astonishingly less expensive than anywhere else we can think of. Except for St. Barth. And it's still the best cruising deal in the world.

© 2022 Baja Ha-Ha, LLC